Program Notes

Over the past decade or so, small, multicolored, tuned deskbells have been finding their way into more and more pieces for percussion. Many percussionists have a set of deskbells on the shelf because they needed them for “that one piece” three years ago. My student Anna not only has the usual diatonic octave of deskbells but the chromatic additions as well. And I was excited recently to finally get a set of deskbells that look like a group of bears (which is called a sloth of bears, actually). Anna and I have had a lot of fun playing and experimenting with deskbells, but they still seemed to spend most of their time in the cardboard box they arrived in. And there are so many boxes of deskbells around the world that are just waiting for their chance to sing again. So, I decided to write a piece for solo deskbells that could be played by anyone with a box of eight on the shelf. And if you don't have deskbells, here's your chance to join the club!

As I started to explore the deskbells as a solo instrument, I was surprised by how expressive they could be. I like that the sound lies somewhere between an orchestral glockenspiel and a toy piano, and you can often hear the mechanism that activates the ringing sound. I didn’t want to write a piece for deskbells that was a novelty or a joke. I wanted to embrace their idiosyncrasies and write a meaningful piece. One full of joy and energy, but also with moments of beauty. And I liked the challenge of writing a piece for a single octave of the C Major scale.

bellbird is not easy to play, and in some of the faster passages the performer might have to elude a few pitfalls. But that’s part of the fun! There’s something about the performer’s hands flying across the tops of the bells while the fingers quickly press the buttons and then leap away to their next momentary landing spot. We are playing! We are playing with toys. We are playing musical instruments. It's fun! It’s exciting! And it's a good reminder to keep the spirit of joy and exploration with us no matter what instrument we play.

While it was originally conceived as a deskill solo, bellbird can also be played on a glockenspiel, or toy piano, or tuned steel pipes, or anything you find that has a magical metallic sound.