James Sclater collection on Reginald Kell

James Sclater [slôdər] (b. October 24, 1943) is an American composer and, until his retirement in 2010, was a Professor of Music at Mississippi College. He attended the University of Texas, Austin, where he received his D.M.A. in Composition in 1970. Sclater began his post at Mississippi College in that same year. As a composer, Sclater has written more than 125 works and is known internationally.

During the 1990s, Sclater conducted research on the English clarinetist Reginald Kell. His series of biographical articles on Kell appeared in the journal of the International Clarinet Society, The Clarinet, in four installments in 2001.

Reginald Kell (1906 – 1981) was best known as a soloist and participant in chamber music. His style of playing demonstrated new heights in the expressive capabilities of the clarinet. He was the principal clarinetist in many prominent British orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic. In 1948, Kell moved to the United States, making a name for himself through numerous concert appearances and recordings. He was also highly sought after as a teacher—among his better known pupils were Benny Goodman, Michael “Peanuts” Hucko, Alan Hacker, and Harrison Birtwistle. Kell was a professor for the Aspen Music Festival and School in the United States in the 1950s, and then took up a year-long post at the Royal Academy of Music in London in 1958. He retired from performing in 1959 and returned to the U.S. where he accepted a job with Boosey & Hawkes as director of their band instrument division. Kell retired in 1966, and after losing a battle with cancer, he died in Frankfurt, Kentucky, on August 5, 1981.