TempoTemplate

Considering H. Owen Reed
by William L. Berz

Reprinted with permission from Tempo, the official magazine of the New Jersey Music Educators Association.
Citation information: Berz, William, " Considering H. Owen Reed. Tempo, 59(1), October, 2004, 22-24.

Band conductors are well known for their interest in newly composed music. Each year, teachers eagerly await the reference recordings and new scores distributed by publishers large and small, and many of these works will appear on upcoming concert and festival programs. A number of these “current” composers are so popular that they develop cultish followings. Each December at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, huge throngs gather around the publishers’ displays as many teachers hope to meet the composer who is appearing at the the booths.

While many important composers of the past such as Berlioz and Wagner did write for band, the overall body of music is not large. In more recent years, the band’s repertoire has grown considerably and the number of truly serious works has expanded dramatically. This trend started in earnest following World War II when a number of the leading young composers of that time began writing music for bands in addition to their works for more traditionally configured ensembles such as orchestra, chorus, and chamber groups. Some of these people include Vincent Persichetti, Roger Nixon, Walter Hartley, Howard Hanson, Roy Harris, Paul Creston, Ronald LoPresti, Warren Benson, William Schuman, Norman Dello Joio, Vittorio Giannini, H. Owen Reed, and many others. Unfortunately, much of the music written by these important composers is becoming neglected in our haste to perform only the newest of the new.

I am beginning a series of articles to appear on a somewhat regular basis in future issues of Tempo on some of these composers who were so important in the development of the band/wind ensemble and its repertoire. While some of this music is difficult, much is within the grasp of junior and high school bands. With many of these composers, it is only the most challenging works that are well known; many times the easier works are neglected. Bands can often still experience the magic of these composers by performing some of the lesser known and less challenging compositions. The first composer in this series is H. Owen Reed.

H. Owen Reed

H. Owen Reed was born in 1910 in Odessa, Missouri. He received degrees at Louisiana State University (BA in French, BM in theory, MM in composition) and the Eastman School of Music (PhD). Following doctoral study, Reed joined the music faculty at Michigan State University where he taught from 1939 until his retirement in 1976. In addition to his work as a composer, he wrote a considerable number of very popular theory textbooks, and had well over 100 private composition students; David Maslanka, Adolphus Hailstork, and David Gillingham might be some of the most recognized of his former students. He helped to shape the band movement both through his compositions as well as less directly through the work of his students.

Every band conductor knows his most often performed work, La Fiesta Mexicana (pronounced may-he-KAHN-a). Some band scholars consider it to be the first full symphony for band by an American composer. Certainly, it is the first to attain continued recognition and performance. The three-movement work is based on many of the impressions that Reed had during his visit to Mexico during the winter months of 1948-49, the trip part of his Guggenheim fellowship. It is a contrast between the sacred and the secular—a look at the difficult cultures that Reed saw as such strong features of that society.

Although most of the melodies are original, several folk works appear in the symphony as well. “El Toro” is found in the first movement and is based on a tune that Reed heard that was often played at bullfights. The Aztec Dance that appears later in the movement is a dance that Reed learned about from a native ethnomusicologist who was conducting research on aboriginal music for the Mexican government. The chant in the second movement comes from the Gregorian Liber Usualis and was a melody often sung in the cathedral at Chapala, one of the towns where he stayed. The folk song “El Son de la Negra” is found in the middle of the last movement. It was, and continues to be, one of the most popular of all Mariachi tunes.

Without question, La Fiesta Mexicana is challenging. Some classify it as a grade 5 and some at a grade 6. Each of the movements can be performed separately. New Jersey conductors might be interested to know that the South Brunswick High School Wind Ensemble successfully performed La Fiesta just a few years ago.

Reed composed a number of other works for band, many of which are no longer well known by high school band conductors. Fortunately, most are again in print and are readily available. Some of them are considerably less challenging that La Fiesta Mexicana. His works for band are listed below.

Date	Title	Duration	Grade	Publisher
1947	Spiritual	6:00	5	Ballerbach Music
1949	La Fiesta Mexicana	20:00	5/6	Warner Brother
1951	Missouri Shindig	6:00	4+	Ballerbach Music
1954	Theme and Variations	8:30	4+	Ballerbach Music
1958	Renascence	10:00	5	Ballerbach Music
1959	Che-Ba-Kun-Ah	8:30	6	Schirmer
1971	The Touch of the Earth	26:00	4 - 6	Ballerbach Music
1972	For the Unfortunate	13:00	5+	Neil A. Kjos
1979	Ut Re Mi	10:00	5	Ballerbach Music
1985/86	Awakening of the Ents	9:00	4+	Ballerbach Music
1987	Heart of the Morn	4:00	3+	Ballerbach Music
1987	Of Lothlórien	9:00	4+	Ballerbach Music

The list represents a wonderfully rich and varied set of compositions. Unlike many composers, Reed’s works are quite diverse in style. Many (i.e., La Fiesta Mexicana, The Touch of the Earth, Missouri Shindig) are quite traditional in tonal language and character. Several (i.e., For the Unfortunate, Che-Ba-Kun-Ah) are in an advanced atonal language often featuring elaborate serial resources and complex structures. His later works (i.e., Awakening of the Ents, and Of Lothlórien) return to a more traditional approach but feature newer techniques such as minimalism. Probably the most accessible for high school bands of those listed above are Missouri Shindig, Theme and Variations, Awakening of the Ents, Heart of the Morn, and Of Lothlórien. These will be discussed in greater detail below.

However, there are three others that might be considered as well, although they are a bit more challenging. His first composition for band, Spiritual received many performances in the 1940s and 1950s, and was often listed as being a significant contribution to the repertoire in such publications as The Instrumentalist. It is in a highly unique style with strong bebop influences. The Touch of the Earth is an extended suite based on his 1955 opera Michigan Dream. Reed provides a list of possible cuts and excerpts thereby giving conductors a number of different performance possibilities. All sections are tonal in a style somewhat similar to La Fiesta Mexicana. For the Unfortunate was composed for the McKeesport (PA) High School Band. A highly charged and emotional composition, it is not as technically difficult as it might appear on first impression. Much of the work is written in unconventional notation and is in an abstract style. Still, the challenges are considerable, although highly rewarding.

Missouri Shindig

Missouri Shindig is based on an old square dance tune that Reed’s father played on the fiddle: “Give the Fiddler a Dram.” (The fiddle-tune comes with the band arrangement and can be played before the band piece by a fiddler dressed in costume, a great idea for those schools with string programs.) Like some of his other works, Missouri Shindig is programmatic and conveys the impression of a hoedown. The main tune is quick and somewhat technical. In the middle, the tempo begins to slow as the revelers partake of too much liquid refreshment at the party; some might have even had too good of a time. The melody “How Dry I Am” is heard alternating between off-stage brass and the band before the original tune returns in the original tempo and the party comes to a successful close. The work is very energetic and entertaining.

Theme and Variations

This work is an arrangement of the “Theme and Variations” movement from Beethoven’s A-Major String Quartet, op. 18, no. 55. Upon hearing a performance of this quartet at Michigan State, he thought that it might make a great work for band. It is his only surviving transcription of another composer’s work.

Awakening of the Ents

This composition was inspired by the Tolkien legend, The Lord of the Rings. It was commissioned by a conductor well known in New Jersey, Peter Loel Boonshaft for his Connecticut Valley Youth Symphony. After the premier, the work received a very significant revision. That version was premiered by the Grand Ledge (MI) High School Band conducted by Michael Kaufman in April of 1986 with a repeat performance at the National Band Association convention.

The work begins in a very slow tempo that is in a minimalistic style. In this thinly scored section, the inactive, tree-like Ents of the Tolkien story begin to stir. As the Ents begin to awaken, short motives and melodies begin to emerge and build. Midway through the work, the tempo suddenly increases as the Ents begin to move in earnest. This second section is called the” March of the Ents” and features irregular meters. (Seemingly, Ents must have more than two legs to be able to march regularly to these very irregular rhythms!) While the rhythm appears to be complex at first read, it follows only a couple of basic patterns and is really not so difficult after a little rehearsal and study. Awakening of the Ents occupies a singular position in the band’s repertoire and deserves more attention than it receives.

Of Lothlórien

Of Lothlórien was commissioned by the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association in memory of Ronald B. Lux and Holly Lu Harrington-Lux who had been killed in an automobile accident. Like Awakening of the Ents, it also is a programmatic work rooted on The Lord of the Rings, in this case a description of Lothlórien, a forest where elves lived and prospered.

The work is sectionalized; all are slow and calm but written in differing styles. Much of the work is thinly scored and is very light and transparent in texture. Of particular interest is the middle section where Reed exploits minimalistic techniques in very rich ways. Near the conclusion of the piece, a men’s chorus (taped or live) sings a plainsong setting of the absolution after mass. This provides a great opportunity to combine the school band with the chorus.

Heart of the Morn

This is an adaptation of the main song from Reed’s opera Michigan Dream. While there are a few unusual effects at the beginning of the work, most of the composition is quite conventional. After the sparse introduction, a beautiful melody is featured in solo flute accompanied by a harp (cued in piano). Gradually, the texture thickens and tension increases.

Heart of the Morn is intensely lyrical and features considerable expressive contrast. It is somewhat like a number of the Broadway melodies of the 1950s but with more complex harmony, some contemporary techniques, and a few formal twists and turns. It is probably the least challenging of his works for band and will provide great educational and musical experiences.

Final Thoughts

Programming is one of the most important tasks that conductors face. Band conductors rightfully take considerable interest in performing newly composed music. Advocacy of new music is valuable in keeping the medium and its repertoire alive and vital, and should be encouraged.

Bands and wind ensembles feature, sometimes almost entirely, recently composed music. By contrast, orchestral programs are dominated by performance of established repertoire. Perhaps conductors should try to find a balance between the two extremes. In this way, students and audiences can develop a broader appreciation for many different styles of music.

One way that band conductors can diversity their programming is by looking to the past. It is very important that we not lose a valuable body of music composed expressly for the medium. All will prosper from study and performance of this wonderful literature. The music of H. Owen Reed is but one part of this great repertoire.