William John Bell (born December 25, 1902,

Creston, Iowa Creston is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Iowa. The population was 7,536 at the time of the 2020 Census. History Creston was originally settled in 1868 as a survey camp for the Burlington and Missouri Railroad. It was name ...

, died August 7, 1971,

Perry, Iowa Perry is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States, along the North Raccoon River. The population was 7,836 at the time of the 2020 Census. It is part of the Des Moines– West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. Formerly a major r ...

) was the premier player and teacher of the

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

in America during the first half of the 20th century. In 1921, he joined the band of

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dis ...

, and from 1924 to 1937 he served as Principal Tuba with the

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its primary concert venue is Music Hall. In addition to its symphony concerts, the orchestra gives pops concerts as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The Cinc ...

. In 1937

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...

's David Sarnoff invited conductor Arturo Toscanini to select personnel for The NBC Symphony Orchestra. William Bell was the third musician selected by Toscanini, after his

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...

Mischa Mischakoff and principal oboe Philip Ghignatti. In 1943 he became principal tubist for the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appear ...

invited Bell to perform and narrate George Kleinsinger's ' Tubby the Tuba', and to perform and sing a special arrangement of 'When Yuba Plays The Rhumba on the

Tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

'. In 1955 Bell performed the American premiere of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Concerto for Bass Tuba and Orchestra". He was professor of tuba at the Manhattan School of Music until 1961, and

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

from 1961 to 1971. Bell's students included the late

Harvey Phillips Harvey Gene Phillips, Sr. (December 2, 1929 – October 20, 2010) was an American tuba player. He served as the Distinguished Professor of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington (from 1971 to 1994) and was dedicated advocate ...

, the late Joseph Novotny, the late Abe Torchinsky, the late Ed Livingston, the late Dennis F. Parker, Don Harry, Fred Marzan, Dick Babcock, Paul Krzywicki, and

R. Winston Morris Ralph Winston Morris (born January 19, 1941 in Barnwell, South Carolina) is an American tubist. He served as professor of tuba and euphonium at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee, for 55 years, and subsequent to his retirement af ...

. As Bell died in 1971, low brass lineage practitioners on the Bell method have become more rare.

Noteworthy Recording

The Golden Crest LP album and 45 RPM Single 'Bill Bell and His Tuba' were released by Golden Crest Records in 1957. Bell appeared on two album covers with his tuba, one in color. A CD version of the album had limited release in 2008.

Annual Tuba Christmas Celebrations Around The World

Beginning in 1974, under the auspices of the Harvey Phillips Foundation, thousands of tubists and euphoniumists worldwide join together each December at local

Tubachristmas TubaChristmas is a music concert held in cities worldwide that celebrates those who play, teach, and compose music for instruments in the tuba family, including the tuba, sousaphone, baritone, and euphonium, though some participants bring rarer me ...

events in honor of not only the holiday season, but of the life and teaching of Bill Bell. An arrangement of the

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

chorale ' Komm, süßer Tod' (also called 'Come Sweet Death)', Bell's favorite chorale, is sometimes played at

events.

Annual Low Brass Bell Memorial

Every first Saturday in November, a number of tuba and

euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" o ...

players gather in

, the location of Mr. Bell's grave and the town where he died. The musicians perform a free public concert of pieces arranged for four-part low brass in Mr. Bell's memory as a part of a fine arts series in Perry. Then the players gather at the gravesite and play 'Come Sweet Death' and 'Dona Nobis Pacem' in his memory.

William J. Bell Tribute Ensemble

At the David L. Walters Division of Music at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, Bell's memory and legacy is commemorated by the William J. Bell Memorial Quartet, an active tuba/euphonium student ensemble.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, William 1902 births 1971 deaths American classical tubists Musicians from Iowa People from Creston, Iowa People from Perry, Iowa 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American musicians