Showing 188 results

Original letters, fax and draft programme. Includes letters from Margaret McKee, Producer, World Service, BBC, London, England to Derek Bell. Bell has been asked to ‘compose the harp accompaniment’ to a series of stories and legends which she has sent to him on cassettes. The series is called ‘ The Celts ’, one of the stories is that of ‘Donn Bo - the head that even when it is severed from the body continues to live, to smile and even to make music!’ (1 Nov 1984); a faxed commissioning contract from Anne Dhu Shapiro, Boston College Music Department (the commissioner) to Derek Bell (the composer). The contract outlines the financial arrangements, the deadline for completion of commission and the ownership of the composition. ‘Apart from the commissioner’s right to give the first performance of the commissioned work, all other rights in the composition remain the property of the composer’ (22 Nov 1991); also includes a draft programme for the performance by Derek Bell and the Boston College Chamber Orchestra of the commissioned work Three pictures from Ancient Ireland in druid times (1991).

Commercial and non-commercial CDs. Includes recordings of The Chieftains albums and concerts; solo recordings of Derek Bell; recordings of his compositions including The violet flame symphony and ‘Come on, Northern Ireland’; recordings of radio interviews with Derek Bell; recordings of radio programmes about Derek Bell; and a small number of other musicians’ CDs including Raga Omar Khannam, Secret Garden and Béla Fleck.

Includes concert programmes, ephemera and posters relating to performances by Derek Bell on various instruments including the classical and Irish harp, piano, oboe, cor anglais and cimbalom in a number of countries including Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, United States of America and Canada. Programmes and posters include ‘Gramophone record recitals, Belfast Public Libraries Music Library, An East-West miscellany, presented by Mr Derek F. Bell’ (12 Jan 1965); ‘Recital of music from many periods and countries by Derek Bell accompanied at the piano by Peggy Johnston and Yvonne Ruttle’ (2 Dec 1972); ‘The Mozart Society Presents Derek Fleetwood Bell’ Musgrove Plantation, Saint Simons Island, Georgia, United States of America (6 Apr 1975); ‘Brunswick Junior College presents Derek Fleetwood Bell, harp and oboe [with] Alice Applegate Smith, piano’ (13 Jan 1978); ‘60 years, BBC Northern Ireland anniversary concert, The Ulster Orchestra’ (17 Oct 1984); ‘Derek Bell in concert, Harbour Festival [Belfast] 1991’ (23 Sep 1991); ‘Music from Bulgaria: a concert of music & songs from the School of Beinsa Douno (1864-1944), St James’ Church, Piccadilly, London [England]’ (15 Nov 1994); ‘University College Dublin International Summer School, July 1998, 50th anniversary celebration concert, harp and piano recital by Derek Bell’ (13 July 1998).

Handwritten letters to and from Nellie Walsh, largely but not exclusively related to Irish traditional music, including her 'Ireland's own' column and her singing career. Some letters include requests for songs and submissions of songs, but are unattached to those songs. The earliest letter in this collection has '1895' handwritten later at the top, and addressed to Mrs. Margaret O'Nauralean (?).

Original typed and handwritten letters from various music publishers, music sellers, instrument makers and music librarians to Derek Bell. Two addresses listed for Bell are CEMA [the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts, Northern Ireland], Tyrone House, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast (29 Oct 1957) and BBC Orchestra, Ormeau Ave, Belfast (28 Jan 1972) as well as various private addresses. Letters refer to the supply of sheet music, music books, musical instruments and reeds. Includes letters from Harry Baker, The Oboists’ Music Lending Library, Kent, England; Anthony Wright, Mills Music Publishers, London, England; B. A. Hiscoke, Schott Music Publishers; Síle O’Tierney, Music Librarian, Trinity College Library, Dublin; John Dowd, Musica Obscura, Chicago Illinois, United States of America; Adrian WIlliam, London, England; Edwin A. Moon, London, England; Richard Schauer, Music Publishers & Exporters, London, England; Mikki Henry, International Music Service, New York; William Ring, Howarth of London, England; Severo M. Ornstein, California; The Sorabji Archive, Bath, England; Claire Brown, Kevin Mayhew Publishers, Suffolk, England; Harvey Taylor, Edgar Backus, Leicester, England; Ken Freeman, Harpcraft, Surrey, England; Lark in the Morning, California, United States of America; Lewis Foreman, Hertfordshire, England.

Original typed and handwritten letters from various musicians to Derek Bell. Includes letters from Raymond Warren, Professor of Music, Queen’s University of Belfast; Roslyn Rensch Erbes, Terre Hante, Indiana, United States of America who references various harp teachers including Edmund Schuecker and Rensch’s own teacher Alberto Salvi, she also discusses the music of [Elias] Parish-Alvars (19 Dec 1971); Peadar [Mercier] who includes a limerick which he has written about Bell; The Rt. Hon. The Lord Dunleath, Newtownards, Co Down writes about F. A. Haughton a ‘lecturer in piano-playing, harmony and theory at the Belfast School of Music’ and Bell’s request that Haughton’s name be put forward for an honours recommendation; also includes illustrated letters from a German harp player, Theodor Menzel, Augsburg, Germany; letters from composer Patrick [Piggott] who writes about working on his most recent compositions The quest a ‘work for piano & orchestra’ and a ‘2nd Rhapsody for unaccompanied cello’. There is also a reference to the pianist John O’Connor’s recordings of John Field’s concertos (2 April 1986); letters from Liam Ó Conchubhair, Dublin; Alfredo Rolando Ortiz, Corona, California, United States of America (18 September 1980); Sir Malcolm Arnold, Attleborough, Norfolk, England; Robin Lough, London, England; Fionnuala Sherry, Dublin; De Wayne Fulton, California, United States of America; Lindsay Armstrong, Dublin; Paul H. Hurst, California, United States of America; Kathy Garfunkel; Fran O’Rourke, Dublin; oboist, Rheta Smith; Jim Gardner, Auckland, New Zealand; John Dowd, New Hampshire, United States of America; Frances Ball, Ealing, London, England; David Miller, Oregon Symphony, Portland, Oregon, United States of America; Paddy Moloney, Dublin; and an undated letter from Derek Bell to Leslie ? with a detailed biographical note about Welsh harpist John Thomas.

Non-commercial DAT recordings including ‘Music from Bulgaria, Abbey Road Recording Session’ (18 Nov 1994).

Original and photocopied typescripts, letters, reviews and programmes. Includes an analysis of Divertissement (A day in the life of “Paddy the Kerryman” ) for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano by Derek Bell. In the analysis Bell tells us that ‘the main tune, a reel, was kindly contributed by Dr Paddy Moloney, founder of The Chieftains’ (June 1997); letters from Ian Crowther, Crowthers of Canterbury, Woodwind and Brass Specialists, Canterbury, Kent, England to Derek Bell about the première of Divertissement which will be performed at the ‘Canterbury Festival concert on Friday 24 October’ (6 Aug 1997). A subsequent letter from Crowther encloses a ‘copy of the tape of the concert … and also a review’ (5 Nov 1997); programme of the première of Divertissement performed by the Crowther Wind Quintet (24 Oct 1997); and review of the composition in the Kentish gazette (30 Oct 1997).