Elizabeth Bell (December 1, 1928 – December 19, 2016) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

composer.

Life and education

Elizabeth Bell was born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

in 1928. She was awarded her

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in music from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

in 1950, and went on to earn a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

in composition from

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...

in 1953. She studied under composers

Peter Mennin Peter Mennin (born Mennini; May 17, 1923 – June 17, 1983) was a prominent American composer, teacher and administrator. In 1958, he was named Director of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, and in 1962 became President of the Juilliard Sch ...

and

Vittorio Giannini Vittorio Giannini (October 19, 1903 – November 28, 1966) was an American neoromanticism, neoromantic composer of operas, songs, symphonies, and band works, and member of the Giannini family. Life and work Giannini was born in Philadelphia on Oct ...

at Juilliard, and later with Paul Alan Levi. From 1971 to 1975 Bell worked as the music critic of the

Ithaca Journal ''The Ithaca Journal'' is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper published in Ithaca, New York. It is locally edited and printed in Johnson City, New York, and publishes Monday through Saturday. It has been owned by Gannett since 1912. Publication ...

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

. Her music has been performed throughout the world. She was a founding member of New York Women Composers, Inc., and served on the Board of Governors of

American Composers Alliance The American Composers Alliance (ACA) is an American nonprofit composer service organization dedicated to the publishing and promoting of American contemporary classical music. Founded in 1937 by Aaron Copland, Milton Adolphus, Marion Bauer and ...

. Bell was also strongly involved with the International Alliance of Women in Music. Elizabeth Bell died on December 19, 2016, in

Tarrytown, New York Tarrytown is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the administrative divisions of New York#Town, town of Greenburgh, New York, Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, Unit ...

Family

Bell married astronomer and astrophysicist

Frank Drake Frank Donald Drake (May 28, 1930 – September 2, 2022) was an American astrophysicist and astrobiologist. He began his career as a radio astronomer, studying the planets of the Solar System and later pulsars. Drake expanded his interests ...

in 1952 and, with him, had three sons, though they

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

d in 1976. In 1983 she married Robert E. Friou, with whom she would go on to found New York Women Composers, Inc. in the following year.

Awards and commissions

* 1986 First prize for ''Perne in a Gyre'' * 1996 Grand prize for ''Spectra'', Utah composers competition * 1994 Delius prize for ''Duovarios'', Jacksonville, Florida Bell has had numerous commissions including * The

New York State Council on the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) serves to foster and advance the arts, culture, and creativity throughout New York State, according to its website. The goal of the council is to allow all New Yorkers to benefit from the contribution ...

* The Bradshaw/Buono duo * The Inoue Chamber Ensemble * The North/South Consonance * The Putnam Valley Orchestra * The Vienna Modern Masters * Max Lifchitz Of an Eleanor Elkins recital Bell said: ''

"My piece, Night music, was something of a revelation. Max Lifchitz (who commissioned it) has played it numerous times, and recorded it on the Vienna Modern Masters label. His interpretation is brilliant and satisfying. Eleanor's was entirely different: also brilliant, but more sombre and angry, more suggestive of 'night music.' I like them both, and am delighted to have Ms. Elkins' interpretation on tape."

Works

* Andromeda (1993) * Arecibo Sonata (1968) * Concertino For Chamber Orchestra (2015) * Concerto For Orchestra (1976) * Duovarios (1987) * Fantasy-Sonata (1971) * Kaleidoscope – (1969) * Les Neiges D'antan – Sonata For Violin And Piano (1998) * Loss Songs (1983) * Millennium (1988) * Night Music (1990) * Perne In A Gyre (1984) * Rituals For Orchestra (1988) * River Fantasy (1991) * Second Sonata (1972) * Six Loss-Songs (1983) * Soliloquy For Solo Cello (1980) * Soliloquy For Solo Violin (1980) * Songs Of Here And Forever (1970) * Spectra (1989) * String Quartet #1 (1957) * Summer Suite (1982) * Symphony No. 1 (1971) * Variations & Interludes (1952)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Elizabeth 1928 births 2016 deaths American women classical composers 20th-century American classical composers Musicians from Cincinnati Wellesley College alumni Juilliard School alumni Classical musicians from Ohio 20th-century American women composers 21st-century American women