Derek Bell

In 1958, Dr. Boucher, Head of the Music Department of B.B.C. Northern Ireland, commissioned me to write three oboe pieces for a radio programme of new music by Ulster composers. The result was Three Transcendental Studies, which are of equal virtuosity for both players. The Ballade and Toccata Burlesca are for oboe and piano and the Légende is for cor anglais and piano.

Ballade and Légende are both pure nature music. Ballade depicts deep lakes, rivers and birdsong in the woodlands. Légende portrays both the underwater life of the lakes and that of their banks, where trees grow on the mountainsides.

The Toccata Burlesca first occurred to me as I watched my Uncle, Robert Bell, leaving my house and walking down Cranmore Gardens in Belfast with such energy and unbelievably happy cheerfulness, yet he never ever touched a drop of the poteen!¹

He was an erudite, humble, persuasive and quiet man and, rather paradoxically, a very remarkable leader. He founded several troops of Boy Scouts as well as cricket, tennis and badminton clubs. He also demonstrated and introduced the Royal Ulster (Police) Constabulary to the amazing Japanese defence art of Ju-Jitsu in the late 1920s!

The Toccata is a portrait of all these more energetic sides of his nature, but the player and listeners may imagine that it is a late Saturday night and every oboe and every piano have been out all over the town for quite a lot to drink! Eventually they all roll home, falling suddenly unconscious to the floor—dead drunk!

The work is dedicated to the memory of Robert B. Bell, as well as to the illustrious Bulgarian oboist Professor Petro Kristov Totev and the distinguished Pennsylvanian oboist Rheta Smith. They have both recorded this piece, as has the composer!

Derek Bell
2000

Also by Derek Bell

 Nocturne on an Icelandic Melody   AI SI 006

1 Unlawfully distilled Irish whiskey

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