Bells/tubular bells in orchestral music

[Symphonic Addict]

I love when composers add this instrument to their works. A special touch is provided IMO.

What works have some interesting passages that include bells? I'm thinking of Bridge's Enter Spring and Casella's 2nd Symphony. Hopefully lesser known works.

Thanks in advance.

[steve ridgway]

Oh yes, I like tuned percussion.

George Crumb - Easter Dawning for carillon.

[Mirror Image]

Pärt's Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten comes to mind immediately.

[Maestro267]

Ones that immediately spring to mind are:

- The closing bars of Shostakovich's 11th Symphony, especially when the bell is left to resound after the rest of the orchestra drops out.

- Ending of James MacMillan's percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, when the soloist plays tubular bells, gradually speeding up until they leave the bells to resound for almost a full minute afterwards. During this, the orchestral players put their usual instruments down and play high-pitched finger cymbals.

- Messiaen was a fantastic composer for bells, and other tuned percussion. The third movement of Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum is memorable to me.

[Sergeant Rock]

Mahler Symphony No. 2 and Sibelius Symphony No. 4 (although many recordings use a glockenspiel).

Sarge

[relm1]

Tchaikovsky 1812 overture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RN6g5reFmg at 1:30, chimes get a workout.

[Christo]

Vaughan Williams, finale of his 8th Symphony (1953–5), "including all the 'phones' and 'spiels' known to the composer" (i.e. side drum, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, tubular bells, three tuned gongs, celesta).

[Maestro267]

I have many examples of favourite moments involving many other percussion instruments, tuned or otherwise, but as this thread specified tubular bells, I stuck with that.

[vandermolen]

Ones that immediately spring to mind are:

- The closing bars of Shostakovich's 11th Symphony, especially when the bell is left to resound after the rest of the orchestra drops out.

- Ending of James MacMillan's percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, when the soloist plays tubular bells, gradually speeding up until they leave the bells to resound for almost a full minute afterwards. During this, the orchestral players put their usual instruments down and play high-pitched finger cymbals.

- Messiaen was a fantastic composer for bells, and other tuned percussion. The third movement of Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum is memorable to me.

+1 for the end of Shostakovich's 11th Symphony.

[kyjo]

Definitely Arnold's 5th Symphony, where the the tubular bells intone the notes G and B (H in German), representing the initials of Arnold's friend Gerard Hoffnung, who had recently passed away. This occurs throughout the 1st movement and returns at the end of the work after the famous anticlimax, a most poignant effect.

[vandermolen]

Definitely Arnold's 5th Symphony, where the the tubular bells intone the notes G and B (H in German), representing the initials of Arnold's friend Gerard Hoffnung, who had recently passed away. This occurs throughout the 1st movement and returns at the end of the work after the famous anticlimax, a most poignant effect.

Interesting. Thanks Kyle - it's a fine symphony quite apart from that.

[Symphonic Addict]

Interesting examples, guys. Further recommendations are welcome, of course.

[Roasted Swan]

In his 2nd Symphony Walton writes a single "D" for a tubular bell about 20 bars from the end - often inaudible on recordings but very effective when heard!  Franck in "Le Chasseur Maudit" uses (church) bells to warn the titular accursed huntsman as he rides to his doom......!

[Biffo]

Berlioz uses two deep bells in the Finale of the Symphonie fantastique to play the notes C and G. He suggests using two pianos if deep enough bells are not available. He has a section on bells in his Treatise on Orchestration and gives the SF as an example. It seems that Berlioz never got the bells he wanted and always used the piano option.

Nowadays, a large tubular bell is sometimes used though several of the major US orchestras (forgotten which ones) have specially made bells for this work.

[relm1]

Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture
Rachmaninoff: The Bells cantata

[BWV 1080]

https://www.youtube.com/v/0g4I61vVjPY

[some guy]

Berlioz uses two deep bells in the Finale of the Symphonie fantastique to play the notes C and G. He suggests using two pianos if deep enough bells are not available. He has a section on bells in his Treatise on Orchestration and gives the SF as an example. It seems that Berlioz never got the bells he wanted and always used the piano option.

Nowadays, a large tubular bell is sometimes used though several of the major US orchestras (forgotten which ones) have specially made bells for this work.

Thanks Biffo. I am such a Berlioz fanboy, I hesitate to come on threads like this with the obvious as I'm always going on about Berlioz. Or I would be if I let myself.

There's Prokofiev, too. I will mention that. Ivan the Terrible is my favorite for bell work, though there are many other pieces where Prokofiev uses bells.

And Stravinsky. Les Noces. A magical ending to a magical piece.

[Biffo]

Thanks Biffo. I am such a Berlioz fanboy, I hesitate to come on threads like this with the obvious as I'm always going on about Berlioz. Or I would be if I let myself.

There's Prokofiev, too. I will mention that. Ivan the Terrible is my favorite for bell work, though there are many other pieces where Prokofiev uses bells.

And Stravinsky. Les Noces. A magical ending to a magical piece.

Glad to know I am not the only one.

Your posting reminded me of another Russian work - the Coronation Scene from Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov

[steve ridgway]

Plenty of bells in Xenakis Bohor. If you fancy a wall of noise like a hurricane blowing the stained glass out of a cathedral onto knights in armour fighting among the shards below.

[vandermolen]

Stale Kleiberg: Symphony No. 1 'The Bell Reef':

Also: Andrei Petrov: 'Russia of Bells' Fantasy for Orchestra on a Theme by Mussorgsky: