Paul Geoffrey Reade (10 January 1943 – 7 June 1997) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

composer. Born in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music and worked at

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

as a ''

répétiteur A (from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. A feminine form, , also appears but is comparatively rare. Opera In opera, a is the perso ...

''. In 1991 he received an

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been ...

for his theme music for ''

The Victorian Kitchen Garden ''The Victorian Kitchen Garden'' is a 13-part British television series produced in 1987 by Keith Sheather for BBC2, based on an idea by Jennifer Davies, who later became associate producer. It recreated a kitchen garden of the Victorian era ...

'' television series.

Career

Reade was active as a composer for television, with credits including the series ''The Victorian Kitchen Garden'' (published in various arrangements, this music continues to be played in recitals and music examinations) and '' Jane Eyre (1983 TV serial)''. He arranged the

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

extracts heard by millions of children in the surreal animated series '' Ludwig''; his other children's television credits include '' The Flumps'' and '' Crystal Tipps and Alistair''. He was also the composer, with Tim Gibson, of the theme music for the ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people ( ...

''. Reade eventually turned to

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

; among the latter works he scored were ''Hobson's Choice'' in 1989 ( choreographed by

David Bintley Sir David Julian Bintley (born 17 September 1957) is an English former ballet dancer, the artistic director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and co-artistic director of the New National Theatre Tokyo ballet company. Early life Bintley was born ...

from the eponymous play), and 1996's ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' (after the work by Thomas Hardy). ''Hobson's Choice'' has been recorded by the

Royal Ballet Sinfonia The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is the orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet. The Sinfonia appears with Birmingham Royal Ballet in its home town, in London and around the UK, and frequently appears with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House and on ...

and released on ASV Records. Paul Reade's ''Chants du Roussillon'' were recorded by the prominent soprano, Virginia Kerr.

Death

Reade died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

on 7 June 1997. He was survived by his wife Philippa Davies (the principal

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

of the

London Mozart Players London Mozart Players (LMP) are a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. LMP are the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom. Since 1989, the orchestra has been Resident Orchestra at Fairfield Halls, Croydon. History B ...

), as well as his ex-wife Mary Clark, and their son and daughter.

References

1943 births 1997 deaths 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century English composers 20th-century British male musicians British ballet composers English television composers English male composers Musicians from Lancashire Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Ivor Novello Award winners {{UK-composer-stub