Alfred Reed (January 25, 1921 - September 17, 2005) was an American neoclassical composer known mainly for his concert band pieces. Reed was born in New York and began his formal music training at the age of ten. During World War II, he served in the 529th Army Air Force Band. Following his military service, he attended the Juilliard School of Music, studying under Vittorio Giannini.
Armenian Dances is a Concert Band piece written by Reed. It is a four-movement suite of which Part I comprises the first movement and Part II comprises the remaining three. Each part consists of several Armenian folk songs from the collection of Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935), an Armenian ethnomusicologist.
00:00 - Hov Arek (The Peasant's Plea)
05:26 - Khoomar (Wedding Dance)
10:31 - Lora Horoval (Song of Lori)