Gardner Read

Drawing on primary documents as well as interviews and letters, the authors have created a fascinating portrait of one of America's most distinguished and prolific composers whose creative output spans more than half a century. With its well organized, carefully annotated and indexed bibliography, the book is not only a pleasure to read, but a valuable research tool. Read's notable accomplishments include an extensive catalog of 150 opus numbers that run the gamut of instrumental combinations and musical genres, plus nine scholarly books dealing with various aspects of notation, orchestral devices, and instrumental techniques.The biography describes Read's family background, his early years growing up in Evanston, Illinois, his high school education, his years at the Eastman School of Music, his Cromwell fellowship to Europe, and his marriage to accomplished teacher/pianist, Margaret Vail Payne. Major events are highlighted during his years at St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland, and, finally, Boston. Interlochen, Tanglewood, the MacDowell Colony, the Huntington Hartford Foundation, as well as official visits to Mexico, are explored in terms of the role they played in the creative life of the composer. A major portion of the biography is devoted to Read's opera, ^IVillon^R. Readers will be interested in the completely annotated bibliography, which includes a complete listing of works, performances, reviews, discography, and literary writings. Appendixes include classified lists of instrumentation, commissions, awards, honors, positions, text sources, dedications, and manuscript locations.

MARY ANN DODD, Colgate University Organist Emerita, has also taught at the State University of New York in Binghamton where she was the recipient of the Visiting Link Professorship in 1989. She has performed and lectured extensively throughout the United States with special emphasis on contemporary organ music, and has commissioned and/or premiered several important works. Her reviews and articles have appeared frequently in The American Organist and The Diapason. She is currently at work on a book about contemporary American organ music, focusing on the performance career of the late Leonard Raver.JAYSON ROD ENGQUIST, Director of Music at the Norfield Congregational Church in Weston, Connecticut, is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at Yale University. Engquist is editor of ORGAN PLUS: A Catalogue of Music for Organ with Other Instruments published by The American Guild of Organists and has composed music published by Hope Publishing and Selah Publishing.