Larry Thomas Bell (born January 17, 1952) is an American composer, pianist and music professor.Andrea Olmstead, "Larry Thomas Bell", Grove Music Online

Education

Bell was born in

Wilson, North Carolina Wilson is a city in and the county seat of Wilson County, North Carolina, United States. Located approximately east of the capital city of Raleigh, it is served by the interchange of Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 264. Wilson had an estimated p ...

. He began his music studies with piano lessons and soon after began playing in a rock band. He attended

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...

and

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

, where he worked with Gregory Kosteck and earned his

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

degree in 1974. He then moved to New York, where he attended The

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

, completing his Master of Music degree in 1977 and a

Doctor of Musical Arts The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-level academic study in ...

degree in 1982. While there he studied composition with

Vincent Persichetti Vincent Ludwig Persichetti (June 6, 1915 – August 14, 1987) was an American composer, teacher, and pianist. An important musical educator and writer, he was known for his integration of various new ideas in musical composition into his own wo ...

and

Roger Sessions Roger Huntington Sessions (December 28, 1896March 16, 1985) was an American composer, teacher and musicologist. He had initially started his career writing in a neoclassical style, but gradually moved further towards more complex harmonies and ...

. A

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

(1981),

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...

(1982–3), and a

Rockefeller grant Rockefeller is a German surname, originally given to people from the village of Rockenfeld near Neuwied in the Rhineland and commonly referring to subjects associated with the Rockefeller family. It may refer to: People with the name Rockefeller fa ...

(1985) took him to Italy, to study, write music, and take piano lessons with Joseph Rollino.Larry Thomas Bell website: http://www.larrybellmusic.com/ On January 2, 1982, he married musicologist Andrea Olmstead.

Teaching appointments

Bell began teaching while in college, at the Juilliard Pre-College division (1979–1983). Since then he has been a faculty member of

The Boston Conservatory Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded ...

(1980–2005), the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on Hu ...

(1992–2018), and the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

(since 2007). Students have praised him "for his superlative teaching abilities, his talent for making complex issues understandable, his thoughtful approaches for gaining mastery of difficult skills, his wide-ranging musical knowledge, his musicianship, his patience, and his constant encouragement.". His composition students include Cynthia Wong, Forrest Eimold,

George Li George Li (; born August 24, 1995) is an American concert pianist who was a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2016 and silver medalist of the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition. Early life George Li was born on August 24, 1995 ...

, Laura Schwindinger, Russ Grazier, Daniel Kharatian and Martin Matalon.

Piano performance

As a pianist, Bell performs his music regularly and has championed works by American composers. He has given recitals throughout the United States, as well as in Italy, Austria, and Japan. He is frequently heard on Boston's

WGBH (FM) WGBH (89.7 MHz; branded as GBH without the " W" since August 31, 2020) is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of National Public Radio (NPR) and affiliate of Public Radio Exchange (PRX), which me ...

radio, where he played on their first live broadcast on the World Wide Web of his trio ''Mahler in Blue Light''. He has performed as soloist on recordings of his Piano Concerto and Piano Sonata, and as an assisting artist on the recordings ''River of Ponds'' (the complete cello music), ''The Book of Moonlight'' (the complete violin music), ''Larry Bell Vocal Music'', and ''Larry Bell: In the Garden of Dreams''. One reviewer called his playing "commendable–-not flashy, but brimming with musicality, intelligence, and desire to communicate. Tone quality was fetching and finger technique clean.”

Awards and residencies

Besides the Rome Prize and fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations, he was awarded the

Charles Ives Prize The Charles Ives Awards are scholarships for young composers, awarded annually by the American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excel ...

from the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

and grants from the

American Music Center New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media program ...

, the

American Symphony Orchestra League The League of American Orchestras, formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League, is a North American service organization with 700 member orchestras of all budget sizes and types, plus individual and institutional members. Based in New York Ci ...

, and

Meet the Composer New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media progra ...

. He has been a resident composer at

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

, the Woodstock/Fringe Festival, the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

, the

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) is a residential artist community in Amherst, Virginia, USA. Since 1971, VCCA has offered residencies of varying lengths with flexible scheduling for international artists, writers, and composers at ...

, the Bellagio Study and Conference Center, the Rivers School Conservatory, the

Hartt School The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, that offers degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and ...

, and the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell ...

Musical style

Influenced by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter, ...

, and solfège pedagogue Renée Longy, his modernist early compositions (from the 1970s and 1980s) emphasized thematic development,

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

, and elaborate

polyrhythm Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhyth ...

ic structures. In those years he began his performing career as a pianist and reconnected with American folk hymnody. Both of these choices led to a more tonal, melodically oriented, neo-Romantic style. In more recent years, his speed of composition and frequency of piano performances have increased, resulting in multi-movement keyboard pieces in Baroque and classical forms, as well as works for orchestra and chorus, chamber music, solo keyboard music, and song cycles. By 2021 he had produced 174 works with opus numbers, many released on CD. His music has been performed by the

Seattle Symphony The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra also serves as the accompanying orchestra for the Seattle Opera. History Beginnings The orchestra ...

and the

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center. History Though earlier organizations bearing the same name date b ...

and under conductors

Gerard Schwarz Gerard Schwarz (born August 19, 1947), also known as Gerry Schwarz or Jerry Schwarz, is an American symphony conductor and trumpeter. As of 2019, Schwarz serves as the Artistic and Music Director of Palm Beach Symphony and the Director of Orche ...

Jorge Mester Jorge Mester (born April 10, 1935, Mexico City) is a Mexican conductor of Hungarian ancestry. He has served as the artistic director for the Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río, Veracruz, since it was founded in 2014. Biography He studied condu ...

, and

Benjamin Zander Benjamin Zander (born 9 March 1939 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England) is an English conductor, who is currently the musical director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Biography Benjami ...

; by the Juilliard and Borromeo String Quartets, and Speculum Musicae; cellists Eric Bartlett and Andrés Díaz; pianists Sara David Buechner and Jonathan Bass; and singers Robert Honeysucker, Matthew DiBattista, Thomas Gregg, and D’Anna Fortunato. All aspects of Bell's music are synthesized in his two-act opera ''Holy Ghosts'', which was premiered in 2009. Scored for a

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

, incorporating nine hymn tunes, and based on Romulus Linney's play, it combined Bell's Pentecostal Holiness background with his keyboard, vocal writing, and conducting skills.Holy Ghosts’ website: www.holyghoststheopera.com

Vocal music

Besides his opera ''Holy Ghosts'', Bell has written many other works for vocal ensemble, solo voice, and vocal chamber music. An early piece for vocal ensemble is his SSATB quintet ''Domination of Black'' from 1971, a student work on a text by

Wallace Stevens Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was an American modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance compa ...

.Boston Area Music Libraries staff, ed. Linda Solow, "Larry Thomas Bell", in ''The Boston Composers Project: A Bibliography of Contemporary Music'', pp. 31-33. His first solo vocal work, an extended piece for soprano and piano, is ''Reality is an Activity of the Most August Imagination'' (1976), another setting of a text by

. A usual pairing of voice and instrument solos is found in his double concerto, ''The Idea of Order at Key West'', op. 13 (1979–81) a work for soprano and violin soloists, large string orchestra, and percussion battery, also based on a poem by

. More recently, he has composed sets of songs on texts by

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, and

Thomas Campion Thomas Campion (sometimes spelled Campian; 12 February 1567 – 1 March 1620) was an English composer, poet, and physician. He was born in London, educated at Cambridge, studied law in Gray's inn. He wrote over a hundred lute songs, masques for ...

. His most ambitious work for voices is ''The Seasons'' op. 101, a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

consisting of four cycles of songs with texts by Elizabeth Kirschner. The work begins with Fall: Autumnal Raptures, for tenor and harp; followed by Winter: Exaltations of Snowy Stars, for mezzo-soprano and piano; then Spring: In the Pendulum of My Body, for baritone and harpsichord; and finally Summer: The Vanishing Dew, for soprano and guitar. The entire work is summed up in the Finale: Echolocations of Cellos, a single-movement work for all eight performers.

Instrumental music

Bell has composed works for many different instruments and instrumental combinations. Among his early works are ''Novelette'' for string quartet (1970), ''Mirage'' for flute and piano (1971), ''Eclogue'' for saxophone quartet (1973), his first String Quartet (1973), and ''Caprice'' for solo 'cello (1979). His noteworthy mature works include three string quartets, ''Harmonium'', op. 48 (1997) for brass quintet, ''Quintessence'', op. 39 (1993) for woodwind quintet, ''Tarab'', op. 66 (2003) for double cello quartet, a series of Caprices for solo instruments, and Serenades for various instrumental ensembles. Several recent instrumental pieces have featured standard Baroque instrumental combinations, especially for the alto recorder and 'cello, with or without accompaniment.

Music for orchestra and band

Among Bell's early works is ''Continuum'', a student work for chamber orchestra (1971). A Piano Concerto was completed in 1989, followed by a Short Symphony for Band a decade later. Later orchestral works have added a children's chorus (''Songs of Innocence and Experience'') or a narrator (''Hansel and Gretel'').

Keyboard music

Bell has composed many works for piano, harpsichord or organ. One of his earliest piano works is a set of Variations from 1974, first performed at Juilliard. His more recent projects for keyboard have been larger sets of inventions, preludes or partitas, in the manner of Baroque works for harpsichord. He has also written a set of Etudes for student pianists to work on technical issues.

Selected works

Large Instrumental works

*Op. 13, ''The Idea of Order at Key West'' (text by

), double concerto, soprano, violin, orch, 1981 *Op. 23, ''Sacred Symphonies'' (Symphony no. 1), 1985 *Op. 33, Piano Concerto, 1989 *Op. 40, ''Idumea Symphony'': Symphony no. 2, 1996 *Op. 44 Song and Dance, divertimento for chamber orchestra, 1997 *Op. 45, ''Sentimental Muse'', bassoon concerto, 1997 *Op. 47, ''Short Symphony for Band''(Symphony no. 3), 1999 *Op. 55, ''Songs of Innocence and Experience'' (texts by

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

), children's chorus, orch, 2000 *Op. 59, ''Hansel and Gretel'' (texts by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

), narrator and orch, 2001 *Op. 68, Spirituals, chamber symphony for ten players, 2004 *Op. 70, The Triumph of Lightness, concerto for 'cello and orchestra, 2011 *Op. 77, ''Dark Orange Concerto'', viola and winds, 2005 *Op. 80, Chorale Prelude: ''Holy Ghosts'', wind ensemble, 2005 *Op. 89, ''David and Old Ironsides'', narrator and orchestra (text: Constance Leeds) *Op. 120, ''Songs of Reconciliation'', soprano and orchestra (also for soprano and piano) (text: Tran Nhan Tong and Walt Whitman), 2013 *Op. 133, Remembering Fay, trumpet and orchestra, 2015 *Op. 153, Harmony in Blue and Silver, wind ensemble, 2018

Stage

*Op. 90, ''Holy Ghosts'' (libretto by R. Linney and A. Olmstead), 2008

Instrumental solo and chamber music

*Op. 5, Eclogue, saxophone quartet AATB, 1973 *Op. 6, String Quartet no.1, 1973 *Op. 16, String Quartet no.2, 1982 *Op. 17, Fantasia on an Imaginary Hymn, vc, va, 1983 *Op. 25, River of Ponds, vc, pf, 1986 *Op. 28, ''The Black Cat'' (text by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

), narator, vc, pf, 1987 *Op. 31, The Book of Moonlight, vn, pf, 1987 *Op. 32, Concerto for Oboe and Five Instruments, oboe solo, violin, viola, cello, double bass, and piano, 1988 *Op. 35, ''Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony'', narrator/violin and piano (text: Lewis Thomas), 1991 *Op. 36, Piano Quartet, 1991 *Op. 38a, What Goes Around Comes Around, flute, oboe, clarinet, viola, cello, and piano, 1991 *Op. 39, Quintessence, wind quintet, 1993 *Op. 41, Four Pieces in Familiar Style, two violins, 1994 *Op. 43, Mahler in Blue Light, a sax, vc, pf; arr. for cl, vc, pf, 1996 *Op. 48, Harmonium, brass quintet, 1998 *Op. 54 Caprice No. 3, alto recorder, 2001 *Op. 60, Four Lyrics, trumpet and piano, 2001 *Op. 62, Just As I Am, violin and piano, 2002 *Op. 66, Tarab, double 'cello quartet, 2003 *Op. 71, String Quartet no.3, “Homage to Beethoven,” 2004 *Op. 74, Pop Set, double bass and piano, 2005 *Op. 75, Caprice no. 7, vibraphone/narrator (text: Echo and Narcissus from Ovid), 2005 *Op. 76, Dark Orange Partita, viola solo, 2005 *Op. 84, Serenade no. 1, guitar trio, 2006 *Op. 85, Poems, trumpet and piano, 2006 *Op. 88, Unchanging Love, brass quintet, org, 2007 *Op. 98, Serenade No. 2, alto recorder, harpsichord, 'cello, 2009 *Op. 107, Baroque Concerto, alto recorder, harpsichord, 'cello, string orchestra, 2010 *Op. 110, Cello Suite with Harpsichord Figured Bass, 2010 *Op. 111, Serenade no. 3, trumpet, tenor saxophone, and piano, 2010 *Op. 112, Serenade no. 4, clarinet, violin, and piano, 2011 *Op. 122, Dazzling Duo, tenor saxophone and piano, 2013 *Op. 130, Second Elegy, trumpet and piano, 2015 *Op. 134, Song of the Open Road, alto saxophone and strings, 2014 *Op. 138, Newtown Variations, viola and piano, 2016 *Op. 141, Serenade no. 5, clarinet choir, 2016 *Op. 151, Sonata Sacre, baroque flute and harpsichord, 2017 *Op. 155, Dona Nobis Pacem, string quartet, 2017 *Op. 157, Clearing the Clouds from Our Minds, 5 percussion instruments, 6 players, 2018

Solo vocal music

*Op. 8, ''Reality is an Activity of the Most August Imagination'', mezzo-soprano and piano (text: Wallace Stevens), 1975 *Op. 19, ''Incident'', baritone and piano (text: Countee Cullen), 1984 *Op. 20, ''Four Sacred Songs'', soprano and piano, 1984 *Op. 50, ''The Immortal Beloved'' (L. van Beethoven) mezzo-soprano and pinao, 1999 *Op. 53, ''Ten Poems of William Blake'', soprano and piano (text: William Blake), 2000 *Op. 58, ''Shakespeare Sonnets'', op. 58, tenor or soprano and piano, 2001 #Sonnet No. 128 “How oft when thou, my music, music playst” #Sonnet No. 29 “When, in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes” #Sonnet No. 145 “Those lips that Love’s own hand did make” #Sonnet No. 18 “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? *Op. 64, ''Songs of Time and Eternity'' (E. Dickinson), soprano and piano, 2002 *Op. 79, ''Dream within a Dream'' (W. Whitman, W. Blake, E.A. Poe, E. Dickinson, M. Arnold), soprano and piano, 2006 *Op. 101, ''The Seasons'' (E. Kirschner) cant., of 20 duets, T, hp; Mez, pf; Bar, hpd; S, gui, 2010 *Op. 104, Psalm 23 op. 104, high voice, organ, 2014 *Op. 117, ''Fancies'', op. 117 (

), T, pf., 2012 #Oft have I sigh’d for him #Turn back you wanton flyer #Come, O come, my life's delight #The cypress curtain of the night #Beauty, since you so much desire *Op. 119, ''The Book of Blues'', baritone and piano (text: Larry Bell), 2011 *Op. 125, ''At the River'', soprano solo and orchestra (also for soprano and piano), 2014 *''Three Responses'', tenor, baritone, organ, 2016 #Op. 136, The OverSoul (

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

) #Op. 139, The Idea of Democracy (

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

) #Op. 140, Is not this the fast that I have chosen? (Bible Isiah 58: 6–12) *Op. 137, ''Water Music'', baritone, double bass, and piano (text: Langston Hughes), 2016 *Op. 149, ''Gaslight'', baritone and piano (text: Larry Bell), 2017 *Op. 154, ''The Lone Wild Bird'', alto and piano, 2018 *Op. 158, ''Domenica a Filicudi'', soprano, viola, and piano (text: Deborah Collins), 2019 *Op. 159' ''Halcyon Song'', voice, cello, and piano (text: Larry Bell), 2019 *Op. 173, ''Parables of Love and Death'', song cycle for alto and tenor soloists and piano (text: Emily Dickinson), 2021

Vocal ensemble and choral music

*Op. 2, ''Domination of Black'', five solo voices SSATB (text: Wallace Stevens), 1971 *Op. 14, ''Prologue'' and ''The End of the World'', chorus SATB (texts: Archibald MacLeish), 1981 *Op. 42, ''A Cry Against the Twilight'', madrigal for 5 voices, SSATB (text: Wallace Stevens), 1995 *Op. 87, ''Chorale Fantasia on Unchanging Love'', soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soli, chorus and piano (text: Romulus Linney), 2008 *Op. 144, ''Once to Every Soul and Nation'', SSA choir (text: James Russell Lowell), 2017 *Op. 147, ''Mass A6'', six voices SSSAAA, 2017 *Op. 160, ''Awake Our Souls, Away our Fears'', congregational singers, brass quintet, and organ (text: Isaac Watts), 2019 *Op. 169, A Hymnbook for Congregational Singing, 2019 *Op. 170, Symphony No. 4, soprano, tenor, baritone soloists, SATB chorus, organ (texts: Psalm 96, Psalm 1, Psalm 23, Psalm 150 King James Bible), 2020 *Op. 172, ''The Bell'', cantata for soprano solo, SATB chorus, violin, flute, and cello (text: R. W. Emerson), 2020

Keyboard music

*Op. 7, Variations, piano, 1974 *Op. 10, Grand Sonata, piano four hands, 1977 *Op. 15, Miniature Diversions, piano, 1983 *Op. 21, Revivals, piano, 1984 *Op. 26, The Evangelical, two pianos four hands, 1986 *Op. 30, The Parable of the Parabola, piano, 1988 *Op. 34, Piano Sonata no.1, piano, 1990 *Op. 37, Blues Theme with Variations, two pianos four hands, 1992 *Op. 46, Reminiscences and Reflections, 12 preludes and fugues, piano, 1993-1998 *Op. 61, Piano Sonata no. 2, “Tâla,” 2003 *Op. 67, Four Chorale Preludes, piano, 2003 *Op. 69, Liturgical Suite, organ, 2004 *Op. 72, Elegy, piano, 2005 *Op. 82, Music of the Spheres, piano, 2006 *Op. 83, Piano Sonata no. 3 ''Sonata Macabre'', piano, 2006 *Op. 96, 15 2-Part Inventions, piano, 2008 *Op. 97, Partita no.1, harpsichord, 2009 *Op. 102, Partita no.2, harpsichord, 2010 *Op. 109, Piano Etudes Book 1, piano, 2010 *Op. 116, Lyric Preludes, piano, 2011 *Op. 118, Preludes sans Mesurés avec Fugues, harpsichord, 2012 *Op. 123, First Piano Sonatina, piano, 2014 *Op. 124, Gathering Music, organ, 2014 *Op. 127, Fifteen Three-Part Sinfonias, piano, 2015 *Op. 132, Nine Variations on ''We Shall Overcome'', piano, 2015 *Op. 132a, Nine Variations on ''We Shall Overcome'', organ, 2016 *Op. 135, First Book of Prayers, piano, 2015 *Op. 143, First Harpsichord Sonata, harpsichord, 2017 *Op. 145, Canons for the Young, piano, 2017 *Op. 146, Piano Etudes Book 2: 12 Polyrhythmic Studies, piano, 2017-2020 *Op. 148, Prelude and Fugue in f minor, organ, 2017 *Op. 150, Prelude and Fugue in d minor, organ, 2017 *Op. 156, Twenty-Four Preludes and Fugues, piano, 2018-2019 *Op. 165, Piano Sonata no. 4, piano, 2020 *Op. 166, Piano Sonata no. 5, ''A Landscape of Small Ruins'', piano, 2020 *Op. 168, Terza Rima, 12 Variations on “Awake our Souls, Away our Fears,” piano, 2020 *Op. 171, Piano Sonata no. 6, piano, 2020 *Op. 174, Piano Sonata no. 7 ''Southern Meditations'', piano, 2021

Recordings

Recordings are available for a significant proportion of Bell's compositions. Several discs have been released that are devoted entirely to his works, while various individual pieces can be found on other recording devoted to American modern music.

Publications

*. *.

Footnotes

References

*. *.

External links

Berklee College website

Larry Thomas Bell website

opera ''Holy Ghosts’'' website {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Larry Thomas Living people 1952 births 20th-century American composers 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American composers 21st-century American pianists American male composers American male pianists American music educators Appalachian State University alumni Berklee College of Music faculty Boston Conservatory at Berklee faculty East Carolina University alumni People from Wilson, North Carolina Juilliard School alumni