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Lament for Shirley
Lament for Shirley is Colin Bell’s musical tribute to his grandmother, Shirley Bell, and through a variety of musical moods this piece reflects the deep, meaningful, and accomplished life she lived. Throughout the work, there is a strong sense of nostalgia and recollection, mostly attributed to the free and wistful nature of the musical material but also to the harmonic content used within the piece.
The overall pacing of the piece is free and dreamy, with each varied section flowing into the next as if representing a different period of Shirley’s life. This intermediate-level piece allows for the performer to interpret pedaling and dampening at will. It would make a great counterpoint to any solo recital, especially where a moment of reflection or reverence is needed.
Lament for Shirley ships in a printed, professionally bound folio with a full color cover.
• Vibraphone
In his program notes to this rhapsodic composition for unaccompanied vibraphone, Colin Bell states: “This piece is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother, Shirley Bell. Through a variety of moods and characters, this piece reflects the deep, meaningful, and accomplished life she lived.” Born in 1932 as the daughter of Scottish immigrants to the United States, Shirley’s family settled in Staten Island, New York, and she played bagpipes with her Scottish husband George Bell. Shirley also performed as a Scottish dancer with the bagpipe band and encouraged her children to perform as bagpipers, drummers, and singers. As a mother of six children and grandmother of 13, “Shirley left behind a professional legacy and grace that resonated with everyone who knew her.”
This four-mallet vibraphone solo reflects the elements of the grandmother’s influence upon Bell’s life. It lasts a little over four minutes, and Tapspace provides a performance recording on its website. This solo would be appropriate as a change-of-pace selection on a junior or senior percussion recital at the university level.
—Jim Lambert
Percussive Notes
Vol. 57, No. 4, September 2019
Lament for Shirley is Colin Bell’s musical tribute to his grandmother, Shirley Bell, and through a variety of musical moods this piece reflects the deep, meaningful, and accomplished life she lived. Throughout the work, there is a strong sense of nostalgia and recollection, mostly attributed to the free and wistful nature of the musical material but also to the harmonic content used within the piece.
The overall pacing of the piece is free and dreamy, with each varied section flowing into the next as if representing a different period of Shirley’s life. This intermediate-level piece allows for the performer to interpret pedaling and dampening at will. It would make a great counterpoint to any solo recital, especially where a moment of reflection or reverence is needed.
Lament for Shirley ships in a printed, professionally bound folio with a full color cover.
• Vibraphone
In his program notes to this rhapsodic composition for unaccompanied vibraphone, Colin Bell states: “This piece is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother, Shirley Bell. Through a variety of moods and characters, this piece reflects the deep, meaningful, and accomplished life she lived.” Born in 1932 as the daughter of Scottish immigrants to the United States, Shirley’s family settled in Staten Island, New York, and she played bagpipes with her Scottish husband George Bell. Shirley also performed as a Scottish dancer with the bagpipe band and encouraged her children to perform as bagpipers, drummers, and singers. As a mother of six children and grandmother of 13, “Shirley left behind a professional legacy and grace that resonated with everyone who knew her.”
This four-mallet vibraphone solo reflects the elements of the grandmother’s influence upon Bell’s life. It lasts a little over four minutes, and Tapspace provides a performance recording on its website. This solo would be appropriate as a change-of-pace selection on a junior or senior percussion recital at the university level.
—Jim Lambert
Percussive Notes
Vol. 57, No. 4, September 2019
