Church Bells In Music

... for this they invented sampling

JamSession wrote:

Other examples?

"Mortuos plango, vivos voco by Jonathan Harvey"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYdRzDx1_J4

Open content (youtube)

JamSession wrote:

Reading this topic

http://www.pianoconc...ampane-stonate/

I've done a bit of research and discovered (how ignorant of me, perhaps everyone knows) that for example Puccini in Tosca (Act III) called for some bells (are they called tubular bells?).

I mean, one bell can weigh more than 200 quintals...

Eh??? Not even in your dreams hahaha a set of tubular bells is transported easily.

In my opinion, you are a bit confused...

Take a look at the photo in the link http://it.wikipedia....ampane_tubolari

But when one finds bells in a score (specifically the case of Tosca), does it imply tubular bells or should it be specified?

AbateFaria wrote:

But when one finds bells in a score (specifically the case of Tosca), is it implied to be tubular bells or should it be specified?

The instrument "bell" in an orchestra is the tubular bell. I believe that, strictly speaking, it should be specified if another type of bell is requested (if so: which one, though?)"

Ok, but how long have these tubular bells existed? On wiki it is written in which works they are used, but it is not clear if even at the time when the works were composed... they existed.

It might seem like a sophism, but from the point of view of someone composing, everything changes... right?

I was re-reading:

"In symphony orchestras, they simulate the sound of church bells"

The point I am keen to understand is whether they responded to a need to replace church bells due to obvious logistical problems (clearly, the case of do2 is a bit of a limit) or if they have always had their own identity.

It seems like a sophism to me, yes: honestly I don't know since when they have existed, but... let's hypothesize that as long as they didn't exist, composers didn't use them? It would never have occurred to Puccini to use church bells in Tosca if he hadn't had the set available to perform that passage. I would add that in the score Puccini writes "church bells" because the scene takes place in a church and, if one could eventually choose between bells with a more or less dark timbre, one could opt for those with the sound that reminds him of it most. Mahler in the 9th Symphony prescribes three "low-tuned bells" with the specific sound indicated. In short, the same thing applies to bells as to other instruments: as long as they were not available, they were not used.

It seems to me that there are many doubts on the subject; a text I recommend owning is "Le percussioni" by Guido Facchin, particularly for those interested in orchestration... bells aside.

I have taken the liberty of pre-preparing a link to access the Google Books version; the two chapters of interest are:

- Church bells

- Tubular bells

Obviously, they are two different things: there is the history, the pieces where they are used, etc.

Practically from page 139-153

http://books.google....facchin&f=false

The link is in the right area

There are some pages missing, as is the case with many Google Books that are still subject to copyright; if anyone needs them, I also have those... having the book

Merci beaucoup, as always...

Frank wrote:

It seems to me that there are many doubts on the subject; a text I recommend owning is "Le percussioni" by Guido Facchin, particularly for those interested in orchestration... bells aside.

I have taken the liberty of pre-preparing a link to access the Google Books version; the two chapters of interest are:

- Church bells

- Tubular bells

Obviously, they are two different things: there is the history, the pieces where they are used, etc.

Practically from page 139-153

http://books.google....facchin&f=false

The link is in the area

There are some pages missing, as with much of the books on Google Books still restricted by copyrights; if anyone needs them, I also have those... having the book

On page 144 it reads: "Often the fantasy of composers goes beyond practical possibilities"