The Reed Collection (18 Anglican Chants) by Dan Locklair was commissioned for the choir of St. Timothy’s Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to the Glory of God and in memory of Dale Volberg Reed, a writer, a pianist and harpsichordist, and for over forty years a dedicated choir singer. Dale Reed loved good choral music and the Anglican liturgy, and was a friend of St. Timothy’s church. The compositions were commissioned by John Shelton Reed, her husband of 54 years,
The 17 new Anglican chants found in The Reed Collection consist of ten single chants, six double chants, and one simplified chant. Additionally, Chant #11 was originally a part of an earlier commission from me from the Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill honoring Dale Volberg Reed, The Chapel Hill Service – Morning.
The Anglican chants in The Reed Collection were created in a variety of keys, including one based on the Pentatonic scale – a scale that conveys a distinctive connotation with early American hymnody. The seventeen new chants that make up The Reed Collection were all composed between September and October 2022.
It is my hope – a hope that is shared by those who were a part of this commission – that the chants from The Reed Collection will be embraced by many Anglican and Episcopal churches as they seek to offer up fresh musical expression to the many meaningful, spiritual texts of the liturgy.
Dan Locklair
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
13 October 2022