Allan Gordon Bell

Allan Gordon Bell (born May 24, 1953 in Calgary , Alberta ) is a Canadian composer.

From 1974 to 1980 Bell studied composition at the University of Alberta with Violet Archer , Malcolm Forsyth and Manus Sasonkin , and in 1978 at the Banff School of Fine Arts with Jean Coulthard , Bruce Mather and Oskar Morawetz . In 1982 he studied film music with Earle Hagen in Toronto.

From 1978 to 1980 Bell was Artistic Director of the Calgary Contemporary Ensemble . At the same time, and then from 1985, he taught composition at the University of Calgary .

Bell composed works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, orchestras and electroacoustic instruments, as well as drama, ballet and film music. For his choral works he received an award from the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors in 1994 and 1999 . His play Ark II (1989) by the CBC as a Canadian contribution to the annual International Rostrum of Composers of UNESCO selected in Paris.

Works

• Pas de quatre for percussion ensemble, 1976
• Beltine for violin, 1977
• Nocturne for soprano and piano, 1977
• Prelude and Passacaglia for piano, 1977
• Arche for string quartet, 1980
• Encounters for two violins and two cellos, 1980
• Five Rituals for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon and two percussion sets, 1980
• Morning Music: A Reflection upon Stillness for violin and piano, 1980
• Dynamus for string orchestra, 1980
• Kinesis for speaker, two pianos and two drums, 1981
• Drawing down the Moon for string orchestra, 1982
• Mistaya for two drum kits , 1982
• Monashee: Three Lyric Sketches for Cello and Piano, 1982
• From Chaos to the Birth of a Dancing Star for concert band, 1983
• Concerto for percussion and orchestra, 1984
• The Gift of the Wolf , musical theater for speaker, children's ensemble, violin, cello and piano, 1984
• Gaia for flute, oboe, clarinet, four cellos, piano and two percussion, 1984
• The Ugly Duckling , musical theater for female voice, flute, violin and piano, 1985
• In the Eye of Four Winds for wind band, 1986
• An Enchantment for cello and piano, 1986
• Prairie for synthesizers and computers, 1986
• Innua: Three Masks for violin, cello and piano, 1987
• The Ascendant Voice for wind ensemble, 1988
• Concerto for Two Orchestras , 1988
• Prairie II for synthesizers, digital samplers and computers, 1988
• Sonora Borealis for piano, 1989
• Vision Quest for concert band, 1989
• Arche II for string quartet, 1989
• Orca for nine players, 1989
• Lumen: A Quintet for two violins, two violas and cello, 1990
• Moon of Flowers for synthesizers, digital samplers and computers, 1990
• A Prairie Requiem for clarinet, harp and marimba, 1991
• To Elemental Lyric , 1992
• Old Coyote's Saturday Night for piano, 1992
• Snow - More Snow - Snow for bass clarinet, cello and marimba, 1993
• Four Grassi Lakes Seasons for children's choir and piano, 1993
• Aurages: Seven Ephemera for flute, violin, viola, cello and double bass, 1994
• Spirit Trail , 1994
• Arche III for violin, percussion and string orchestra, 1994
• Shadows, Echoes, Impressions for digital samplers and computers, 1994
• Animus for alto saxophone, percussion and string orchestra, 1995
• Nebulae for piano, 1995
• Danse sauvage for piano, 1996
• Sweetgrass for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion, 1997
• Chthonic Canons for three tubas, 1998
• Sundogs Reel for string orchestra, 1998
• Turtle Wakes - An Opera , 1998
• Two Roads to the Heartland for children's choir and piano, 1998
• Chiaroscuro , 1999
• a great arch softening the mountains for voice, bass clarinet, violin, piano and aXio / sound files, 2001
• Symphonies of Hidden Fire , 2002
• Serenity for small orchestra, 2004
• Trails of Gravity and Grace for clarinet, cello and piano, 2003
• Festival fanfare for horn, two trumpets, trombone and tuba