William Henry Reed

[giles.enders]

William Henry Reed   Born Frome, Somerset  29.9.1876  Died Dumfries  2.7.1942

The son of a civil servant ¹The second of four sons ². He was a violinist and composer.  He studied violin with Sauret and composition with with Frederick Corder and Ebenezer  Prout at the R A M London. He joined the London Symphony Orchestra on its foundation in 1904 becoming its leader in 1912.  For many years he was a resident of Chatsworth Road in Croydon, England. He married his wife Eveline ³ in 1902 and there was one son ⁴.


Orchestra

Symphonic Poem 'Caliban'  pub. by Novello
Symphonic Poem ' The Lincoln Imp' 
Symphonic poem 'Aesop's Fables'
Orchestral Fantasie 'Scenes from the Ballet'  pub. by Novello
Suite Venetienne  (also for piano solo) pub. by Novello 1903
'Somerset Idylls' for small orchestra  1926
Suite for Strings  pub. by Novello
Valse Brillante for orchestra (also piano arrangement) pub. by Novello
Violin Concerto in A minor   pub. by Augener  1918
Rhapsody for viola and orchestra  1918

Chamber

Six string quartets only No. 5 published  by Cary1915

'A la Champagne' for violin and piano  pub. by Novello
'Legende'  for string quartet  MS. in RCM library  1923
String Trio  (Cobbett's states 'It is a real trio for 3 instruments, not a quartet condensed')
Mazurka for violin and piano  pub. by Novello
Chanson Serieuse for violin and piano  pub. by Novello
Caprice for violin and piano  pub. by Augener  1917
Consolation for violin and piano pub. by Augener
Rosenlied  for violin and piano  pub. by Augener
Mignonette for violin and piano  1934
'Dogrose for violin and piano  1937
'Ragged Robin' for violin and piano  pub. by OUP  1937
Scherzo in B for violin and piano  1940
'An April Morning' for violin and piano  1940
Toccata for violin and piano pub. by Augener
Three Purcell Pieces for violin and piano  pub. by Augener
Three Lyrical pieces  pub. by Hawkes

Andante and rondo for clarinet and piano  pub. by Hawkes
'Gentle Dove' for violin and harp   1941

Piano

A la polonaise

Harp

Ballade  1920
Song

Should one of us remember  voice and piano  pub. by Novello
Mirage  voice and piano  pub. by Novello
Tell me, my lute part song  pub. by Novello

Choral

'Earl Halden's Daughter' for mixed choir and piano  words  by Charles Kingsley 1918

1. Father - Frances John Reed
2. Frances John Reed  1774 -
Arthur Ernest Reed 1879 -
Herbert Lionel Reed 1885 -

3. Wife  - Evelyn Harriet Dreyfus

4. Son Frances William Reed  14.1.1903 - 1961  (worked for the BBC)



At one time Cobbett's had a chamber music library in Grosvenor Street, London, does anyone know what happened to its contents?

[Dr Gradus]

I can add to Mr. Enders' information that he appears to have had a connection with the Croydon String Players' Club, which had been set up in 1906 by Coleridge-Taylor. After C-T's death in 1912 Reed would seem to have conducted it for a time, as well as other amateur and (on occasion) professional ensembles. I'm looking into this with the aid of the British Newspaper Archive... fascinating.

Mike Purton, with whom we are making the recording, has set up a crowdfunder page on our behalf to help it happen. The link is here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/wh-billy-reed-string-quartets. If anyone is interested in basically pre-ordering the finished product, it would be a great help! After a couple of days we are already past 20% of our target, which is very encouraging.

[Alan Howe]

Please see separate thread on String Quartets 4 & 5:
https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,8570.0.html

This thread is for general information about Reed's music.
 

[Reverie]

Somerset Idylls (1926)

1.The Crystal Spring
2.May Morning - "Seventeen Come Sunday"

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V40_Ed-_mj0[/color]