In memoriam - Lawrence “Reed” Hansen 1932-2020

In my previous post, I wrote about my initial exposure to the work of Martha Graham and to the people who carry on her tradition today. As I continued working as an accompanist at the Graham school, going to dance performances and studying the music of the Graham repertory, I inevitably discovered Lamentation - one of Graham’s most iconic and well-known solos, set to music by the Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly.

To illustrate the gravity and impact of this revolutionary dance, I’ll recount a famous anecdote: According to Martha Graham, one night a woman who had recently seen her child killed in an accident came backstage after a performance of Lamentation and thanked Graham, saying “You’ll never know what you’ve done for me.” The woman had been unable to cry or express her pain until that night, but witnessing Graham’s embodiment of universal grief had enabled the woman to release her tears and accept the validity of her own personal grief.

Read more about the dance on the Martha Graham Dance Company website here: Link

Here is an early video of Martha Graham performing a version of the solo, somewhat deconstructed for the camera. The film starts with a clip of Martha sitting in a field with her dog, followed by a glimpse of Louis Horst, Graham’s longtime partner, music director, and mentor, at the piano.

Around my second year at Graham, I was asked to be the accompanist for a workshop on Lamentation for dance teachers. I was excited to take on the challenge, despite not having the score or any proper guidance on how to prepare. At that time I had not yet discovered the full name of the original music by Kodaly - 9 Piano Pieces, Opus 3: No. 2. Andante Poco Rubato. I did, however, make an attempt to transcribe it by ear from a recording, as best I could considering the dissonant and complex sonority.

To my great fortune and relief, shortly before the workshop I happened to meet the beloved dance accompanist Reed Hansen, who played at the Graham school and with the company from the '70s through 2018 and was referred to as “my sacrosanct Reed” by Martha herself. I told Reed of my predicament, and after making me promise not to use my own transcription, he offered his help and said he’d let me copy his sheet music.

What luck! Not only did I finally get to see all the precious notes I’d been trying to decipher, I also got a priceless piece of dance history: The pages were filled with Reed’s handwritten performance notes, full of the experience and wisdom gained from having worked closely with the company’s star soloists. This document was particularly potent and instructive for me at the time, as it helped open my eyes to the unique kind of musical sensibility needed for dance accompaniment.

I am one of many who have been helped and inspired by Reed Hansen. His passing this past October marks the loss of an important artist and a gentle spirt, who is remembered with reverence by many generations of the extended “Graham family.” We are also lucky to have a tangible record of his life’s work: In 2016, Graham luminary and master teacher Terese Capucilli, who worked with Reed for years at Graham and Juilliard, made a wonderful documentary film, “The Sacrosanct Accompanist,” that preserves Reed’s legacy for a new generation of dancers and musicians - available here.

I’ve included his annotated Lamentation score below in honor of his memory and in the hopes that it will help others as well.