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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
The concise William J. Bell biography, which
follows, was prepared for response to numerous
inquiries about this great man. It is unfortunate
that few music dictionaries and music history
books make reference to William Bell; nor do they
include sufficient, if any, reference to other
great brass, woodwind and percussion
artists/teachers whose impact on 20 and 21"
century performers cannot be over estimated. It is
hoped that figure academic dissertations and
theses might properly acknowledge and record the
enormous contributions of singular artists whose
reputations elevated them to one name reference;
artists such as Helmecke, Floyd, Gallodoro,
Kincaid, Baker, Tabuteau, McLean, Carmen, Glantz,
Crisara, Burke, Barrows, Schuller, Pulis, Mantia,
Helleberg, Evans, Jacobs, (many others). These
renowned musicians established the highest
standards of performance and pedagogy for their
respective instruments. Their innate musicianship
and consummate artistry has inspired and
influenced the artistic development of future
generations.
William John Bell was born in
Creston, Iowa on Christmas Day, 1902. Siblings
included three sisters (Sarah Betzner, b. 1898;
Ruth Rankin, b. 1900; Alice White Hazeltine, b.
1907) and one brother (Samuel Milligan Bell, b.
1896). Parents were William M. Bell and Nancy
Milligan Bell. I know nothing about the origin
and/or professional life of his parents. All
members of the family have passed on. William Bell
died on August 7, 1971 and is buried in Perry,
Iowa. In 1977 The Harvey Phillips Foundation
established (in Perry, Iowa) an annual William
Bell Celebration and installed on Bell's
gravestone a bronze plate that chronicles his
professional career.
When William Bell was around
ten years old, he began playing tuba in a boys
band in Fairfield, Iowa. The leader of this band
was a local grocer with some musical training. It
must be pointed out that in the early part of this
century, every town of consequence had its own
town band made up of adults and accomplished
younger musicians. These town bands had
enthusiastic and loyal fans in their respective
geographic areas which in combination, served as
audiences for the outstanding professional touring
bands of the day, the most popular of which was
the renowned, internationally acclaimed band of
John Philip Sousa; but, there were others: Bohemia
Kryl, Arthur Pryor, Patrick Conway, Giuseppe
Creatore, etc. The Edwin Franko Goldman Band in
New York City (which never toured) was also
acclaimed by critics and the patronage of loyal
fans, including the wealthy Guggenheim family
which built the band shell in Central Park and
sustained the Goldman Band for many years. Touring
circus bands were also looked up to by every town
band musician. Circus bandmasters/composers such
as C.L. Barnhouse, Johnny Richards, Karl King,
Fred Jewel, and Merle Evans (with their respective
entourage of "windjammers") were also
musical heroes to town bandsmen. The State of Iowa
has always been renowned for its bands and output
of great brass, wind and percussion players. Young
Bill Bell's persona benefited greatly from the
enormous pride expressed by Iowa's citizens for
their native bandsmen. The talented and precocious
young Bill Bell soon attracted the attention and
admiration of adult musicians.
The age of fourteen (1917) Bell
was already touring with W. W. Norton's popular
area professional bands and orchestras. He
continued to perform for Norton after entering the
University of North Dakota at age 15 (1918) on a
full music scholarship. In 1918 his fame as an
outstanding performer came to the attention of
Colonel Harold Bachman, leader of Bachman's
Million Dollar Band. Bell's assignment to the
chair of principal tuba impressed all who heard
him perform. In 1921 his fame and performance
stature was recognized by none other than John
Philip Sousa, whose famous band was, at that time,
the most famous and renowned of all the world's
musical organizations. The music world was
astounded when John Philip Sousa summoned, without
audition, 18 year old William J. Bell to accept
the position of principal tuba in The Sousa Band.
It is interesting to note that an outstanding
young piccolo player in The Sousa Band was none
other than Meredith Wilson (who later won great
acclaim for his Broadway Show and movie The
Music Man). Meredith Wilson and Bill Bell
became close friends. And, it was not unexpected
that William Bell (throughout his life) would gain
the warm friendship and loyal, professional
admiration of all his colleagues. Young Bell's
reputation as a mature, courteous and personable
young gentleman was equal to his unparalleled
reputation as a great tubist. In the spring of
1924, while The Sousa Band was taking a much
deserved rest in New York City, William Bell was
informed by one of his musician friends that Fritz
Reiner was in town to audition musicians for the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; one of the
positions he hoped to fill was that of principal
tuba. William Bell promptly borrowed a CC Tuba
(the instrument of preference for orchestral
playing) and stayed up all night memorizing tuba
parts to Richard Wagner's Ein Faust Overture,
and Die Meistersinger Overture, both on
Reiner' s audition list. The next day he appeared
at Reiner' s audition and was asked to play the Ein
Faust Overture. On hearing Bell's performance
of this one excerpt, Reiner engaged him for the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; there was no need
for Bell to play other music in the audition.
From 1924 to 1937, William Bell
served as Principal Tuba with the Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra. He also taught at the
Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and soon
established himself as an outstanding teacher of
tuba and low brass. During this tenure Bell also
played principal tuba on the weekly radio
broadcasts of the popular Armco Band directed by
Frank Simon. From 1926-1937, during off-season for
the symphony, Bell would settle in New York City
to play principal tuba in the famed Goldman Band,
or his beloved Asbury Park Municipal Band, founded
by Arthur Pryor and Simone Mantia. (later
conducted, for many years, by Frank Bryan).
In 1927, in Cincinnati, William
Bell married the love of his life, Agnes Haacke
who became affectionately known to a legion of
musicians as "Aggie." With his marriage
to Aggie, he gained a step-daughter, Phillipa
Solomon (1917-1995). On December 12, 1934 daughter
Nancy was born. Bell's adoring wife, Aggie, died
in 1963.
In 1937, General Electric's
David Sarnoff invited esteemed conductor Arturo
Toscanini to select personnel for a new orchestra
to be known as The NBC Symphony Orchestra. This
orchestra was to be comprised of the world's
greatest musicians. As legend has it, William Bell
was the third musician selected by Toscanini,
after his concertmaster (Mischa Mischakoft) and
principal oboe (Philip Ghignatti). Early in his
tenure with NBC the Ein Faust Overture
again played a role in the legend of Bill Bell.
The overture begins with a three measure soli
played in unison by the tuba and contrabass
section. The rehearsal began and, after the
opening passage, Toscanini stopped and asked that
it be played again. Alter four more requests to
repeat the passage, Bell was at a loss as to what
could be wrong. Toscanini sensed Bell's concern
and looked in the direction of his tuba player
(Toscanini had very poor eyesight), he smiled, and
said, "No, No, there is nothing wrong. It is
so beautiful, please play it once more, just for
me." Such praise was very unusual for
Toscanini and his open admiration of Bell
impressed everyone in the orchestra. In the
meantime, Bell continued teaching tuba and other
low brass in his private studio and became
"first call" for all freelance
recordings and broadcasts.
In 1943 William Bell finally
succumbed to the long standing invitation of his
former Sousa colleague Maurice Von Praag, then
manager of The New York Philharmonic, to accept
the position of principal tuba in the Orchestra.
His distinguished career continued, as did his
popularity with colleagues, conductors, audience,
students, and all who came in contact with him.
Leopold Stokowski invited Bell, under his
direction of The New York Philharmonic, to perform
and narrate George Kleinsinger's famous Tubby
The Tuba, and to perform and sing a special
arrangement of When Yuba Plays The Rhumba on
the Tuba. In 1955 Bell performed the American
premiere of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Concerto
for Bass Tuba and Orchestra with The Little
Orchestra Society.
Bell's favorite
extra-curricular performance activities continued
to include the Asbury Park Municipal Band and
other bands in the New York area. His love for
playing in bands continued throughout his life. He
was often times provided opportunities to sing as
well as play. William Bell had a wonderful
bass-baritone voice and could match professional
singers in quality and style (which he often did).
During his tenure with The New York Philharmonic,
Bell maintained his private studio at 119 West
121" Street (NYC) where he taught a steady
stream of students from around the world, as well
as from The Juilliard and Manhattan School's of
Music.
In 1961, Wilfred Bain, Indiana
University School of Music Dean, decided he wanted
William Bell to teach for his school. He commenced
calling Bell about this important position and,
finally, Bell accepted and moved with his wife
Aggie to Bloomington, Indiana. While at Indiana
University Bell attracted some of America's most
outstanding and promising students. His teaching
success at Indiana is well documented and adds to
his enormous contributions to the tuba and to
music generally. Indeed, virtually every tubist of
the twentieth century (and fixture generations)
continue to benefit from the teachings,
professional stature and persona of William J.
Bell.
In 1971, William Bell retired
from Indiana University. Following in his
footsteps was former student Harvey G. Phillips
who, on his appointment, established the William
Bell Memorial Scholarship. Shortly after his
retirement in May, 1971, Bell became ill and
passed away on August 7, 1971. On October 3, 1971,
in the IU School of Music's Recital Hall, Phillips
hosted a memorial concert (followed by a wake)
honoring William Bell. On this program were world
premiere performances of works Phillips
commissioned especially for the occasion; works by
Robert Russell Bennett, Paul Lavalle, Morton
Gould, Alec Wilder, Warren Benson, and Gunther
Schuller In 1973, in IU's newly constructed
Musical Arts Center Phillips hosted the First
International Tuba Symposium-Workshop, dedicated
to William J. Bell. In 1974, inspired by William
Bell's Birth on Christmas Day (1902), Phillips
founded the now famous MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS
concerts which honor William Bell and, through
him, all artists/teachers of the tuba and
euphonium; these concerts take place in over 150
cities and often involve as many as 300-500+
players. in 1974 Alec Wilder arranged traditional
Christmas carols for the occasion and ironically
passed away on Christmas Eve, 1980. Through Alec
Wilder, at each concert, grateful tribute is paid
to all composers who have embraced the tuba and
euphonium with their solo and ensemble
compositions. MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS-l 999 (26"'
anniversary) celebrates over a quarter century of
concerts honoring William Bell.
In May, 1994, Harvey Phillips
retired from Indiana University with the title of
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Music.
Throughout his professional performance and
teaching careers Phillips championed the personal
and professional integrity of his teacher, William
J. Bell.
In 1994 Daniel Perantoni, world
renowned artist/teacher, joined the Indiana
University School of Music faculty. During the
mid-1960's, while a member of the United States
Army Band, Dan traveled to New York City for
private study in the Carnegie Hall Studios of
Harvey Phillips. Thus the lineage of Bell's
influence continues into another century.
It is sad to note that on
October 7. 1998, with the death of Arnold Jacobs
at age 83, we lost another true icon of brass
performance and pedagogy. The enormous influence
of Arnold Jacobs - directly and indirectly- on the
lives and careers of every wind player of this and
future centuries is eternal. On December 17, 1998
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra hosted a memorial
tribute to Arnold Jacobs, the Orchestra's
principal tubist for forty-five years. Herein, it
is worthy and appropriate to note the deep
friendship, mutual respect and admiration shared
by Arnold Jacobs and William Bell.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The
above William Bell Biography is considered a draft
to be developed to the fullest extent possible.
All readers of the above are invited to contribute
personal or professional information and/or
corrections for insertion or addition. If you have
favorite stories of your personal/professional
association with William Bell that you would like
to share and document, please contact me. Your
contributions will be properly acknowledged.
Harvey Phillips
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