Morton Manus, President of Alfred Music, passed away on January 9 after a battle with cancer. He was a devoted husband to his wife Iris for more than 60 years, a loving father and grandfather, an innovative music publisher, a celebrated author, an inspiring mentor to his staff and dedicated friend. Born in New York to Russian immigrants in 1926, Manus enlisted in the Air Force during WWII, received a business degree from The City College of New York and joined his father at the family business, Alfred Music, in the late 1940s.
Alfred Music began in New York’s Tin Pan Alley in 1922 and focused on mood music for silent films. Inspired by the need for quality music education products, Manus, a pianist, clarinetist and guitarist, reinvented the company in the 1950s. He oversaw the development of an instructional series for accordion, followed by guitar, piano and recorder. Manus is the author and Editor of hundreds of titles in Alfred Music’s catalog, including “Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method” and “Alfred’s Basic Piano Library.” Alfred Music outgrew its New York headquarters in the mid-1970s, and the company moved to Los Angeles, where it continued to grow under Manus’ leadership, expanding into the world’s leading instructional music publisher with offices in Australia, Germany, Singapore and the UK. In 2005, Alfred Music purchased Warner Bros. Print Publications.
Manus received an honorary Doctorate of Music from VanderCook College of Music in July of 2008. Morty and Iris continued to be deeply committed to music education through supporting many music scholarships, competitions and organizations. In lieu of flowers, the Manus family has asked that any donations be sent to vh1savethemusic.org/donate or cancer.org.