David Wallis Reeves, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

David Wallis Reeves

Bandleader and composer

Date of Birth: 14-Feb-1838

Place of Birth: Oswego, New York, United States

Date of Death: 08-Mar-1900

Profession: composer, conductor, bandleader

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius


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About David Wallis Reeves

  • David Wallis Reeves (February 14, 1838 – March 8, 1900), also known as D.
  • W.
  • Reeves or Wally Reeves, was an American composer, cornetist, and bandleader.
  • He developed the American march style, later made famous by the likes of John Philip Sousa, and his innovations include adding a countermelody to the American march form in 1876.
  • Sousa called Reeves "The Father of Band Music in America", and stated he wished he himself had written Reeves' "Second Regiment Connecticut National Guard March".
  • Charles Ives also borrowed from the "Second Connecticut" on four occasions.Reeves was born on February 14, 1838, in Oswego, New York.
  • In the early 1850s, he joined the Oswego band as an alto horn player, but soon moved to cornet, the instrument for which he would become famous.
  • He occasionally performed with Jules Levy, another famous cornetist of the period.
  • In 1871, he married Sarah Blanding.
  • Blanding had a daughter from a previous marriage, and they were later to have a son, David W.
  • Reeves, Jr.Reeves was a cornetist with the Dodworth Band of New York before being recruited by the American Brass Band of Providence, Rhode Island in 1866.
  • He joined the ensemble on February 17, and was elected its leader on April 9.
  • His initial compensation was $600 per year, plus the proceeds of one concert, in return for which he agreed to conduct the band on all occasions.
  • He eventually added woodwinds to the formerly all-brass band, which became known as Reeves' American Band.
  • It was known as one of the best marching bands in the country during his tenure.
  • In the 1870s, he created the first local orchestra in Providence, the Providence Symphony Orchestra.
  • In 1892, he accepted the directorship of Patrick Gilmore's Twenty-Second New York Regiment band after Gilmore's death, but returned to the American Band after a year.
  • Later in the 1890s, he served as a judge for the New York Volunteer Firemen's Association's band competitions. In 1878, Reeves led a performance of H.M.S.
  • Pinafore, using a boat for the stage, which Arthur Sullivan took note of.Early in 1900, he contracted Bright's disease.
  • He died on March 8, 1900.
  • His funeral service took place at the First Baptist Church in America, where he had frequently led the American Band as part of Brown University's Commencement ceremonies, and included a performance of his Immortalis by the American Band.
  • Sousa sent 200 roses in his memory.
  • He was buried at Swan Point Cemetery with Masonic honors.By the time of his death in 1900, he had composed over 100 works.
  • In 1926, a marble fountain was built as a memorial to Reeves in Roger Williams Park in Providence.

Read more at Wikipedia

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