Alfred's Teach Yourself to Play Piano: Everything You Need to Know to Start Playing Now! (Book & DVD)
Morty Manus is president of Alfred Music Publishing Co., Inc. Founded in New York in 1922 by composer and musician Alfred Piantodosi, Alfred Publishing was purchased by Morty's father Sam Manus in 1928. A classical violinist, Sam decided to change the company's focus from pop sheet music to educational print music and added many solos for accordion and wind instruments. When Morty joined the company in 1952, he had recently received a business degree from City College of New York. Soon after, Sam retired and Morty became president. A clarinetist and pianist who received extensive musical training in his youth, Morty felt inspired by the need for quality music education products. Drawing upon his musical experience, he oversaw the development of an instructional series for accordion, followed by books for guitar and piano. Morty is the author and editor of numerous titles in Alfred's catalog, including many books in Alfred's Basic Piano Library. As the company expanded, Alfred outgrew its New York headquarters in 1975 and moved its offices to Los Angeles and its warehouse to upstate New York. Eventually, instructional materials were expanded into all areas of music, and on June 1, 2005, Alfred Music Publishing acquired Warner Bros. Publications from the Warner Music Group. Today, Alfred's roster of music editors includes such noted composers as Sally K. Albrecht, Gayle Kowalchyk, E. L. Lancaster, John O'Reilly, Anna Laura Page and Andy Albritton, among many other talented editors. Alfred's catalog consists of more than 45,000 active titles, making Alfred the world's largest educational music publisher. Although Alfred now employs 290 people worldwide, it remains a family business. Morty met his wife Iris when she was working for Alfred on Saturdays. Iris has worked on a full-time basis for Alfred since the late 1960s, and maintains the position of Executive Producer. In the 1980s, two of the couple's sons, Steven and Ron, joined Alfred. Ron is currently Chief Executive Officer. With the support and vision of his family, Morty is leading Alfred into the 21st century by continuing to expand into new technologies while adapting to market changes and keeping its company-wide commitment to service and music education.