Works

Larry Bell: complete works list

Larry Bell complete works list (May 2021)
See www.LarryBellmusic.com

Op. 1 Novelette, string quartet
Op. 1a Novelette, string orchestra
Op. 2 Domination of Black, five solo voices SSATB (text: Wallace Stevens)
Op. 3 Continuum, orchestra
Op. 4 Mirage, flute and piano
Op. 5 Eclogue, saxophone quartet AATB
Op. 6 String Quartet no. 1
Op. 7 Variations, piano
Op. 8 Reality is an Activity of the Most August Imagination, mezzo-soprano and piano (text:
Wallace Stevens)
(No. Opus 9)
Op. 10 Grand Sonata, piano four hands
Op. 11 Three Movements for Solo Cello
Op. 12 Caprice for solo cello
Op. 13 The Idea of Order at Key West, soprano, violin, large string orchestra, and percussion
(text: Wallace Stevens)
Op. 14 Prologue and The End of the World, chorus SATB (texts: Archibald MacLeish)
Op. 15 Miniature Diversions, piano solo
Op. 16 String Quartet no. 2
Op. 17 Fantasia on an Imaginary Hymn, cello and viola
Op. 18 Sleep Song, violin and piano
Op. 19 Incident, baritone voice and piano (text: Countee Cullen)
Op. 20 Four Sacred Songs, soprano and piano, also version for mezzo-soprano (old hymn tune
texts: “There is a Fountain,” “Take the Name of Jesus With You,” “Stand Up, Stand Up
for Jesus,” “Spirit of Love Descend Upon My Heart”)
Op. 21 Revivals, solo piano
Op. 22 First Tango in London, solo piano
Op. 23 Sacred Symphonies (Symphony no. 1), orchestra
Op. 24 Celestial Refrain, guitar solo
Op. 25 River of Ponds, cello and piano
Op. 26 The Evangelical, two pianos
Op. 27 A Sacred Harp, harp solo
Op. 28 The Black Cat, narrator, cello, and piano (text: Edgar Allan Poe)
Op. 29 In Memory of Roger Sessions, violin solo
Op. 30 The Parable of the Parabola, piano solo
Op. 31 The Book of Moonlight, violin and piano
Op. 32 Concerto for Oboe and Five Instruments, oboe solo, violin, viola, cello, double bass, and
piano
Op. 33 Piano Concerto, piano solo, and chamber orchestra
Op. 34 Piano Sonata no. 1, piano solo
Op. 35 Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, narrator/violin and piano
(text: Lewis Thomas)
Op. 36 Piano Quartet, piano, violin, viola, and cello
Op. 37 Blues Theme with Variations, two pianos
Op. 38a What Goes Around Comes Around, flute, oboe, clarinet, viola, cello, and piano
Op. 38b What Goes Around Comes Around, orchestra (last movement of Op. 40)
Op. 39 Quintessence, woodwind quintet
Op. 40 Idumea Symphony: Symphony no. 2, orchestra
Op. 41 Four Pieces in Familiar Style, two violins
Op. 42 A Cry Against the Twilight, madrigal for 5 voices, SSATB (text: Wallace Stevens)
Op. 43 Mahler in Blue Light, alto saxophone, cello, and piano
Op. 44 Song and Dance, divertimento for chamber orchestra
Op. 45 Sentimental Muse, concerto for bassoon and orchestra
Op. 46 Reminiscences and Reflections, 12 preludes and fugues, solo piano
Op. 47 Short Symphony for Band (Symphony no. 3), for wind ensemble
Op. 48 Harmonium, brass quintet
Op. 49 Two Haiku, soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano (texts: Santoka and Issa)
Op. 50 Immortal Beloved, mezzo-soprano and piano (text: letters by Beethoven)
Op. 51 Caprice no. 2, solo flute
Op. 52 Harmony in Blue and Silver, orchestra
Op. 53 Ten Poems of William Blake, soprano and piano (text: William Blake)
Op. 54 Caprice no. 3, alto recorder solo
Op. 55 Songs of Innocence and Experience, children’s chorus and orchestra (text: William
Blake)
Op. 56 Caprice no. 4, marimba solo
Op. 57 Caprice no. 5 alto saxophone solo
Op. 58 Shakespeare Sonnets, tenor or soprano and piano
Op. 59 Hansel and Gretel, narrator and orchestra (text: Grimm fairy tale)
Op. 60 Four Lyrics, trumpet and piano
Op. 61 Piano Sonata no. 2, Tala, piano solo
Op. 62 Just As I Am, violin and piano
(no Op. 63)
Op. 64 Songs of Time and Eternity, soprano and piano (text: Emily Dickinson)
Op. 65 Suite from Hansel and Gretel, piano solo
Op. 66 Tarab, double cello quartet
Op. 67 Four Chorale Preludes, piano solo
Op. 68 Spirituals, chamber symphony for ten players
Op. 69 Liturgical Suite, organ solo
Op. 70 The Triumph of Lightness, concerto for cello and orchestra
Op. 71 String Quartet no. 3
Op. 72 Elegy, piano solo
Op. 73 Caprice no. 6 for clarinet, solo clarinet (optional percussion)
Op. 74 Pop Set, double bass and piano
Op. 75 Caprice no. 7, vibraphone/narrator (text: Echo and Narcissus from Ovid)
Op. 76 Dark Orange Partita, viola solo
Op. 77 Dark Orange Concerto, concerto for viola and winds
Op. 78 Encores, for double cello quartet
Op. 79 Dream Within a Dream, soprano and piano (texts: Whitman, Blake, Poe, Dickinson,
Arnold), high voice and mezzo versions
Op. 80 Chorale Prelude: Holy Ghosts, wind ensemble
(no. Op. 81)
Op. 82 Music of the Spheres, piano solo
Op. 83 Piano Sonata no. 3, piano solo
Op. 84 Serenade no. 1, guitar trio
Op. 85 Poems, trumpet and piano
Op. 86 Autumnal Raptures, tenor and harp (text: Elisabeth Kirshner)
Op. 87 Chorale Fantasia on Unchanging Love, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soli, chorus and
piano (text: Romulus Linney)
Op. 88 Unchanging Love, organ and brass quintet
Op. 89 David and Old Ironsides, narrator and orchestra (text: Constance Leeds)
Op. 90 Holy Ghosts, opera in two acts, 24 singers and five-piece electric ensemble (libretto by
Andrea Olmstead based on the play by Romulus Linney)
Op. 91 Remembering Al, piano solo
Op. 92 Exaltations of Snowy Stars, mezzo-soprano and piano (text: Elisabeth Kirshner)
Op. 93 Duet from Holy Ghosts, soprano, tenor, and piano
Op. 94 Contempo, 10 pieces for piano duet
Op. 95 Caprice no. 8, trumpet solo
Op. 96 Fifteen Two-Part Inventions, solo piano
Op. 97 Partita no. 1, harpsichord solo
Op. 98 Serenade no. 2, alto recorder, cello, and harpsichord
Op. 99 In a Garden of Dreamers, baritone voice and harpsichord (text: Elisabeth Kirshner)
Op. 100 The Fragrant Pathway of Eternity, soprano and guitar (text: Elisabeth Kirshner)
Op. 101 The Seasons, a cantata for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, harp, piano,
harpsichord, and guitar
N.B. Op. 101 is a combination of opp. 86, 92, 99, 100, 108
Op. 102 Partita no. 2, harpsichord solo
Op. 103 Psalm 1, SATB chorus and organ (Psalm texts: King James Version)
Op. 104 Psalm 23, tenor and baritone soloists and organ
Op. 105 Psalm 150, soprano and organ
Op. 106 Psalm 96, SATB chorus and organ
Op. 107 Baroque Concerto, alto recorder, harpsichord, cello soloists, and strings
Op. 108 The Echolocations of Cellos, for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone voices,
harp, piano, harpsichord, and guitar (text: Elizabeth Kirshner)
Op. 109 Piano Etudes Book 1, piano solo
Op. 110 Cello Suite, cello and harpsichord figured bass
Op. 111 Serenade no. 3, trumpet, tenor saxophone, and piano
Op. 112 Serenade no. 4, clarinet, violin, and piano
Op. 113 Emersonia, SATB a capella chorus (text: Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Op. 114 Revels, 10 songs, baritone voice and piano (text: Ben Johnson)
Op. 115 INGS, piano solo
Op. 116 Lyric Preludes, piano solo
Op. 117 Fancies, tenor voice and piano (text: Thomas Campion)
Op. 118 Preludes sans Mesurés avec Fugues, harpsichord solo
Op. 119 The Book of Blues, baritone voice and piano (text: Larry Bell)
Op. 120 Songs of Reconciliation, soprano and orchestra (also for soprano and piano) (text: Tran
Nhan Tong and Walt Whitman)
Op. 121 Invocation, congregational singers and piano
Op. 122 Dazzling Duo, tenor saxophone and piano
Op. 123 First Piano Sonatina
Op. 124 Gathering Music, organ solo
Op. 125 At the River, soprano solo and orchestra (also for soprano and piano)
Op. 126 Spirit of Love, congregational singers and piano
Op. 127 Fifteen Three-Part Sinfonias, piano solo
Op. 128 Now Shall My Inward Voice Arise, SATB choir (text: Isaac Watts)
Op. 129 And Am I Born to Die? SATB choir (text: Charles Wesley)
Op. 130 Second Elegy, trumpet and piano
Op. 131 I’m Just a Poor Wayfaring Stranger, SATB choir
Op. 132 Nine Variations on We Shall Overcome, piano solo
Op. 132a Nine Variations on We Shall Overcome, organ solo
Op. 133 Remembering Fay, trumpet and orchestra
Op. 134 Song of the Open Road, alto saxophone and strings
Op. 135 First Book of Prayers, piano solo
Op. 136 Response No. 1: The Oversoul, tenor and baritone voices and organ (text: Ralph Waldo
Emerson)
Op. 137 Water Music, baritone voice, double bass, and piano (text: Langston Hughes)
Op. 138 Newtown Variations, viola and piano
Op. 139 Response No. 2: The Idea of Democracy, tenor and baritone voices and organ (text:
Abraham Lincoln)
Op. 140 Response No. 3: Is not this the fast that I have chosen? tenor & baritone voices and
organ (text: Isaiah 58: 6–12 King James Version)
Op. 141 Serenade no. 5, clarinet choir
Op. 142 Hymn arrangements: no. 1 Come, Ye Thankful People Come; no. 2 Wake Now My
Senses, and no. 3 We Sing Now Together, arr. congregational singers, brass quintet, organ
Op. 143 First Harpsichord Sonata, harpsichord solo
Op. 144 Once to Every Soul and Nation, SSA women’s choir (text: James Russell Lowell)
Op. 145 Canons for the Young, piano solo
Op. 146 Piano Etudes Book 2: 12 Polyrhythmic Studies, piano solo
Op. 147 Mass A6, six female voices
Op. 148 Prelude and Fugue in f minor, organ solo
Op. 149 Gaslight, baritone voice and piano (text: Larry Bell)
Op. 150 Prelude and Fugue in d minor, organ
Op. 151 Sonata Sacre, baroque flute and harpsichord
(no Op. 152)
Op. 153 Harmony in Blue and Silver, wind ensemble
Op. 154 The Lone Wild Bird, alto voice and piano (text and melody adapted from William
Walker’s tune “Prospect” from Southern Harmony, 1835)
Op. 155 Dona Nobis Pacem, string quartet
Op. 156 Twenty-Four Preludes and Fugues, piano solo
Op. 157 Clearing the Clouds from Our Minds, 5 percussion instruments, 6 players
Op. 158 Domenica a Filicudi, soprano, viola, and piano (text: Deborah Collins)
Op. 159 Halcyon Song, voice, cello, and piano (text: Larry Bell)
Op. 160 Awake Our Souls, Away our Fears, congregational singers, brass quintet, and organ
(Watts)
Op. 161 Thou God of Love, SATB choir (text: Isaac Watts)
Op. 162 O God, Our Help in Ages Past, SATB choir (text: Isaac Watts)
Op. 163 Blest Are the Sons of Peace, SATB choir (text: Isaac Watts)
Op. 164 Thou God of Love, Thou Ever Blessed (second version), SATB choir (text: Isaac Watts)
N.B. Opp. Nos. 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, and 167 are combined as Op. 169.
Op. 165 Piano Sonata no. 4, piano solo
Op. 166 Piano Sonata no. 5, A Landscape of Small Ruins, piano solo
Op. 167 The Harp at Nature’s Advent, SATB chorus (text: John Greenleaf Whittier)
Op. 168 Terza Rima, 12 Variations on “Awake our Souls, Away our Fears,” piano solo
Op. 169 A Hymnbook for Congregational Singing ( = opp. 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, and 167)
Op. 170 Symphony No. 4, soprano, tenor, baritone soloists, SATB chorus, organ (Psalm 96,
Psalm 1, Psalm 23, Psalm 150 KJV)
Op. 171 Piano Sonata no. 6, piano solo
Op. 172 The Bell, cantata for soprano solo, SATB chorus, violin, flute, and cello (text: R. W.
Emerson)

Op. 173 Parables of Love and Death, song cycle for alto and tenor soloists, piano (text: Emily
Dickinson)
Op. 174 Piano Sonata no. 7 Southern Meditations, piano solo

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A Hymnbook for Congregational Singing op. 169

Opp. Nos. 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, and 167 are combined as Op. 169.

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The Harp at Nature’s Advent, op. 167

Title: The Harp at Nature’s Advent, op. 167 based on a text by John Greenleaf Whittier

date: 2019

Genre: Congregational Singing with Organ (SATB chorus)

Commissioned: by Robert August for First Church Boston

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Piano Etudes (Book 2): 12 Polyrhythmic Studies (op. 146)

Piano Etudes (Book 2:) 12 Polyrhythmic Studies (op. 146)

Completion date: 2020

decdicated: To John MacDonald

first performance: selections performed on March 24, 2021 live online streaming from Tufts University, John MacDonald-pianist

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Piano Sonata no. 6 (op. 171)

Piano Sonata no. 6 op. 171 based on an original hymn titled Blest Are the Sons of Peace on a text by Issac Watts

genre: solo piano sonata

date: Fall 2020

dedication: To Maja Tremiszewska

Program notes: Larry Bell Piano Sonata no. 5, A Landscape of Small Ruins, Op. 166
Piano Sonatas nos. 4, 5, and 6 were written in 2020 specifically for three pianists: Carmen Rodríguez-Peralta, Jennifer Elowsky-Fox, and Maja Tremiszewska. These three sonatas are based on original hymn tunes included in Bell’s A Hymnbook for Congregational Singing, op. 169. Sonatas 4 and 5 are based on two versions of the same hymn tune text, “Thou God of Love” by Isaac Watts (1674–1748). In Sonata No. 4 the version uses a sixteen-note series harmonically and two verses of the text are included at the end of the second and final movement with an optional vocal part.

The second version of “Thou God of Love, Thou Ever Blessed,” the basis for Sonata No. 5, is more diatonic and tonally centered in D minor. The one-movement Sonata No. 5 alternates between slow, meditative music and faster, more animated music. Fragments of the hymn tune are suggested from the beginning, but not until the end does one hear a complete statement of the melody.
The subtitle of Piano Sonata No. 5, A Landscape of Small Ruins, is taken from V.S. Naipaul’s book A Turn in the South. Although Naipaul was from Trinidad, his book begins with a prologue entitled “Down Home: A Landscape of Small Ruins.” Here he beautifully describes the county in North Carolina where Bell was reared. The “Small Ruins” are discarded farm equipment and rusted tobacco barns, part of the cultural landscape of the past.

Sonata no. 6 centers around the original hymn tune, Blest Are the Sons of Peace with a text by Issac Watts. The work is in three movements which move from slow, to faster, to fastest.

Piano Sonata No. 6 is dedicated to Maja Tremiszewska in gratitude for her premiere performance of six of Bell’s Twenty-four Preludes and Fugues, Op. 156, on March 8, 2020, in Boston.

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Piano Sonata no. 5 (op. 166)

Piano Sonata no. 5 A landscape of Small Ruins op. 166

instrumentation: solo piano

duration: in one movement, ca. 10 minutes

Date: 2020

dedication: Jennifer Elowsky-Fox-Fox

program notes: Larry Bell Piano Sonata no. 5, A Landscape of Small Ruins, Op. 166
Piano Sonatas nos. 4, 5, and 6 were written in 2020 specifically for three pianists: Carmen Rodríguez-Peralta, Jennifer Elowsky-Fox, and Maja Tremiszewska. These three sonatas are based on original hymn tunes included in Bell’s A Hymnbook for Congregational Singing, op. 169. Sonatas 4 and 5 are based on two versions of the same hymn tune text, “Thou God of Love” by Isaac Watts (1674–1748). In Sonata No. 4 the version uses a sixteen-note series harmonically and two verses of the text are included at the end of the second and final movement with an optional vocal part.
The second version of “Thou God of Love, Thou Ever Blessed,” the basis for Sonata No. 5, is more diatonic and tonally centered in D minor. The one-movement Sonata No. 5 alternates between slow, meditative music and faster, more animated music. Fragments of the hymn tune are suggested from the beginning, but not until the end does one hear a complete statement of the melody.
The subtitle of Piano Sonata No. 5, A Landscape of Small Ruins, is taken from V.S. Naipaul’s book A Turn in the South. Although Naipaul was from Trinidad, his book begins with a prologue entitled “Down Home: A Landscape of Small Ruins.” Here he beautifully describes the county in North Carolina where Bell was reared. The “Small Ruins” are discarded farm equipment and rusted tobacco barns, part of the cultural landscape of the past.
Piano Sonata No. 5 is dedicated to Jennifer Elowsky-Fox in gratitude for her premiere performance of six of Bell’s Twenty-four Preludes and Fugues, Op. 156, on March 8, 2020, in Boston.

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Piano Sonata no. 4, op. 165

Piano Sonata no. 4: in two movements

second movement: 6 Variations on Thou God of Love an original hymn based on a text of Isaac Watts

Instrumentation: solo piano (optional soprano solo)

composition: 2020

dedication: to Carmen Rodriguez-Peralta

performance time: ca. 16 minutes

progam notes: Larry Bell Piano Sonata no. 5, A Landscape of Small Ruins, Op. 166

Piano Sonatas nos. 4, 5, and 6 were written in 2020 specifically for three pianists: Carmen Rodríguez-Peralta, Jennifer Elowsky-Fox, and Maja Tremiszewska. These three sonatas are based on original hymn tunes included in Bell’s A Hymnbook for Congregational Singing, op. 169. Sonatas 4 and 5 are based on two versions of the same hymn tune text, “Thou God of Love” by Isaac Watts (1674–1748). In Sonata No. 4 the version uses a sixteen-note series harmonically and two verses of the text are included at the end of the second and final movement with an optional vocal part.
The second version of “Thou God of Love, Thou Ever Blessed,” the basis for Sonata No. 5, is more diatonic and tonally centered in D minor. The one-movement Sonata No. 5 alternates between slow, meditative music and faster, more animated music. Fragments of the hymn tune are suggested from the beginning, but not until the end does one hear a complete statement of the melody.
The subtitle of Piano Sonata No. 5, A Landscape of Small Ruins, is taken from V.S. Naipaul’s book A Turn in the South. Although Naipaul was from Trinidad, his book begins with a prologue entitled “Down Home: A Landscape of Small Ruins.” Here he beautifully describes the county in North Carolina where Bell was reared. The “Small Ruins” are discarded farm equipment and rusted tobacco barns, part of the cultural landscape of the past.

Piano Sonata No. 4 is dedicated to Carmen Rodgiguez-Peralta in gratitude for her premiere performance of six of Bell’s Twenty-four Preludes and Fugues, Op. 156, on March 8, 2020, in Boston.

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Terza Rima, 12 Variations on Awake our Souls Away our Fears

12 Variations on Awake our Souls, Away our Fears, op. 164

12 Variations on an original hymn tune based on texts by Isaac Watts

instrumentation: solo piano

dedication: to Geoffrey Burleson

performance time: about 11 minutes

composition date: 2020

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24 Preludes and Fugues (2018-2019) op. 156

Title: 24 Preludes and Fugues op. 156

Date of composition: Prelude and Fugue in f minor (2018) Prelude and Fugue in F major (2018)
All others written in January 2019 at the Virgina Center for the Creative Arts

First performers: Carmen Rodriquez-Peralta nos. 1-6; Maja Tremiszweska nos. 7-12; Jennifer Elowsky-Fox nos. 13-18; John Macdonald nos. 19-24

Performance time: ca. 135 minutes

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