Martin Read [died 2012]

…an unusual, austere yet radiant harmonic sense
Matthew Greenall, The Singer
Martin Readʼs music is very approachable whilst exhibiting a distinct voice of its own
British Double Reed News

Martin Read was born in Birmingham, studying music at Colchester Institute and Goldsmiths College, London University, where he completed his MMus in composition. In 1988 he was admitted as a Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London and from 1996–2002 was an SPNM shortlisted composer. In May 1999, Martin was appointed as millennium composer to the Hampshire Music 2000 project, a position that required him to write for a large number of Hampshireʼs county, area and school ensembles, and which culminated in him conducting nearly 700 performers in his Mary Rose at the Schools’ Prom in the Royal Albert Hall.

Martinʼs music has been performed by numerous ensembles and choirs, and has been featured at many festivals – including Spitalfields, Southern Cathedrals, Corsham, Malvern, Farnham, Bath and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. It has also been performed throughout the USA and Europe; most recently, Earth Waiting was toured by Saxofonquadrat of Berlin on a concert tour of Usedom on the German/Polish border.

The 2009–2010 season was a busy time for Martin. In June/July 2009, Rainforest (a commission from Opera Minima) was revived and toured to ten venues in the East Midlands. May 2010 saw the culmination of work on Roundabout Basingstoke, a community opera, commissioned by the Anvil for Basingstokeʼs adult music-making ensembles, whilst July saw the culmination of Sea Woman, a performance project devised and created with young people from Winchester, based on a Scottish folk tale. It was performed to great acclaim at the Winchester Festival.

Martin was Head of Music at Alton College. In addition to the works published by Fand Music Press, listed below, his music is also published by Banks and Éditions À Coeur Joie.

We at Fand Music Press were extremely saddened by the sudden, untimely death of Martin Read in September 2012.

Further information about Martin Read can be found at the Martin Read Foundation Web site.


  WorkVocal rangeDurationPublishedPrice
FM160Alice Lisle: her Pavane
for oboe d’amore and piano
1994£5.95
Forces: Oboe d’amore, Piano
FM032Autumn
for voice, cor anglais, viola and ʼcello
1995
Purchase options
Words: John Keats
Forces: Voice, Cor anglais, Viola, ’Cello
FM058Drawing Details in an Old Church
for voice and piano
D to E♭'1996£5.45
Words: Thomas Hardy
Forces: Voice, Piano
FM030Elegy
for flute, ’cello and piano
1996£9.45
Forces: Flute, ’Cello, Piano
FM037Full Fathom Five
for oboe (or clarinet in A), voice and piano
E to B1996£7.45
Words: William Shakespeare
Forces: Voice, Oboe, Clarinet in A, Piano
FM035Greek Island Triolets
An entertainment
for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, violin, viola and double bass
2000£12.50
Words: Wendy Cope
Forces: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, French horn, Violin, Viola, Double bass
FM036He Tells Her
for clarinet in A, viola, ’cello and soprano
E to G♯'1998£8.45
Words: Wendy Cope
Forces: Soprano, Clarinet in A, Viola, ’Cello
FM139Memo to Mike
for piano duet
2003£6.45
Forces: Piano duet
FM031Mr Ptolemy; his Passions and Polemics
for clarinet in A, bassoon, piano, two violins, viola and double bass
1997
Purchase options
Forces: Clarinet in A, Bassoon, Two Violins, Viola, Double bass, Piano
FM059Scenes from Shakespeare
for voice and piano
,B♭ to E'1990£7.45
Words: William Shakespeare
Forces: Voice, Piano
FM073SingSong
for SSA(A) and piano
1996£8.45
Words: Christina Rossetti
Forces: Choir (SSAA), Piano
FM069Snow Never Fell On His GraveSound
for orchestra
13½ mins
Purchase options
Forces: Orchestra
FM012suggestions…
for piano
1999£7.45
Forces: Piano
FM097The Angel of History
Violin paraphrase
5 mins2002£5.00
Forces: Violin
FM130The Civil War Suite
for recorder ensemble
1999£8.45
Forces: Five Recorders
FM132The Fand Left-Hand Piano AlbumSound
Contemporary Pieces for the Left Hand alone
2004£11.45
Forces: Piano (left hand)
FM068The Mythical Bugler
for orchestra
Purchase options
Forces: Orchestra
FM051The Numbers Game
Three Imaginary Journeys through a Magic Square
for unaccompanied clarinet or saxophone
1996£5.00
Forces: Clarinet, Saxophone
FM149Three Pieces
for solo oboe
1991£6.45
Forces: Oboe
FM034Three Songs
from ‘As You Like It’
for voice, flute, clarinet and piano or harpsichord
,A to D'1996£8.45
Forces: Voice, Flute, Clarinet, Harpsichord, Piano
FM095Three Studies
for guitar
2001£5.45
Forces: Guitar
FM033Water Music
for cor anglais and string trio
1996
Purchase options
Forces: Cor anglais, Violin, Viola, ’Cello