Includes original receipts relating to the purchase of music and musical instrument; includes letter from Paddy Moloney to Derek Bell referring to the payment of expenses incurred during a recent recording session, Moloney says that ‘this cheque does not include any work for the scoring you may do’ (20 March 1997); also includes ‘Chieftains tour expense report Scandanavia [Scandinavia] 1997’.
Original and photocopied seminar notes. Includes ‘Initiation - dances from the cosmic tradition by Gideon Fontalba’ (14 Apr 1989); ‘Notes from the seminar in Port Rush [Portrush] … with Gideon Fontalba’ (17 Nov 1989); copy of seminar notes sent to Derek Bell by Sally Duncan, Sussex taken at a seminar with Gideon Fontalba ‘Dynamiscke harmonie: heilung und einweihung’ (21 July 1989); and handwritten notes made by Bell about meditation, mysticism and music.
Original and photocopied letters and articles. Includes letter from Priscilla ?, Amrita Foundation, Dallas, Texas, United States of America thanking Bell for his kind donation (27 May 1998); ‘notes on Kriya Yoga technique’; various letters and articles relating to the guru and founder of the Los Angeles based Self Realization Fellowship, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda and his direct disciple Swami Kriyananda (born James Donald Walters), much of the correspondence relates to a criminal trial. These letters are marked confidential.
Original letters and texts from the Headquarters Group, Weavers in the Light, Arcane School, Whitehall Court, London, England to Derek Bell. Includes ‘tenth set of papers in the Weavers in the light course’ (Sep 1995); notice of ‘World Invocation Day’ (1 June 1996); and letter from Arcane School to Derek Bell thanking him for his ‘spirited reports and papers’ (June 1996).
Letters from Alan Bell, Norway to Derek Bell relating to the history of the Bell Family. Includes copies of articles, biographies and family trees which Alan Bell has acquired during his research into the family; copy of a marriage certificate for Henry O’Neill and Elizabeth Black; copy of a photograph of Elizabeth (nee Black) O’Neill; and four photographs of [Sydney Bell], Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot, uncle of Derek Bell. Sydney Bell died in a plane crash at the age of 27 on 16 June 1927.
Letters, original and photocopied newspaper clippings, an order of service, and magazine articles relating to the death of Derek Bell and the various memorial services and tributes which occurred. Includes letter from President Mary McAleese to Derek Bell’s widow, Stefanie Bell, sympathising with her on the death of her husband. McAleese writes that ‘Derek’s great love of both traditional and classical music was truly remarkable and inspired audiences throughout the world. His contribution to music appreciation has been immense.’ (21 Oct 2002); order of service for ‘A service of thanksgiving for the life of Derek Bell, MBE 1935-2002’ St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast (1 Nov 2002); letter from Peter Browne, Producer RTÉ Radio 1 to Stefanie Bell about a ‘documentary and memorial concert for Derek’ which was broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 on the 1 January 2004 (26 Jan 2004); letter from Liam and Frances Ó Conchubhair to Stefanie Bell enclosing an article in Irish about Derek Bell from the magazine An tUltach, Feabhra 2003, also included is a translation of the article (3 Jun 2003); letters from Brenda Dwyer, Stamp Design and Production, An Post, Dublin 1 to Stefanie Bell informing Bell of ‘a series of stamps celebrating Irish Music and the contribution of artists and performers, such as The Chieftains’ (7 Nov 2006) included with the letter are samples of the stamps and stamp products from the series; and a letter from Declan McGovern, BBC Northern Ireland, Belfast to Stephanie Bell informing her of a ‘BBC documentary on The Chieftains’ which is being made to ‘celebrate 45 years’ of the group (14 Nov 2007).
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.
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.
Handwritten and typed letters and cards from various relatives and friends to Derek Bell and a series of letters from Derek Bell to Mary ?, Evansville, Indiana, United States of America. Letters from Bell’s mother, father and sister are personal in nature and mostly date from when he was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America. One of these letters is addressed to him ‘c/o American Wind Symphony Orchestra’ (3 July 1963). There are three letters from his parents written while visiting his sister in Cuzco, Peru. His father, William Bell, describes hearing Peruvian harps ‘the harps out here are a dead loss. Big ones about 8 ft. high, carried in hand occasionally, or crude little ones tinkled by blind Indians’ (13 Oct 1968); letters from Derek Bell to Mary ? are conversational in tone with many references to Bell’s work with The Chieftains including the release of a number of CDs including Tears of stone , Mystic harp II and Christmas in Rome . There are also references to his solo work and masterclasses. Includes descriptions of a recording session with soprano Monserrat Caballé in Barcelona (30 May 1998); The Chieftains recording ‘two pieces for the new Babe II film’ (20 Sep 1998); an amusing description of his ‘lunch with President Clinton in the House of Representatives’ (31 Mar 2000) and Bell’s attendance at the 100th birthday party of the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s harpist, Sidonie Goossens (12 Oct 1999); letters dating from June 2000 congratulate Bell on being awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II. Another letter references the death of Bell’s harp teacher Artiss [de Volt] (16 Sept 2000). Undated letters from Bell’s nephew William ? have many musical references especially to Bell’s career with The Chieftains; includes an undated letter from snooker player Alex Higgins. Undated correspondence has been placed at the back of the file.
Original typed and photocopied letters, faxes and contracts from various solicitors and copyright agencies to Derek Bell. All material relates to The Chieftains. Includes two letters which relate to the registering of musical works with the Performing Right Society (PRS), London, England and the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO), Dublin. Includes letter from Greg Meagher, PRS, London, England to Derek Bell about registering Derek Bell and Paddy Moloney’s arrangement of ‘The Coolin and Sean Coolin’ with PRS (25 July 1988); also includes letter from Andy Godfrey, Chrysalis Music, Bramley Road, London, England writing on behalf of IMRO to Derek Bell, Bangor and Seán Potts, Dublin ‘regarding some confusion over the song ‘Lonesome’. Two entries exist in the IMRO database for the song ‘one shows Seán Potts as sole arranger and the other shows Seán Potts and Derek Bell as joint arrangers’. Godfrey wants to know ‘which of the two is correct’. (15 July ?)
