Reed, Alfred

Alfred Reed (1921-2005) was a composer, arranger, and conductor in the U.S. His birth name was Alfred Friedman but by the time he was ten, he was playing trumpet professionally under the name Alfred Reed. He went on study theory and harmony with John Sacco and Paul Yartin. From 1938 to 1942, he was a staff composer, arranger, and assistant conductor for the Radio Workshop in New York. His next positions were as associate conductor of the 529th U.S. Air Force Band, and staff composer and arranger for NBC and ABC. In 1953 he became conductor of the Baylor University Symphony Orchestra, where he also earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music. From 1953 until 1966 he was executive editor at Hansen Publications. After 1966 he taught at the University of Miami, where he began their program in music business, the first of its kind. He retired in 1993. Reed wrote over 250 works, mostly for wind band. He also appeared as a guest conductor with wind ensembles throughout the world.

Most materials in this collection date from Reed's years at Baylor University and Hansen Publications. They reflect his interests at the time. For example, at Baylor Reed led the "Golden Wave" marching and symphonic bands, considered gems of the music program there. It is no surprise that many of the compositions in this collection are written for similar ensembles. Arrangements of popular show tunes predominate possibly because such works would have been most popular with college age and alumni audiences. Choric Song, for band and chorus was probably written for Martha Barkema's chorus at Baylor, also a well-known and well-respected ensemble. Hansen was particularly interested in such repertoire because they tried to market to groups with young musicians.

From the guide to the Alfred Reed Collection, 1953-1966, 1953-1966, (Special Collections in Performing Arts)