If I Were a Bell

If I Were a Bell

"If I Were a Bell" is a song from the Frank Loesser show "Guys and Dolls".

In the show, it is sung by the character Sister Sarah, originally performed by Isabel Bigley on Broadway, and memorialized on the original cast album. On a bet, Sky Masterson takes Sarah Brown to Havana to have dinner and gets her very drunk. Sarah's still social barriers fall away and she realizes she is in love with Sky, and he with her. She sings this after they have an eventful dinner but Sky refuses to take advantage of her drunkenness.

It has become a jazz standard since it was featured by trumpeter Miles Davis, on the 1956 Prestige album Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet. The Miles Davis Quintet featured tenor saxophone player John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. The song became a Miles Davis speciality and it appears on several live session recordings and compilations in different versions. The tune was taken up and performed by countless jazz musicians and is still a favourite in jam sessions. So closely is the tune associated with Miles Davis that it is often miscredited as one of his own original compositions.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • If I Were a Bell — ist eine Komposition von Frank Loesser. Loesser schrieb den Song für das Broadway Musical Guys and Dolls, das im November 1950 uraufgeführt wurde. In der Show wird If I Were a Bell von Sister Sarah gesungen, bei der Uraufführung von Isabel Bigley …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • BELL, DANIEL — (1919– ), U.S. sociologist. Like many New York intellectuals, Bell, who was born to Polish immigrants, was deeply affected by the Great Depression. He grew up in the slums of the Lower East Side and his first language was Yiddish. He always… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Bell X-1 — infobox Aircraft name = X 1 type = rocket plane manufacturer = Bell Aircraft caption = X 1 #46 062, nicknamed Glamorous Glennis designer = first flight = 19 January 1946 introduced = retired = status = Retired primary user = United States Air… …   Wikipedia

  • Bell Helicopter — Infobox Company company name = Bell Helicopter Textron company company type = subsidiary foundation = 1935 location city = Fort Worth, Texas location country = USA key people = industry = Aerospace products = Helicopters, Tiltrotors revenue =… …   Wikipedia

  • Bell Labs — Bell Laboratories (also known as Bell Labs and formerly known as AT T Bell Laboratories and Bell Telephone Laboratories) is the research organization of Alcatel Lucent and previously the American Telephone Telegraph Company (AT T). Bell… …   Wikipedia

  • Bell's theorem — is a theorem that shows that the predictions of quantum mechanics (QM) are not intuitive, and touches upon fundamental philosophical issues that relate to modern physics. It is the most famous legacy of the late physicist John S. Bell. Bell s… …   Wikipedia

  • Bell County, Kentucky — Bell County Courthouse in Pineville, Kentucky …   Wikipedia

  • Bell-bottoms — is a trousers that become wider from the knees downwards. Related styles include flare, loon pants and boot cut/leg trousers. Hip huggers are bell bottomed, flare, or boot cut pants that are fitted tightly around the hips and thighs worn by men… …   Wikipedia

  • Bell-Northern Research — (BNR) was one of the world s premier research and development organizations in telecommunications, jointly owned by Bell Canada and Nortel Networks (then known as Northern Telecom ). BNR was based in Ottawa, Canada, with campuses at locations… …   Wikipedia

  • Bell v. Lever Brothers Ltd. — Bell v Lever Brothers Ltd. [Case citation| [1931] ALL E.R. Rep. 1, [1932] A.C. 161] is a leading House of Lords decision on common mistake in contract law. Background During March 1929 the N. Company, which dealt in trade in the western African… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”