With 2013 upon us, it can be a time to reflect upon all that was achieved in the year gone by. But, for Cochrane-area composer Allan Bell, 2012 was a year that will be hard to top.
In November, Bell found himself at Rideau Hall in a ceremony appointing him a Member of the Order of Canada for his musical contributions and promotions.
“It’s a really big honour — there really isn’t a better word than that,” said Bell, a professor of music at the University of Calgary. “But the weight of that honour doesn’t come until the ceremony at Rideau Hall.”
Not a bad accomplishment for someone who “shouldn’t have been accepted” to complete a masters in music from the University of Alberta.
“I didn’t have near as much background as I should have had,” said Bell, who achieved an undergraduate degree in philosophy. “I guess those people just saw something in me.”
As a self-proclaimed child of the ‘60s, Bell had dabbled in music during school and taught himself how to play the guitar as a teen. He wrote his first composition in a music course during his undergrad — a piece for a solo pianist.
“I discovered so many things that kept me utterly fascinated,” said Bell, who turns 60 this year. “I was hungry for it.”
Now, Bell composes pieces of music for everything from solo instruments to full orchestra, a feat he said remains as fresh as the day he started.
“It’s challenging and that’s what keeps it interesting,” he said. “One of the things that is exceptional about music is that no one hears it the same way. I can create a cohesive piece, but I can’t control what you hear.”
The composer has created a lengthy body of work that has been performed worldwide, including titles such as Arche II, An Elemental Lyric and Spirit Trail.
Even with a sizeable collection, a few pieces strike Bell as special. A battle with liver disease had him composing a couple pieces that he said he holds dear.
“’Trails of Gravity and Grace’ — I thought it was going to be my last piece,” said Bell. “I knew if I didn’t have a transplant, I would die. The first piece I wrote after the transplant was ‘Serenity,’ it was an acknowledgement of the gift I’d received.”
While treatment for the liver disease is ongoing, it certainly hasn’t slowed down Bell’s composing. Actually, if anything, Bell said the bar has been raised since becoming a Member of the Order of Canada.
To hear some of Bell’s work, head down to the University of Calgary’s Rosza Centre between Jan. 21-26 for the 2013 Happening Festival of New Music and Media.
