William Henry Bell, known largely by his initials, W H Bell (20 August 1873 – 13 April 1946), was an English composer, conductor and lecturer.

Biography

Bell was born in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

and was a chorister at

St Albans Cathedral St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Normans, Norman times. It cease ...

. He studied organ, violin and piano in London at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

along with composition under

Frederick Corder Frederick Corder (26 January 1852 – 21 August 1932) was an English composer and music teacher. Life Corder was born in Hackney, the son of Micah Corder and his wife Charlotte Hill. He was educated at Blackheath Proprietary School and start ...

, and modal counterpoint privately with

Charles Villiers Stanford Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (30 September 1852 – 29 March 1924) was an Anglo-Irish composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era. Born to a well-off and highly musical family in Dublin, Stanford was ed ...

. He won the Goss Scholarship in 1899. He mainly made his living as an organist and lecturer; he was Professor of Harmony at the Royal Academy of Music where he taught from 1909 to 1912. In 1911 Bell was Director of Music for the ''Pageant of London'' at

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building * ...

. In 1912, Bell went to South Africa to direct the

South African College of Music The South African College of Music, abbreviated as SACM, is a department of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cape Town. It is located on the University's Lower Campus in Rondebosch, Cape Town. Study opportunities The South African ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. He was Principal until 1935 and is credited with a significant expansion of the school. In 1920, Bell became Professor of Music at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

, where he held classes for degree courses. The South African College of Music was incorporated into the University in 1923 and Professor Bell became Dean of the Faculty of Music. Bell founded the

Little Theatre Little Theatre or Little Theater may refer to: Australia *Little Theatre, Adelaide, South Australia * Little Theatre, Sydney, former name of the Royal Standard Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales *Melbourne Little Theatre, an amateur theatre company ...

, a training center for opera, and occasionally directed the Cape Town Music Society. He was also responsible for founding the Speech and Drama Department at UCT in 1931, and the UCT Ballet School in 1934. He died in

Gordon's Bay Gordon's Bay ( af, Gordonsbaai) is a harbour town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is included in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality as a suburb of the Helderberg region (formerly called Hottentots Holland). It is ...

near

Somerset West Somerset West ( af, Somerset-Wes) is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality as a suburb of the Helderberg region (formerly called Hottent ...

Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as The Cape ( af, Die Kaap), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequen ...

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Trans ...

. The W H Bell Music Library at the University of Cape Town is named in honour of William Henry Bell.

Music

Compositions by Bell were heavily featured in the series of concerts directed by

August Manns Sir August Friedrich Manns (12 March 1825 – 1 March 1907) was a German-born British conductor who made his career in England. After serving as a military bandmaster in Germany, he moved to England and soon became director of music at London' ...

at Crystal Palace between 1899 and 1912. Premieres there included the ''Walt Whitman'' Symphony and the symphonic poems ''The Pardonor's Tale'' and ''The Canterbury Tales''. The symphonic prelude ''A Song in The Morning'' received its London premiere at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

in 1901, and ''Agamemnon'' its world premiere at the Proms in 1908.

Dan Godfrey Sir Daniel Eyers "Dan" Godfrey (20 June 1868 – 20 July 1939) was a British music conductor and member of a musical dynasty that included his father Daniel Godfrey (1831–1903). His son, also Dan Godfrey, was also a musician, station man ...

was also a champion of Bell's music in

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

. Thomas Beecham put on performance of the ''Arcadian Suite'', ''Love Among the Ruins'' and ''The Shepherd''. However, when Bell moved to South Africa performances back in the UK all but ceased. He continued to compose while in South Africa with all of his four mature symphonies (numbers 2 to 5) premiered there. His ''Symphonic Variations'' received its first performance in Cape Town in August 1917, but was not heard in London until 24 February 1921 when Bell conducted it during a trip back to England. The three movement Concerto for Viola and Orchestra ''Rosa Mystica'' was also premiered in Cape Town in 1917, one year after it had been completed. The ''South African Symphony'' (No 4) was first performed in Cape Town on 1 March 1928. While it is essentially a work in the European tradition it incorporates some African folk music elements. These, according to John Joubert, who took private composition lessons from Bell from 1942–46, were probably provided by Percival Kirby, Professor of Music at

Witwatersrand University The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

in Johannesbur

Bell's 70th birthday was celebrated in the UK with a BBC broadcast of the 1941 Symphonic Fantasy ''Aeterna munera'' as well as the ''Arcadian Suite'' on 20 August 1943. But since then his music has rarely been revived, with the exception of recordings of the South African Symphony and the Viola Concerto.

Selected works

;Opera * ''Hippolytus'' (c.1914); music drama in 3 acts; libretto after

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

* ''Isabeau'' (1922–1924); fantasia in 1 act * ''The Mouse Trap'' (1928); opera in 1 act; libretto after ''The Sire de Maletroit's Door'' by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

* ''Doctor Love'' (1930); opera in 1 act; libretto after ''Le Docteur amoureux'' by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

* ''The Wandering Scholar'' (1935); musical comedy in 1 act; libretto by

Clifford Bax Clifford Lea Bax (13 July 1886 – 18 November 1962)Armorial Families: A Directory of Gentlemen of Coat-Armour, A. C. Fox-Davies, T. C. & E. C. Jack, 1910, p. 106 was a versatile English writer, known particularly as a playwright, a journalist, ...

based on ''

The Wandering Scholars ''The Wandering Scholars'' is a non-fiction book by Helen Waddell, first published in 1927 by Constable, London.Felicitas Corrigan, ''Helen Waddell: a Biography'' (Gollancz, 1986), p. 234-5 It deals primarily with medieval Latin lyric poetry and ...

'' by

Helen Waddell Helen Jane Waddell (31 May 1889 – 5 March 1965) was an Irish poet, translator and playwright. She was a recipient of the Benson Medal. Biography She was born in Tokyo, the tenth and youngest child of Hugh Waddell, a Presbyterian minister ...

* ''The Duenna'' (1939); musical comedy in 3 acts; libretto by

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Irish satirist, a politician, a playwright, poet, and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as ''The Rivals'', ''The Sc ...

* ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1939); unfinished opera ; Music for Japanese

Noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...

plays * ''Komachi'' (1925) * ''Tsuneyo of the Three Trees'' (1926) * ''Hatsuyuki'' (1934) * ''The Pillow of Kantan'' (1935) * ''Kageyiko'' (1936) ;Incidental music * ''Life's Measure'' (?1905–1908) * ''A Vision of Delight'' (1906); music to the play by

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

;Ballet * ''The Enchanted Well, The Vision of Delight'' (1934); a masque * ''Fête Champêtre'' (1935) * ''Le Jongleur de Notre Dame'' (1936) ;Orchestral * ''The Canterbury Pilgrims'', Symphonic Prelude (1896) (after

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

) * ''The Pardoner's Tale'', Symphonic Poem (1898) (after Chaucer) * Symphony No. 1 ''

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

'' in C minor (1899) * ''A Song of the Morning'', Symphonic Prelude (1901) * ''Mother Carey'', Symphonic Poem (1902) * ''Epithalamium'', Serenade for orchestra (1904) * ''The Shepherd'', Symphonic Poem (1907) * ''Agamemnon'', Symphonic Prelude (1908) * ''Love among the Ruins'', Symphonic Poem (1908) * ''Arcadian Suite'' (c.1908) * ''Danse du tambour'' (1909) * ''Le fée des sources'', Symphonic Poem (1912) * ''Prelude'' (1912) * ''Staines Morrice Dance'' (1912) * ''Symphonic Variations'' (1915) * Symphony No. 2 in A minor (1918) * Symphony No. in F major (1918–1919) * ''The Portal'', Symphonic Poem (1921) * ''A Song of Greeting'', Symphonic Poem (1921) * ''Veldt Loneliness'' (1921) * ''In modo academico'', Suite in C minor (1924) * Symphony No. 4 ''"A South African Symphony"'' (1927) * ''An English Suite'' (1929) * Symphony No. 5 in F minor (1932) * ''Aeterna munera'', Symphonic Fantasy (1941) * ''Hamlet'', 5 Preludes (1942) ;Concertante * ''Rosa Mystica'', Concerto for viola and orchestra (1916) ;Chamber music * Piano Quintet (1894) * Sonata in E minor for violin and piano (1897) * ''Cradle Song'' for violin and piano (1901) * ''Arab Love Song'' for viola and piano * ''Cantilena'' for viola and piano * ''Arabesque'' for violin or viola and piano (1904) * Sonata in D major for violin and piano (1918) * Sonata in F minor for violin and piano (c.1925) * Sonata in D minor for clarinet or viola and piano (1926) * String Quartet in G minor (1926) * Sonata for cello and piano (1927) * String Quartet in F major (1927) ;Piano * ''The Witch's Daughter'' (1904) * ''Chorale Variations'' (1940) * ''4 Elegiac Pieces'' (1940) ;Organ * ''Chants sans paroles'' (1901) * ''Minuet and Trio'' in C major (1901) * ''Postlude'' (Romance, Spring Song) (1902) ;Choral * ''Hawke'' for chorus and orchestra (c.1895) * ''Mag and Nunc'' (1895) * ''Miserere Maidens'' for soloist, chorus, orchestra and organ (1895) * ''The Call of the Sea'', Ode for soprano, choruses and orchestra (1902–1904) * ''Hearken unto Me, Ye Holy Children'', Anthem for baritone solo and chorus (published 1903) * ''I Will Magnify Thee, O Lord'', Anthem for Easter for mixed voices and organ (published 1903); words from Psalm XXX * ''St. Albans Pageant Music, July 1907'' for chorus and orchestra (1907); words by Charles Henry Ashdown * ''The Baron of Brackley'', Scotch Border Ballad for chorus and orchestra (1911) * ''Maria assumpta'' for soprano, choruses and orchestra (1922) * ''Prometheus Unbound'' for chorus and orchestra (1923–1924); words by

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...

* ''Medieval Songs'' for chorus and piano (1927–1928) * ''Medieval Songs'' for female chorus, string orchestra and piano :# "The Maiden That Is Makeless" (to "

I syng of a mayden "I syng of a mayden" (sometimes titled "As Dewe in Aprille") is a Middle English lyric poem or carol of the 15th century celebrating the Annunciation and the Virgin Birth of Jesus. It has been described as one of the most admired short vernacul ...

") :# "Mater ora filium" :# "The Flower of Jesse" :# "At Domys Day" :# "May in the Greenwood" :# "Twelve Oxen" * ''Dicitus philosophi'' for chorus and orchestra (1932?); words by

Benjamin Farrington Benjamin Farrington (10 July 1891 –1974) was an Irish scholar and professor of Classics, teaching in Ireland (1916–1920), South Africa (1920–1935), and Great Britain (1935–1956). Although his academic career spanned several disciplines, ...

* ''The Tumbler of Our Lady'' for soloists, choruses and orchestra (1936) * ''The Song of the Sinless Soul'' for mezzo-soprano, female chorus and orchestra (1944) * ''Adonis'' for soprano, mezzo-soprano, female chorus and orchestra (1945) ;Vocal * ''The Rose and the Lily'' for voice and piano (1892) * ''Songs of Youth and Springtide'' for voice and piano, Op. 9 (1892–1896); words by

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...

:# "Summum Bonum" (on Browning's poem) :# "Nay, but You, Who Do Not Love Her" (from Browning's collection ''

Dramatic Romances and Lyrics ''Dramatic Romances and Lyrics'' is a collection of English poems by Robert Browning, first published in 1845 in London, as the seventh volume in a series of self-published books entitled ''Bells and Pomegranates''. Contents Many of the origin ...

'') * ''Serenade'' for voice and piano (1896) * ''Three Songs'' for voice and piano (1896); words from ''

Sonnets from the Portuguese ''Sonnets from the Portuguese'', written ca. 1845–1846 and published first in 1850, is a collection of 44 love sonnets written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The collection was acclaimed and popular during the poet's lifetime and it remain ...

'' by

Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabet ...

:# "Say Over Again" :# "If Thou Must Love Me" :# "I Lift My Heavy Heart" * ''Crabbed Age and Youth'' for voice and piano (1898) * ''Five Settings of E. Nesbit'' for voice and piano (1898); words by

E. Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist an ...

* ''Three Old English Songs'' for voice and orchestra * ''Love's Farewell'' for voice and piano (1902) * ''The Four Winds'' for baritone and orchestra (1903); words by C.H. Luderz * ''Six Love Lyrics'' for baritone or alto and piano (1903); words by

William Ernest Henley William Ernest Henley (23 August 184911 July 1903) was an English poet, writer, critic and editor. Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem "Invictus". A fixture in London literary circles, the o ...

* ''Sing Heigh Ho!'' for voice and piano (1903) * ''Bhanavar the Beautiful'', Song Cycle for voice and chamber ensemble (1908) * ''The Ballad of the Bird Bride'' for baritone and orchestra (1909); words by

Rosamund Marriott Watson Rosamund Marriott Watson (née Ball; 6 October 1860 – 29 December 1911) was an English poet, nature writer and critic, who early in her career wrote under the pseudonyms Graham R. Tomson and Rushworth (or R.) Armytage. Early life and educatio ...

* ''The Little Corporal'' for voice and piano (1912) * ''Sappho'', Song Cycle for soprano and orchestra (1920, revised 1942) * ''Claire de lune'' for voice and piano (1925); words by

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the ''fin de siècle'' in international and ...

* ''D'une prison'' for voice and piano (1925?); words by Paul Verlaine * ''Que faudre-t'il a ce cœur'' for voice and piano (1925); words by

Jean Moréas Jean Moréas (; born Ioannis A. Papadiamantopoulos, Ιωάννης Α. Παπαδιαμαντόπουλος; 15 April 1856 – 31 March 1910), was a Greek poet, essayist, and art critic, who wrote mostly in the French language but also in Greek ...

* ''Four Medieval Songs'' for voice and piano (1927) * ''Four Medieval Songs'' for voice and piano (1930) * ''Twelve Blake Songs''; words 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. ...

:# "Spring" :# "Summer" :# "Autumn" :# "Winter" :# "To the Evening" :# "To Morning" :# "My Pretty Rose Tree" :# "The Fairy" :# "In a Myrtle Shade" :# "The Birds" :# "My Spectre around Me" :# "I Heard an Angel Singing"

Notable students

Hubert du Plessis Hubert du Plessis OMSG (7 June 1922 – 12 March 2011) was a South African composer, pianist, and professor of music whose career spanned several decades. Along with Arnold van Wyk and Stefans Grové, du Plessis was one of the foremost South Afr ...

(1922–2011)Review: ''South African Orchestral Works''

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

(1995), by Rob Barnett *

Stefans Grové Stefans Grové (23 July 1922 – 29 May 2014) was a South African composer. Before his death the following assessment was made of him: "He is regarded by many as Africa's greatest living composer, possesses one of the most distinctive composit ...

(1922–2014) * John Joubert (born 1927)

References

External links

W H Bell Music Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, William Henry 1873 births 1946 deaths 19th-century British composers 19th-century classical composers 19th-century English musicians 19th-century British male musicians 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century English composers Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music British music educators English classical composers English male classical composers English opera composers English Romantic composers Male opera composers South African composers South African male composers University of Cape Town academics