Ring, Gladsome Bells

 Composer's notes:
"I composed Ring, Gladsome Bells especially for the 2011 Christmas Festival. We are blessed at St. Olaf by 3 wonderful handbell choirs, led by Jill Mahr. The top group plays at a particularly high level. I composed this piece with them in mind. I employ the handbells throughout most of the work. There is a rather constant ringing that permeates the piece, not only in the handbells, but also in the various sections of the orchestra. The work begins with "free ringing" in the brass, while handbells, strings and woodwinds play a ringing ostinato followed by a canon on a tune that will later come to fruition in the full orchestra. The handbells sometimes carry the tune, but more often they color the orchestration with those special sounds and energy that is unique to those instruments. This is my third composition for orchestra with handbells. I've noted that, in the past decade, many fine orchestras throughout the country have utilized handbells in their orchestral Christmas programs, and I've been happy to add a few works to that unique repertoire."
 

Instrumentation:
3322/4331/ timp., 3 perc., harp, strings