American composer and musicologist, born November 8, 1921, in Manhattan, died August 1, 2012.
He privately studied composition with several well-known composers like Tibor Serly, Stefan Wolpe, Aaron Copland and Otto Luening. His vocal works include operas, operettas and choral music; he has written extensively for wind ensembles and concert bands.
Townsend has researched and written hundreds of program notes, record liner notes, reviews, and articles for publication, many for the "Musical Heritage Society Review", where he was Editor from 1977 to 1980.