Hark to the Bells (2012)
Symphony orchestra c.7 mins
2(2)22 / 22(2)(1) / Timp. Glock. / Strings (instruments in brackets are cued into the others)
Commissioned by Beccles Festival of Music and the Arts, and first performed by the Beccles Festival Orchestra and the Kingfisher Orchestra, conductor Elgar Howarth, at St. Michael’s Church, Beccles, September 23, 2012.
Hark to the Bells was inspired by a visit to St Michael’s Church, Beccles, and its separate bell-tower. Climbing the bell-tower was a wonderful experience, suggesting a number of musical ideas – not just the sound of bells and the techniques of ringing, but also the view of the vast landscape over which the ten bells cast their sound, and the bustle of the busy market in the square nearby.
YouTube performance (illustrated with pictures of the surrounding landscape): click here
Soundcloud performance: click here
Score and parts available on hire from the composer