Derek Bell (October 21, 1935 - October 17, 2002) was an Irish harpist and composer. October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... October 17 is the 290th (in leap years the 291st) day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Harp is also a slang term for the diatonic harmonica. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ...

Derek as classical composer

Derek Bell was born in Belfast. Because he had been mis-diagnosed at an early age as having a disease that would lead to blindness, his parents gave him a musical upbringing. He was something of a child prodigy, composing his first concerto at the age of 12. He graduated from the Royal College of Music in 1957. While studying there, he became friends with flautist James Galway. Between 1958 and 1990 he composed several classical works, including three piano sonatas, two symphonies and Three Images of Ireland in Druid Times (in 1993) for harp, strings and timpani. He was a master of several instruments, including the cor anglais, harpsichord and cimbalon. Belfast (Béal Feirste in Irish) is the largest city in and capital of both Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of Ireland. ... Origin Etymology Concerto (pl. ... The Royal College of Music from Prince Consort Road, London The front facade of the RCM The Royal College of Music is a prestigious music school located in Kensington, London. ... Sir James Galway (born December 8, 1939) is an Irish flute player from Belfast, often called The Man With the Golden Flute. ... The harp is a chordophone whose strings are positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. ... Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. ... The cor anglais or English horn is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... A harpsichord is the general term for a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument nowadays called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... Hammered dulcimers have two or sometimes three bridges, and are played by striking the strings with small hammers. The hammers are sometimes covered with leather to create a softer sound. ...

Derek as dulcimer player

The hammer dulcimer, or cimbalon, is well documented as having been played in Ireland in the eighteenth century and is even mentioned by James Joyce as an instument he heard being played in the street. Derek Bell introduced a small cimbalon, which he christened 'tiompan' after the medieval Irish instrument. In the film soundtrack of David Lean's Doctor Zhivago Derek plays a cimbalon to imitate the sound of a Russian balalaika, in several scenes. As manager of the Belfast Symphony Orchestra he was responsible for maintaining the instruments and keeping them in tune. Out of curiosity Derek asked Sheila Larchet-Cuthbert to teach him how to play the harp. In 1965 he became an oboist and harpist with the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra. Hammered dulcimers have two or sometimes three bridges, and are played by striking the strings with small hammers. The hammers are sometimes covered with leather to create a softer sound. ... James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (February 2, 1882 – January 13, 1941) was an expatriate Irish writer and poet, and is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Film soundtrack. ... Sir David Lean (March 25, 1908 – April 16, 1991) was a British film director, best remembered for big-screen epics such as Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai. ... Doctor Zhivago (Доктор Живаго) is a novel by Boris Pasternak, which was also adapted by Robert Bolt into a 1965 epic film. ... Balalaika The balalaika (балала́йка) is a stringed instrument of Russian origin, with a characteristic triangular body and 3 strings (or sometimes 6, in pairs). ...

The Chieftains

On St Patrick's Day in 1972 he gave a performance on radio of the music of Turlough O'Carolan, an 18th century blind Irish harpist. At that time Carolan's music was virtually unknown, though today almost every album of harp music contains one of his compositions. Working with Derek on the project were several members of The Chieftains. Derek became friends with Chieftains front man Paddy Moloney. For two precarious years he recorded both with the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra and with The Chieftains, until finally becoming a full-time member of the Chieftains in 1975. St. ... Turlough OCarolan (Gaelic: Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin, 1670 - March 25, 1738) was a blind, itinerant Irish harper and composer whose great fame is due to his gifts for composition and verse. ... The Chieftains is an Irish musical group founded in 1962, known for performing and popularizing Irish traditional music. ... Paddy Moloney (born August 1st, 1938) was one of the founders of the Irish musical group The Chieftains and has played on every one of their albums. ...

Eccentricity

Derek Bell was the only member of the band to wear a tie at every public performance. His suits, however, were quite scruffy. He was eccentric and told obscene jokes. The title of his 1981 solo album Derek Bells Plays With Himself has a conscious double-entendre. While touring in Moscow he grabbed his alarm clock and put it in his pocket while rushing to catch a plane. He was then stopped by the Soviet police on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon. Paddy Moloney affectionately called him "Ding Dong" Bell. He relished the eclectic collaborations, such as The Chieftain's collaboration with Van Morrison, Sting and the Chinese Orchestra. In 1991 he recorded with his old friend James Galway. He was awarded an MBE in 2002. Modern neckties, shown here tied as if they were on a person, may be found in a plethora of colours and designs. ... Saint Basils Cathedral Moscow (Russian/Cyrillic: Москва́, IPA:   listen?) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 1097. ... Morrisons seminal 1968 album Astral Weeks Van Morrison (b. ... Sting circa 1987 Gordon Matthew Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951), best known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician and formerly bassist and lead singer of The Police. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in decreasing order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand...

Hinduism

The least-documented part of Derek's life is his involvement with the Hindu yogi Paramhansa Yogananda, author of "Autobiography of a Yogi". From the early 60's Derek was a friend of Swami Kriyananda, also known as J. Donald Walters. Derek's followers visited Kriyananda at his spiritual centre in Ananda village in Nevada City, California. Derek wrote a preface to an edition of Kriyananda's book Art As a Hidden Message. Derek writes, "After reading it, I decided to get in touch with him... I also visited Ananda several times, the beautiful village Kriyananda himself founded in 1968... I offered to record some of Kriyananda's music". This explains why Derek Bell's final album "Mystic Harp vol II" is so very different from everything else he recorded. It was poorly received by fans of folk music, and by classical music devotees. It is a collection of compositions by Kriyananda/Walters in a very meandering, new age style, for solo harp. In August 2002, only weeks before his death, Derek visited Kriyananda. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Paramahansa Yogananda (परमहंस योगानन्‍द) (1893-1952) was born Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakhpur, India, into a devout and prosperous Bengali family. ... Swami Kriyananda, born May 19, 1926 Swami Kriyananda, born J. Donald Walters, is a direct disciple of the yogi Paramahansa Yogananda, and spent many hours with him during the last three years of Yoganandas life (1948 – 1952). ... Nevada City is the county seat of Nevada County, California. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ...

Derek died in Phoenix, Arizona on October 17, 2002. October 17 is the 290th (in leap years the 291st) day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Discography (not including his work with The Chieftains)

• Carolan's Receipt (1975)
• Carolan's Favourite (1980)
• Plays With himself (1981)
• Musical Ireland (1982)
• Ancient Music For The Irish Harp (1989)
• Mystic Harp (1996)
• A Celtic Evening with Derek Bell (1997)
• Mystic Harp vol II (1999)