Cornelius L. Reid, renowned author and vocal pedagogue, died Feb. 3 just short of his 97th birthday in his home in New York City. Reid was a pioneer in the field of vocal pedagogy.
Born Feb. 7, 1911 in Jersey City, N.J., Reid began his studies in music at Trinity Church Choir School in New York City in 1920, as a boy soprano. He began his teaching career as an assistant to Dr. Douglas Stanley, author of The Science of Voice. After being plagued with vocal difficulties and a less-than-positive experience in Stanley’s studio, Reid set out to understand the human voice.
In 1938, the Works Progress Administration gave Reid a position as a teacher of singing. During this two-year appointment he conducted three performances at the 1939 World’s Fair and began to establish himself as a private voice teacher. He was appointed director of the Ars Musica Guild, which in addition to choral works did one Gilbert and Sullivan show each year. His production of Pirates of Penzance garnered an award from the New York Gilbert and Sullivan society.
With little formal education but a deep love of learning, Reid spent hours in the New York City Public Library reading everything he could on the subject of singing. He took copious notes, inserting his own ideas and philosophies as he went. Realizing that his efforts might be of interest to others, he began compiling his notes and ideas into a book. World War II interrupted his efforts, however, when the U.S. Navy drafted him, in 1943. He continued working on the manuscript as time allowed, and upon returning home, published his first book, Bel Canto.
After the war, Reid returned to the Trinity Church as a chorister, where he took up teaching fellow choristers, soloists, and staff members. Thanks to the strong recommendations of Reid’s students, the General Theological Seminary offered Reid the position of speech instructor. He held this position until his studio became so large and time consuming that he resigned and devoted himself completely to private teaching.
Reid continued to teach in his New York studio for nearly 70 years, until shortly before his death. He gave numerous masterclasses in the United States, Canada, and Europe. His former students include Ariel Bybee, Carole Farley, Julian Patrick, Ellen Shade, George Shirley, and Wendy White.
The core of his teaching became known as “functional vocal training.” His holistic, non-manipulative approach set him apart from other styles of teaching. He authored five more books (some of them required reading at many conservatories and universities) and wrote many articles.
His theories were not only relevant in the field of singing, but in other disciplines as well, as is evident in a festschrift (The Modern Singing Master) written in his honor on his 90th birthday. In 2007 a CD/DVD set, “The Cornelius L. Reid Project,” was released. It is a composite of an estimated 800 voice lessons and classes housed in the Cornelius L. Reid Archive at Midwestern State University (Texas).
Renowned mezzo Grace Bumbry had this to say about Reid, “I have devoured the writings on voice by Cornelius Reid and visited one of his masterclasses in New York City. The most important thing one can learn from them all is to allow the voice to function according to one’s own particular instrument, rather than making it happen. I have followed this practice all of my 50 years of singing.”
Reid is survived by his spouse, Donna S. Reid; his brother, John O. Reid (Margaret) of Traverse City, Mich.; his daughter, Janice VandenBrink (Randy); and grandsons, Evan and Christopher, as well as countless students, dear friends, and colleagues.
For more information on Reid’s work and publications, as well as details about memorial donations, visit www.corneliusreid.com.
