The Pealing Bells

A large hanging bell

SKU: RP013

Length: 4'45"

Instrumentation: brass quintet (3 trumpets, trombone, bass trombone)

Composed in the winter of 2011–2012, The Pealing Bells is an aleatoric fanfare for brass quintet meant to imitate the ringing of bells. The whole piece is arranged in an arch structure reminiscent of the symmetrical shape of bells. It begins with the individual tolling of the first trumpet, which is slowly joined by the rest of the players one by one. The players are also given ever-expanding sets of pitches from which to choose their notes until the point where all twelve chromatic pitches are available. After a brief middle section, the rest of the piece is an exact reversal of the first half, with each part having a dwindling number of pitches in their set until finally the first trumpet is left tolling a single pitch alone, just as in the beginning. The ringing of bells is very slow music with a melody that evolves over extended periods of time. As such, I invite you to listen with patient ears.