Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell From: Pied Piper Date: 21 Oct 02 - 08:25 AM A man with a great sense of humour. Who else would have titled an album "Derek Bell plays with himself". Sadly mist. PP |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell From: 53 Date: 21 Oct 02 - 09:57 AM I've never heard of him but my sympathies go out to the family. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell From: MartinRyan Date: 25 Oct 02 - 05:05 PM Cat lovers among you may enjoy the Death Notice for Derek in this morning's Irish Times. It included the following: "....dearly loved husband of Stefanie and loving friend of his cats Blackie, Cheeky and Spotty..... .....No flowers please. Donations in lieu, if desired, to the Cats Protectin League...." He'll be missed. Regards |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Helen Date: 15 Oct 17 - 12:03 PM Hi all, I was reading the In Memoriam list, and clicked on the Derek Bell link to remind myself of the date that he passed away. Coincidentally it's fifteen years ago tomorrow (it's early morning 16 October here in Oz). Is it really so long ago? Derek Bell's Carolan's Receipt is the first album of his that I ever bought. On vinyl, and then upgraded to CD many years later. It is still one of my all time favourite albums in my collection. Over the years I have added other CD's by The Chieftains and by Derek Bell and I am amazed at their individual and collective skills. This is my current obsession, which I rediscovered when I recently and belatedly upgraded my vinyl record to CD of Boil the Breakfast Early: The Chieftains - Mrs. Judge The tune changes in the second half to a different time signature, and Derek starts it off with a lively harp rendition and is then joined by the other instruments. The more I listen to this tune, the more I love it. Derek Bell is gone but never forgotten. Just imagine how it was before we had music recordings. Imagine hearing such beautiful music only once or a few times in your life and never hearing it again. You would have to try to keep it in your memory and wish with all your heart that you could hear it even just once more. We are blessed with the joy of being able to hear it over and over again, and that's what I do. I play the Derek Bell and The Chieftains CD's over and over in the car, at work and at home. I never get tired of them. I am constantly discovering new joys in listening to them. Vale Derek Bell - now teaching the angels how to play the harp. Helen |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Andrez Date: 16 Oct 17 - 07:40 AM I still listen to Carolans Receipt too Helen and get where you are coming from about this wonderful musician and his music. Cheers, Andrez |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: GUEST Date: 16 Oct 17 - 10:03 AM It is also one of my favourite albums along with The Renaissance of the Celtic Harp by Alan Stivell. I have a number of albums by the Chieftans as well, my favourite is The Chieftans 5. I play all of these regularly, after all these years they still amaze me. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Helen Date: 17 Oct 17 - 05:54 AM Hi Guest, yes The Renaissance of the Celtic Harp, and Stivell's other album called Reflections are two of my faves as well. On The Chieftains CD called The Chieftains Collection: The Very Best of the Claddagh Years, Vol. 2, there is a track called Ceol Bhriot?nach. It's a medley of about 3 tunes, I think. It is also on The Chieftains 5 album. Every time I hear the start of the track it takes me by surprise and I have to look at the track title to figure out why it is so familiar. If you can find it, it will probably do your head in too. Helen |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: GUEST Date: 17 Oct 17 - 06:24 AM Hello Helen . I have a number of Alan Stivell's CDs and I do like Reflections very much. thanks for the heads up on the Chieftans. May I ask what else you listen to and might wish to recommend ? |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: GUEST Date: 17 Oct 17 - 07:09 AM For harp you may want to listen to Paul Dooley, Mair N? Chatasaigh, Grainne Hambly, Kathleen Loughnane (with or without Dord?n), Michelle Mulcahy and Laoise Kelly, among others. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: GUEST Date: 17 Oct 17 - 09:56 AM Thank you "other Guest". I will look those up and give a listen, again, thanks. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: GUEST,Peter Laban Date: 17 Oct 17 - 12:58 PM Sorry that was my post, Mudcat doesn't seem to digest fadas very well at the moment but instead renders them ? |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Helen Date: 17 Oct 17 - 02:13 PM Hi Guest & Guest, Peter Laban, I'm a magpie when it comes to listening to music. There are very few styles of music that I don't like, but for harp music, I agree about M?ire N? Chathasaigh, who plays some of the music with her sister Nollaig Casey on a favourite CD of mine called Lead the Knave. It has my all time fave Carolan tune called Michael Ward (which is also known as Michael O'Connor)on it. Apart from Derek Bell, and any of The Chieftains music I can find, my other go-to for harp is a Scottish duo called Sileas, which is Mary McMaster and Patsy Seddon. As I said 15 years ago on this thread: I am allergic to "soppy, slushy type of harp music which is everywhere" but I love the gutsy, raunchy players like Derek Bell & Sileas. My adjective for Sileas is "raucous". The Little Cascade (Sileas) (1987) Sileas plays this tune differently to Alan Stivell. Then, just to mix it up a bit, I am also a Pogues fan. Helen |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Helen Date: 17 Oct 17 - 02:20 PM Peter, you're right about the fadas. Maire ni Chathasaigh Scroll down to play this track: The Chieftains: Ceol Bhriotanach |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Steve Shaw Date: 17 Oct 17 - 07:08 PM I asked Maire ni Chathasaigh to play Carolan's Farewell To Music for me at Welcombe Village Hall a good few years ago now and she graciously obliged. A wonderful person. I learned a lot from her Carolan Albums CD. We have a wonderful harp player here on Mudcat and I have one of her albums, which is lovely. I hope she won't mind if I tell you that she's Bonnie Shaljean! I learned a lot from the Chieftains' albums, especially from Derek Bell's playing, though I often found the rather overwhelming piping of Paddy Maloney a bit of a trial. Personal taste, not criticism. We managed to get Sileas to Bude at least three or four times, the lineup evolving but always with Mary Macmaster and Patsy Seddon. Those were the days! |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Reinhard Date: 17 Oct 17 - 07:49 PM I saw Mary and Patsy as Sileas and with the Poozies a few times in the 1990s in Germany - wonderful memories... Nowadays my favourite harper is Rachel Newton, be it with her own band, with The Shee or with The Furrow Collective. The Eggshell Brewery / Up the Lum |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: GUEST Date: 18 Oct 17 - 09:21 AM Reinhard, thanks for the link, wonderful music. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: GUEST,Peter Laban Date: 18 Oct 17 - 09:49 AM 'I love the gutsy, raunchy players like Derek Bell...' I know what you're saying Helen. Personally I find harp players tread a thin line between what I like and what I can't stand but that perhaps is true for all players. Some have their musicality shining through, hearing Paul Dooley play Carolan on the wirsestrung harp first gave me a better appreciation of Carolan's music. Laoise Kelly is always great, most recently her collaboration with piper Tianan Duinchin. I should perhaps have mentioned Deirdre Granville, in combination with her sister Aoife. Guest posting only allows two links in a post so I cut/paste a little section to the next post. Pics linked are my own. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: GUEST,Peter Laban Date: 18 Oct 17 - 09:50 AM Maire ni Chatasaigh again often her collaborations are nice. but I like some of her solo work. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Steve Shaw Date: 18 Oct 17 - 11:39 AM Sorry, I got Sileas confused with the Poozies in my last post. It was of course the Poozies whose lineup evolved, not Sileas. We were graced several times by both in the 1990s. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Helen Date: 19 Oct 17 - 02:50 PM Thanks for all the suggestions on harpers and their music. It looks like I'm about to expand my music collection. And thanks for nothing, telling me about the wonderful live events you have seen! Spare some sympathy for this Antipodean who has limited access to her favourite acts. LOL Peter, you said: "I know what you're saying Helen. Personally I find harp players tread a thin line between what I like and what I can't stand but that perhaps is true for all players." There have been other threads about the Irish harp revival initiated by some of the Irish nuns so the music which came out of that would not have been raunchy or raucous, but I think we can be thankful that the revival occurred because there are now so many amazing harpers and so many styles of music. Helen |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: GUEST,Peter Laban Date: 19 Oct 17 - 03:16 PM Yes, the nuns, that';s often my first thought when I hear soem Irish harpers. There are many lovely players though, perhaps I should have mentioned Siobhan Armstrong, Cormac de Barra perhap. Janet Harbison came to mind as well, for a lifelong dedication perhaps. Which made me think, they were talking about a new organisation they were in the process of establishing earlier this year, that may be of interest : Cairde na Cruite : Friends of the Harp |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Helen Date: 20 Oct 17 - 01:57 PM This is the thread about the Irish nuns and the harp revival: 'All the dear Spinning Eileens' (Irish harpists) Helen |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: keberoxu Date: 20 Oct 17 - 02:53 PM How generous of you, Helen! Thanks for linking to the thread! Just want to underline one name. An extraordinary woman named Caroline Townshend had a lot to do with the harp revival in question. Also spelled Townsend, makes for a little confusion. Ms. Townshend deserves to be singled out as she was not one of the nuns. She came from a well-to-do family and turned out to be dedicated to the cause behind the Easter Rising. The more I learn about Ms. Townshend, the more she amazes me. In fact I still have not isolated the thing that caused Ms. Townshend to decide, suddenly, that she must have a harp and learn how to play it. She seems not to have been under anyone else's influence in this, it was initiated by her. She ended up finding a harp of some sort in Wales, and worked from there. Some of the leading names in the harp revival have their studies and influences traced back to Caroline Townshend. Guess it's too late for someone to research her? |
Subject: RE: Obit: Derek Bell (1935-2002) From: Helen Date: 21 Oct 17 - 05:59 AM Well keberoxu, I think the research on Caroline Townshend has your name written all over it. I look forward to reading your book when you publish it! :-) Helen |
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