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Topic: Tubular Bells origin in Delius?< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
hiawatha Offline




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Posted: Oct. 09 2004, 16:47

I have a book about the history of popular music that gives a lot of attention to Oldfield. A description of the history of Tubular Bells mentions that Oldfield listened to "Brig Fair" by Frederick Delius and that he set out to make something like it, resulting in Tubular Bells. Is anyone else aware of this, or the veracity of the account?

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"In the land of the Dacotahs,
Where the Falls of Minnehaha
Flash and gleam among the oak-trees,
Laugh and leap into the valley."
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Holger Offline




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Posted: Oct. 09 2004, 17:30

David Bedford was / is definitely a big Delius fan, and he's mentioned an influence on Mike several times. Maybe it's partly him interpreting something into Mike's music, but since David was probably the main factor at the time in introducing Mike to classical composers, he will definitely have heard Delius. I myself have to say, though, that I don't hear all that much Delius in Mike's music, and especially not in Tubular Bells. Hergest Ridge has perhaps more of that Delius touch. I believe Vaughan Williams and Holst, and obviously Sibelius, and probably Debussy and Ravel must have been other crucial influences from the classical world. Mike has also mentioned Stravinsky (though I have a hard time hearing him in Mike's stuff), and Bedford has mentioned Messiaen.

But Mike has always cited Sibelius' Symphony no. 5, performed by Sir John Barbirolli conducting the Hallé Orchestra, as the most important influence on his music overall. About Tubular Bells, he once said (I'm quoting from memory here), "I just wanted to make something that sounded large-scale on my own. I wanted to prove that I was more than just a bassist, that I could be like Sibelius."
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qjamesfloyd Offline




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Posted: April 04 2014, 07:38

Mike has said that A Rainbow In Curved Air by Terry Reilly was a big influnce on TB, that album has two tracks both over 18 minutes each.
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Rune Offline




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Posted: Jan. 24 2016, 10:54

He made an appearance on the Jools Holland Show, oh ... way back in 1998, I think. And while finishing the interview, sitting at the piano, he played the intro bars to TB - backwards. Showing it was actually taken from a well known classical piece.
I don't recall which piece - it may have been Delius.  
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captain cavern Offline




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Posted: Jan. 24 2016, 18:21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM587UZwj0o

He says it comes from Bach's Toccata...  ;)
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4 replies since Oct. 09 2004, 16:47 < Next Oldest | Next Newest >

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