Topic: Evocation of bells in music.

[vandermolen]

Kleiberg's 'Bell Reef Symphony' - last movement.

[schweitzeralan]

Kleiberg's 'Bell Reef Symphony' - last movement.

Interesting work; did order courtesy of my having read reviews or commets about Kleiberg on this forum. Overall atmospheric nuances in his works suggest impressionistic effects throughout, with exceptions, to be sure.  The musical "language" is not Debussyian, nor Baxian, as the program editor suggests.  The harmonies, modes, in general suggest Modernist tendencies; i.e., post Scriabin, Moeran, Sibelius, etc. Remins me of post fifties sonorities, although "The Barrier Reef" is certainly not atonal; nor is it avant garde. Good work,by  all rights.

[vandermolen]

Interesting work; did order courtesy of my having read reviews or commets about Kleiberg on this forum. Overall atmospheric nuances in his works suggest impressionistic effects throughout, with exceptions, to be sure.  The musical "language" is not Debussyian, nor Baxian, as the program editor suggests.  The harmonies, modes, in general suggest Modernist tendencies; i.e., post Scriabin, Moeran, Sibelius, etc. Remins me of post fifties sonorities, although "The Barrier Reef" is certainly not atonal; nor is it avant garde. Good work,by  all rights.

Glad you enjoyed it.

[schweitzeralan]

Glad you enjoyed it.

Bells also in Layatoshinsky's 4th Symphony.  Fine work.

[offbeat]

Like the use of cow bells in Mahlers sixth - like the way he uses them as a kind of interlude before the barrage begins again 

[schweitzeralan]

Like the use of cow bells in Mahlers sixth - like the way he uses them as a kind of interlude before the barrage begins again 

I agree.  Bells also figure @the finale of Lyatoshinsky's 5th.  Just got the symphony; very few available.  By the way, the 6th is my favorite Mahler symphony. Tremendous.

[offbeat]

I agree.  Bells also figure @the finale of Lyatoshinsky's 5th.  Just got the symphony; very few available.  By the way, the 6th is my favorite Mahler symphony. Tremendous.

 yes i agree re Mahler 6 - or maybe a dead heat with 9
excuse my ignorance but what style music is Lyatoshinsky - one of many names ive seen here but new to me 

[schweitzeralan]

yes i agree re Mahler 6 - or maybe a dead heat with 9
excuse my ignorance but what style music is Lyatoshinsky - one of many names ive seen here but new to me 

Boris Lyatoshinsky is a Ukrainian composer who was a student of Gliere.  He is basically a post romantic who composed several orchestral works which include 5 symphonies. 1st Symphony bears resemblance to his mentor.  His later symphonies are more modernist.  Very dramatic and somewhat dissonant. He's not all that well known, but there are recordings available.

[offbeat]

Boris Lyatoshinsky is a Ukrainian composer who was a student of Gliere.  He is basically a post romantic who composed several orchestral works which include 5 symphonies. 1st Symphony bears resemblance to his mentor.  His later symphonies are more modernist.  Very dramatic and somewhat dissonant. He's not all that well known, but there are recordings available.

Oh tks for that Schweitzeralan sounds interesting - must log on to Amazon - The only Gliere ive heard is his massive third symphony which is overblown but i like - possibly a forerunner to somebody like Scriabin !

[schweitzeralan]

Oh tks for that Schweitzeralan sounds interesting - must log on to Amazon - The only Gliere ive heard is his massive third symphony which is overblown but i like - possibly a forerunner to somebody like Scriabin !

His symphonies are quite dramatic, and, it may take repeated listening to appreciate.  His "Banks on the Vistula" is excellent and is paired with his 4th.  His 1st is heavily influenced by the "Ilya."  His later symphonies tend to be more dissonant.

[schweitzeralan]

Bells appear literally and programmatically in many many scores, and I was just curious to see if we could list them here with any success. I'm more interested when a composer has used other instruments to evoke bells ringing, than use of actual bells, but both are fine!

Here's what I came up with with from my itunes library:

Barber - Le clocher chante from his french song cycle, Mélodies Passagères op.27. A lovely song, with the main chord closely related to one that Ravel uses in his La Vallee Des Cloches. Also Church bell at night from the Hermit Songs op.29 which is a beautiful little example of scene painting with the bare minimum of notes and maximum economy of gesture.

Ives - Those Evening Bells - an early song, and one of the best before he found his true voice.

Ravel - La Vallee Des Cloches from Miroirs. Ravel in his most purely beautiful and subtle mode, which is about as beautiful and subtle as you can be! There's also Entre-Cloches from Sites Auriclaires for two pianos.

Debussy - Cloches A Travers Les Feuilles from Images 2ieme serié. Another wonderful piece.

Bach - The Prelude from the Sixth suite for solo cello - not explicitly stated by the composer, but as clearly an evocation of bells as any of the others mentioned here. There is a DVD in which Rostropovich tells us of a dream he had of two churches, one distant, one near, with their bells pealing and how it relates to this movement (I have never heard it played better by anyone else).

Messiaen - cloches d'angoisse et larmes d'adieu from his 8 preludes - quite Debussian, though clearly Messiaen. Not my favourite Messiaen opus this, though this piece is lovely.

Langgaard - Bells Pealing: Look! He Comes from Music of the Spheres.

Ottevanger - Evening Bell- Birds Circle from Through the Year. I best not comment (I'll leave it to the composer!) other than to say I really like this one and find it very touching.

Rachmaninov's The Bells I have only heard once a couple of year ago, but I don't remember any actual immitations of the sound of bells in the score. I might be wrong though, as I say, it was ages ago that I heard it!




Part's Tintinnabulum style obviously has to do with bells on one level, but I'm not sure I can think of an instance in which he is deliberately referring to or trying to evoke the sounds of a bell. The Cantus for Benjamin Britten contains a prominant part for a bell.

Any others?

I just acquired the Grainger orchestration of "La Vallee des Cloches."  Beautiful.

[Guido]

I just acquired the Grainger orchestration of "La Vallee des Cloches."  Beautiful.

Where?

[schweitzeralan]

Where?

Ordered from Amazon.  Simon Rattle on EMI.  Called "Percey Granger In A Nutshell". The original is a pianistic work from Ravel's "Miroirs"." You can access various performances of the piano version (including Ravel's) on YouTube.

[Cato]

Lyotoshinsy's 4th Sympony" developers a section which involves bells.  Anyone out there who likes the symphonies of this significant compose?  I'm sure he's been mentioned in probably various threads.  Accompanying on my disc is his "On the Banks of the Vistula."  Probably a folkloric Polish piece? Question: Years ago I saw a movie starring Gary Cooper called "Hangman's tree."

The background music to this film, as I recall, has similarities to Lyo's "Vistula" work. Probably a coincidence which has nothing to do with the Polish (I think it's Polish) folkorlic piece. 

The movie is The Hanging Tree with Karl Malden as the villain who tries to ravish Maria Schell.   

The music is by Max Steiner, and since it is late 1950's Max Steiner it is not in the same league as King Kong, but then again, what is?  Not impossible that he borrowed the tune, although Dmitri Tiomkin was more (in)famous for that!

Concerning Evocations of Bells: it is almost too easy!

I am listening to the first movement right now with its evocations of bells!


Dvorak: Symphony #1  The Bells of Zlonice 

[Guido]

Ordered from Amazon.  Simon Rattle on EMI.  Called "Percey Granger In A Nutshell". The original is a pianistic work from Ravel's "Miroirs"." You can access various performances of the piano version (including Ravel's) on YouTube.

I adore Miroirs - it's one of my favourite piano pieces. I've just listened to the recording you mentioned on Spotify - very nice indeed.

[ChamberNut]

Dvorak[/b]: Symphony #1  The Bells of Zlonice 

Cato, remember you started a thread called "Worst First Symphony", and you mentioned this one. 

I apologize if it wasn't you. 

[Cato]

Cato, remember you started a thread called "Worst First Symphony", and you mentioned this one. 

I apologize if it wasn't you. 

Certainly it has a good number of defects, especially in the final movement.  (Some very clumsy stuff in the last minutes!     ) I have revisited it, because I recently purchased the entire Dvorak symphonies by Rowicki: still one of the worst first symphonies!   

But it does evoke bells!   

[schweitzeralan]

The movie is The Hanging Tree with Karl Malden as the villain who tries to ravish Maria Schell.   

The music is by Max Steiner, and since it is late 1950's Max Steiner it is not in the same league as King Kong, but then again, what is?  Not impossible that he borrowed the tune, although Dmitri Tiomkin was more (in)famous for that!

Concerning Evocations of Bells: it is almost too easy!

I am listening to the first movement right now with its evocations of bells!


Dvorak: Symphony #1  The Bells of Zlonice 

Right.  The movie was "The Hanging Tree."  I saw the movie once or twice some time ago, and I remembered the music but didn't know who the composer was. I thought it was a good movie; I still recall the musical theme, and it seemed to be somewhat sad.  Striking similarity with the Layatoshinsky tone poem.  I think the resemblance is mere coincidence.  The tone poem is excellent , and I heartilly recommend it.

[jowcol]

The ending of ALwyn's 5th, Hydrotaphia has bells-- very nice.

One of the things I liked so much about Mussorgsky's score(s) for Boris Gudenov, is that, for the Coronation scene, the bells were in free time. 

I love bells.  One of the coolest things about visiting a Buddhist Temple in Thailand is that you are encouraged to ring the dozens of bells they have around to earn merit.  Usually, I need to be restrained from ringing them.

On the Environments label in 1969 was a cool track called Tintinnabulation, which was bascially synthesized tones of large bells with a long decay.  Back in the days of vinyl, you could play it at any speed-- I grew to love it at 45 RPM.   On the CD version, they did the 16 rpm version which was tough to take.  I needed to edit it up to my favorite speeed.

And yes, I have a thing for wind chimes that decency forbids me to disclose any further.

[schweitzeralan]

I adore Miroirs - it's one of my favourite piano pieces. I've just listened to the recording you mentioned on Spotify - very nice indeed.

Right on.  I've ordered the Ravel score 'Miroirs." Ill dabble thru "La Vallee des Cloches."  Like to hear myself playing it, even if it isn't up to profesional level.