David Snell (born 12 May, 1936) is a British harpist, composer and conductor who has worked across a wide range of genres, from jazz, pop and soundtracks through to library music and classical concert works.Biography, Divine Art Records /ref>
Snell was born in
Grantham
Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...
, Lincolnshire and took his first piano lessons there from local teacher Frank Rawle. He played as a pianist with the local Jimmy Carr Orchestra before leaving Grantham for National Service in 1954 with the
Royal Artillery Band
The Royal Artillery Band was the first official, and permanent British military band (and former symphony orchestra) originating in 1557, but granted official status in 1762. Consisting of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments (and until 2 ...
. He then studied harp with
Marie Goossens
Marie Henriette Goossens (11 August 1894 - 18 December 1991) was an English harpist, a member of the famous Goossens musical family and the older sister of Sidonie Goossens, also a harpist.
Born in London, she was taught at the Royal College ...
.
He began his professional career as a harpist with the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based in Bournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town of Poole, s ...
and later joined the orchestra of the
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
, while also performing as a freelance harpist for various orchestras and as a session musician. As a jazz harpist he has worked with many jazz musicians (including
John Dankworth
Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...
,
Tubby Hayes
Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes (30 January 1935 – 8 June 1973) was an English jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his tenor saxophone playing in groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and with trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar.
Early life
H ...
,
Zoot Sims
John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...
and
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards.
Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active ...
), and also on film, television and pop music sessions and projects, such as harp on
The Incredible String Band
The Incredible String Band (sometimes abbreviated as ISB) were a Scottish psychedelic folk band formed by Clive Palmer, Robin Williamson and Mike Heron in Edinburgh in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially in the British co ...
's ''
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
''The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter'' is the third album by the Scottish psychedelic folk group, The Incredible String Band (ISB), and was released in March 1968 on Elektra Records (''see'' 1968 in music). It saw the band continuing its developme ...
''. He featured in regular jazz and light music broadcasts as performer and conductor on BBC radio from the 1960s until the late 1980s.
Meanwhile Snell has maintained his links with the classical music world as conductor and composer. His 1999 CD ''Women Write Music'' with the Foundation Philharmonic Orchestra includes performances of works by
Doreen Carwithen
Doreen Mary Carwithen (15 November 19225 January 2003) was a British composer of classical and film music. She was also known as Mary Alwyn following her marriage to William Alwyn.
Biography
Doreen Carwithen was born at 8, High Street, Haddenham, ...
,
Elizabeth Maconchy
Dame Elizabeth Violet Maconchy LeFanu (; 19 March 1907 – 11 November 1994) was an Irish-English composer. She is considered to be one of the finest composers Great Britain and Ireland have produced.
Biography
Elizabeth Violet Maconchy was b ...
,
Barbara Kolb
Barbara Kolb (born February 10, 1939) is an American composer. Her music uses sound masses and often creates vertical structures through simultaneous rhythmic or melodic units ( motifs or figures). Kolb's musical style can be identified by her use ...
and
Nicola LeFanu
Nicola Frances LeFanu (born 28 April 1947) is a British composer, academic, lecturer and director.
Life
Nicola LeFanu was born in Wickham Bishops, Essex, England, to William LeFanu and Elizabeth Maconchy (also a composer, later Dame Elizabeth ...
. As a concert composer his own works include the ''Divertimento for Strings'' (premiered at the
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadin ...
in 1976), and a Requiem (1996) as well as chamber music and songs for soprano and harp. His ''Harp Solo Blues'' has been set as a Grade 7 examination piece by
Trinity College London
Trinity College London (TCL) is an examination board based in London, United Kingdom, which offers graded and diploma qualifications (up to postgraduate level) across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and English language learning and ...
.
Snell has composed and performed extensively for the major library music companies, including
KPM Music
KPM Music is a company that creates and provides library music that was originally known as KPM Musichouse. It was formed by the merger of KPM (the initials of Keith-Prowse-Maurice, which was then a division of EMI) and Musichouse (a company that ...
,
Bruton Music
Bruton ( ) is a market town, electoral ward, and civil parish in Somerset, England, on the River Brue and the A359 between Frome and Yeovil. It is 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Shepton Mallet, just south of Snakelake Hill and Coombe Hill, 1 ...
, Parry Music, Ring Music (Germany) and Josef Weinberger. He has conducted the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
, the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...
and the
Orchestre de Paris
The Orchestre de Paris () is a French orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra currently performs most of its concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris.
History
In 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Co ...
, and conducted film scores such as ''Sun Child'' (1988, his own music), and films with music composed by
Rachel Portman
Rachel Mary Berkeley Portman, FilmReference.comEmma'' (1996), ''
The Cider House Rules (film)
''The Cider House Rules'' is a 1999 American drama film directed by Lasse Hallström from a screenplay by John Irving, based on Irving's 1985 novel of the same name. Its story follows Homer Wells, who lives in a World War II–era Maine orphanag ...
Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (2005) and '' Never Let Me Go'' (2010). He conducted the premiere recording of ''
Return to the Centre of the Earth
''Return to the Centre of the Earth'' is a studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman. It was released on 15 March 1999 on EMI Classics and is the sequel to his 1974 concept album ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth'', itself based on the ...
'' (1999) by
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s.
Born and raised ...
Johnny Keating
John Keating (10 September 1927 – 28 May 2015) was a Scottish musician, songwriter, arranger and trombonist.
Biography
Keating was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. After studying piano and trombone, he taught himself how to arrange and compose ...
: ''The Keating Sound'' (1964)
* David Snell: ''Harp and Soul'' (Columbia, 1966)
*
Zoot Sims
John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...
Keith Mansfield
Keith Mansfield (born 1941 in London, England) is a British composer and arranger known for his creation of prominent television theme tunes, including the '' Grandstand'' theme for the BBC.
Career
Other works include "The Young Scene" (the ...
/
Alan Hawkshaw
William Alan Hawkshaw (27 March 1937 – 16 October 2021) was a British composer and performer, particularly of library music used as themes for movies and television programs. Hawkshaw worked extensively for the KPM production music company ...
/David Snell: ''Big Business/Wind of Change'' (KPM, 1973)
* Richard Thompson: ''Harry the Human Fly'' (1974)
* David Snell: ''David Snell Plays Hits On A Harp'' (1974)
* Robert Palmer: ''
Pressure Drop
Pressure drop is defined as the difference in total pressure between two points of a fluid carrying network. A pressure drop occurs when frictional forces, caused by the resistance to flow, act on a fluid as it flows through the tube. The main det ...
'' (1975)
* David Snell: ''On the Other Side of the Angels'' (Programme Music, 1975)
*
Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock band active between 1975 and 1990, whose core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They were accompani ...
: ''
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
''Tales of Mystery & Imagination'' (often rendered as ''Tales of Mystery and Imagination'') is a popular title for posthumous compilations of writings by American author, essayist and poet Edgar Allan Poe and was the first complete collection of ...