H. Owen Reed

Dance section from La Fiesta Mexicana

A musical composition professor from college died the other day at 103.  He was a better teacher than an actual composer which was fine as he understood the craft and was a whiz of an orchestrator. He really helped.

An orchestrator "orchestrates"; that is, in the simplest of descriptions, he/she assigns musical instruments go play certain notes; all having to be accounted for.  This is a big deal task as certain instruments are "loud" by nature, some have different characteristics when they play low notes as opposed to high, etc.

Also in this mix is that there are certain combinations of instruments that blend together and others that form a recognizable sound....a mariachi band perhaps?

Anyway, Professor Reed wrote a lot but in that output, had one shining moment.  La Fiesta Mexicana. Anyone who plays in an advanced band anywhere has played this. It made him rich and famous. No matter that during is time in Mexico when he supposedly composed this piece, he took all the tunes right off a mariachi band record that surfaced during my graduate years at MSU. Ooops.

No matter. Mr. Reed was a great and gentle person who knew his craft and the students that he was something.  RIP Dr. Reed.  Thanks.