Evocation of bells in music.

[Novi]

There's a bit in the second movement of Bartók's second piano concerto (where it's just piano and timpani) that reminds me of a bell tolling.

[Kullervo]

The first movement of Vaughan Williams's London Symphony has a recreation of the Big Ben chime. Very beautiful and chilling in its context.

[Anne]

In Moussorgsky's Boris Godunov Rimsky-Korsakov wrote some very beautiful bells for the coronation of Boris.  In Peter Grimes one of the orchestral interludes has bells that easily remind one of R-K's in Boris G.

[pjme]

Benjamin Britten : Cantata academica - final movement
                         Death in Venice - the city bells are realistically portrayed
Gordon Crosse : "Changes" a beautiful work ( oratorio/cantata) for soprano, baritone,chorus,children's chorus & orch. The first section uses inscriptions from churchbells. the orchestra glitters with all kinds of chimes & tubular bells. horns and strings evoke the tolling of bells. it's available on Lyrita and I strongly recommend it to those who like ,say, Brittens Spring symphony.
Alun Hodinot : Symphonia fidei - also available on Lyrita - a lovely, quite lyrical work for soprano, bar, chorus & orchestra.
Darius Milhaud ' ballet "Les cloches" after Poe
Rachmaninoff : suite for two pianos ( last mov.)
Hindemith's mighty sonata for two piano's  - starts with a dazzling "Glockenspiel", Die Harmonie der Welt- finale
Respighi : La campana sommersa - opera
Kodaly : Harry Janos - finale and Vienna clock
Chostakovitch : Stenka Razin - cantata, symphony nr 14, symphony nr 11
Charles Tournemire : symphony nr 6- finale and Symphony nr 3 "Moscou" ,which has an exquisite movement called "les cloches" !



Pfff; there's much more..later!
Peter

[Maciek]

What an odd idea for a thread... (which is to say I'm finding it an even more enjoyable and informative experience than usual 0:))

My submission is Lutoslawski's Dzwony cerkiewne (Church bells? Russian-orthodox-church bells?)

[karlhenning]

The last page of Свадебка (Les noces). of course.

[pjme]

But of course! Svadebka.That ending is magical!
And let's not forget those ominous bells in Chostakovitch 13th symphony, Benjamin Britten's War Requiem ,and Cesar Franck's Le chasseur maudit! ( BTW, next week three forgotten biblical cantatas of Franck will be premiered in Liège - I'll give the details in a separate post).

De Falla : El amor brujo
Honegger : Jeanne d'Arc au bucher ( two pianos do all the bell work)
Debussy : Iberia

[CRCulver]

The second movement of Radulescu's Piano Sonata No 2, "Byzantine Bells".

[Ten thumbs]

Here are a few more from the piano repertoire:

Liszt: Christmas Tree Suite I: Abendglocke
                                     II: Glockenspiel

Grieg: Lyrical pieces: Op.54.6: Klokkeklang
                              Op.65.6: Wedding Day

Bonis: Op.31: Carillons mystiques
         Op.121: Cloches lointaines

Medtner: Op.20.2 Campanella

[canninator]

http://www.youtube.com/v/9EejSUdpa2M

The three movement La Catedral by arguably the greatest guitarist-composer of all time, Agustin Barrios, has three movements each thematic of the sensory and religious impression made by the cathedral in downtown Montevideo on Barrios (the second movement is also a homage to Bach). The first (prelude) and third (allegro solemne) movements vividly recreate the cathedral bells. The Prelude was added many years after the Andante and Allegro and its sense of the gentle chiming bells on a quiet morning are a vivid contrast to the bells (now carried in the bass) in the bustle of the allegro.

A stunning virtuoso showpiece, there are countless recordings of this. I would recommend Voorhorst on Naxos and avoid John Williams (despite "discovering" Barrios his transcription is weak IMO).

[alkan]

I don't think this one has been posted yet.

Charles Valentin Alkan, Op 63, Esquisses (sketches), Book 1, number 4 ...... Les Cloches (The Bells) !!

It is a short musical image of chiming church bells ..... wonderfully done   (as is everything in Alkan ....)

[sul G]

IIRC the Laus Deo from the same set also has some impressive bell ringing

A pretty amazing one is the bell piece in Grieg's Lyric Pieces, Klokkeklang, from op 54. It demonstrates that Grieg was capable of much more daring things than the safe genre pieces one might associate with him, especially in this group of works. It's really a very ahead-of-its-time idea in its obsessive concentration on one gesture, one interval. But then Grieg could be like that - much more extreme than one might think. Here's a picture of the opening page:

[Guido]

Thanks for all these guys. 

I've had a great time listening to as may of them as I can on Spotify.

Cheers!

[pjme]

And ...anything that cought your imagination?

[techniquest]

How about the 'Carillon' from Bizet's l'Arlesienne.

[schweitzeralan]

And ...anything that cought your imagination?

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.  Lyrotyoshinsky's orchestral variation is wonderul. The film piec probably belongs on another thread. At any rate the Lyotoshinsky recording is dramaric, moving, and sincere.

[Maciek]

Lyotoshinsy...
Lyo...
Lyrotyoshinsky...
Lyotoshinsky

Is that all the same person?









(They also spell him Lyatoshinsky or Lyatoshynsky sometimes. That makes six variants... )

[schweitzeralan]

Is that all the same person?









(They also spell him Lyatoshinsky or Lyatoshynsky sometimes. That makes six variants... )

I know.  My wretched typos. Rien de nouveau.  Still like Lyo.  Like the abbreviation. I'll just back to the 4th.

[eyeresist]

The finale of Vaughan Williams' 8th evokes an almighty carillon.

[Joe_Campbell]

Near the end of the 3rd movement from Alkan's "Quatre ages" piano sonata, Alkan notated 10 repeated "bell chimes" that signify 10 pm. Apparently, this time held special significance to Alkan, as he sometimes would stop mid-conversation and leave any engagement he was attending when the hour came.