2014 WEEK OF HANDBELLS PERFORMANCE NOTES I Page 1 of 6
April 12, 2014
Below are this year’s first batch of Performance Notes. As you know, there will be more. These are the result of
my initial examination of the music. In many cases I have changed the music to more closely match the original
source, be it piano or orchestra. I am not - for the most part - mentioning the obvious, like key changes,
dynamics, tempo changes, and the like. Read all footnotes, composer’s comments, doublings, and anything else
that’s in the score. Mark your own cautionaries as needed. There aren’t as many printed in the score as there
used to be, which indicates that we are being taken more seriously as musicians. Nevertheless, often in the heat
of battle things can elude our attention. So do what you need to do so that key changes aren’t missed.
As for chromatic passages, where the notes are coming fast and furiously, work out a reasonable co-ordination
of efforts with those around you. One person does the naturals, the other the accidentals; one gets the first two
sixteenth notes, the other gets the third and fourth, etc.
Regardless of what the score indicates, there are to be no martellati below C4. Any notes below C4 indicated to
be martellated should be malleted instead. For those who ring C4 and above, remember to ‘start the mart’ close
to the table. Those bronze babies are not hammers! A mart, even a properly-executed mart, will stand out by the
very nature of the technique. even if played softly.
OK, I confess. I did not count the repertoire list correctly. There are indeed not 14 pieces, including THE LORD
BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU. There are 15 - without counting THE LORD BLESS YOU! What to do, what to
do? First of all, whatever I throw at you, you have always risen to the challenge. However, if I have extended
you beyond the breaking point, I suggest that at some point in the next few months, you choose one or two (no
more than two) pieces to sit out. Most will play all pieces, but I’d rather have a good performance than 100%
participation, including some who shouldn’t. If the shoe fits …
On the same subject - and I know this is an obvious and perennial comment - take your role as a member of this
performance-oriented experience seriously and professionally. There is plenty of time to master this music, but
you will not do us any favours by arriving in Bay View anything less than totally prepared. I get steamed when I
hear of people buying their music in the last few weeks, and counting on ‘picking it up’ when we get everyone
together. That is NOT a professional attitude! You will - as I will - spend many hours practicing between now
and August 11, working on difficult passages, checking tempi, working on proper dynamics, and anything else
called for in the score. Start at a slow tempo, but always keep in mind what the performance tempo is.
One more comment on the difficulty level of the music. I do not deliberately look for the most challenging music
I can find. But I have learned over the years that whatever I choose, you rise to the occasion.
Now, go find a pencil, and get out your music! The 2014 Bay View Week of Handbells starts NOW!
SABRE DANCE
• Mallet staccato notes
• work out chromatic passages with your neighbour and/or your position twins.
• mm. 1, 2, 3, 10, 19, 26, 64, 77, 93, 94: accent the first bass note in these measures
• m. 17: delete the mf and mark cresc.
• mm. 37, 48, 53, etc.: play the grace note before the beat - not on it
• m. 37: tie the third beat, treble stemmed-up notes to the first beat of m. 38
• m. 68, beat 3: change to one quarter note
• m. 69, beat 1 and 3: change to one quarter note
• mm. 86-87: accent beats 1, 2-and, 4
• m. 102: add dim.
• m. 104: mark mp
• mm. 106-109: mallet the G2 and G3 as eight eighth notes
2014 WEEK OF HANDBELLS PERFORMANCE NOTES I Page 2 of 6
April 12, 2014
• m. 108: delete the f and mark a cresc.
• m. 110: G4 and higher, play an RT; below G4, mallet
RAVEL’S BOLERO
• beginning tempo is q (quarter note) =60
• mm. 1-11: all notes in the RM chords mallet on the beginning of the note, then begin random malleting. Damp
any notes in one chord and not in the next chord very slowly. That is to say, damp sloppily over about two
beats.
• m. 1: ring the C7 f. Ring the rest of the line mf
• m. 17: play the melody (chimes) mf
• m. 19, beat 3: the G6 should be a half note
• m. 74: ring all notes
• m. 75: everybody f
• mm. 76 and 78: add accents to the bass staff to match the treble staff notes
• mm. 102-end: mallet all stemmed-down bass notes that are eighth notes or shorter
• m. 130: all notes shake. Mallet-roll the G3
POLKAFEST
• Mallet all staccato notes unless otherwise indicated
• m. 68: basses, either memorise this measure or m. 1 so you can turn back in time (as opposed to turning back
the time)
POLOVETSIAN DANCE NO. 1
• omit the notes for ‘C Instrument’. They will be played by … a C Instrument
• mm. 1, 5, 46, 50: de-emphasise the quarter notes on beats 3 and 4. They are not melody
• mm. 31-41: mallet staccato notes except for down-stemmed bass notes, which are to be plucked through m. 58
A SNAIL’S PACE
• swing the eighth notes (except eighth note triplets, of course)
• use the Rehearsal Notes on page 14 as you wish. Remember, we have as many as 10 people on a given part,
and we have our own way of working out tough bell changes. Play everything you can, and work out a plan
for the impossible spots
• there are additional Rehearsal Notes on the same website where you bought the music. Follow the link on the
WOH website, then under ‘Ring’ go to ‘Rehearsal Notes’>’By Composer N-S’>’Larry Sue: A Snail’s Pace’
• m. 21, etc.: the ‘8’ in the bass means to double down the lowest note, not the whole chord
• m. 23: mark f
• m. 25: mark mp
• m. 27: mark f
• m. 31: mark f
• m. 33: mark mf
• m. 35: mark f
• m. 55: mark f
• m. 57: mark mp
• m. 59: mark f
• m. 60: there’s an ‘R’ hidden in the treble staff half note bushes. Don’t mistake it for a C8
• m. 63: mark f
• m. 65: mark mf
• m. 67: mark f
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m. 84: cresc. through the measure, then drop the accompaniment to mp
m. 85: trebles (melody) mark f; accompaniment mark mp
m. 92: cresc. through the entire measure
m. 93: melody ff, accompaniment mp, obbligato (first row only) ff
m. 100: cresc. through the entire measure
mm. 107-108: read the footnote carefully; some notes ring and LV; others don’t LV
m. 108: delete the rit. and put a fermata on the half note; mark the half note p
m. 109: mark pp
EL JARABE TAPATíO
• work on dynamics so that mf, f, ff, and fff each sound different
• Where doubling is suggested, only row 1 will be playing the added notes, along with the highest scored note.
All others, play as written.
• m. 1: shake all treble notes plus C5
• mm. 4 et al.: mallet whenever practical. E5 ringers, for instance, may prefer to TD, since a rung note follows
the four staccato notes
• m. 20: pity about the page turn on the repeat. I suggest you memorise all or part of either mm. 13-16 or 17-20,
and then figure out the best time to turn the page
• m. 87: shake treble staff notes only
• mm. 135-136: omit m. 136 and repeat way back to the last two eighth notes in m. 2
• mm. 2-28: play as before, but without repeats (use second endings only)
• m. 29: play this chord as scored - as an eighth note - but add in all Cs, Es and Gs you can find. It will be very
much like an RT. bass staff, please mallet.
• m. 29 downbeat will be the end. Fine!
PRELUDE AND PASSACAGLIA
• m. 53: organ enters on beat 3 (pedal)
• m. 93: organ out on beat 3
• m. 101: organ enters on beat 3
• mm. 126-132: use brush-damp technique between the first and second eighth notes. the end of each cresc. is
the downbeat of the next measure
• m. 110: mark the middle voice f and the bass staff mp
• m. 117, beat 3: mark everyone mf. that’s louder for top and bottom; softer for the middle
• mm. 126-132: 2 beat LVs. damp out any bells on beat 3 that aren’t mart-ed
• m. 132: put an ‘R’ on beat 2
VALSE BRILLIANTE
• dynamic markings stay the same until a change is indicated. e.g., mm. 34, beat 3 - 61, beat 1 are all forte. Don’t
lose track of what dynamic you’re on and whether a new marking is louder or softer. Sometimes mf means
softer
• all marts should be LIGHT MARTS throughout!
• m. 123: mark q=140
• m. 140: q=156
• m. 185: q=172
• m. 206: mallet bass staff notes
• m. 207: note no fermata. Three beats and damp!
2014 WEEK OF HANDBELLS PERFORMANCE NOTES I Page 4 of 6
April 12, 2014
THE HOLTKAMP SUITE
• Throughout: Pluck when the Spirit says ‘Pluck’. Too often we (me included) substitute mallets or TDs,
because they’re easier to get unisons, especially in mass situations. Let’s prove we can still do it!
Introduction
• m. 8: place a fermata on beat 4
• mm. 25-28: no organ
• m. 48: organ plays two sixteenth notes on beat 1. Bells play on 1-and. Be alert!
• m. 48: change the Mart to a Pluck. Don came to detest marts at the end of pieces. This was probably a case of
incorporating what - at that time - was a relatively new technique.
Scherzetto
• mm. 1-8 is a dialogue between the bells and the organ (pedals only, by the way). When you have a rest, the
organ has notes and vice versa.
• mm. 9-17: play mf first time; p on repeat
• m. 18: mark the first three eighth notes mf and the last three eighth notes mp
• m. 37: make the eighth notes into sixteenth notes as they are in m. 36
HOLTKAMP cont’d.
Allegro
• mm. 1-9: organ plays a 3+3+2 eighth note pattern. I will conduct in three
• mm. 22-31: I will conduct in 4
• m. 51: trebles change the Mart to an RT. Basses, change the Mart to a Pluck. Use Don’s famous ‘Ring-to-Pluck
Clapper-Grab Technique’.
BELL TANGO
• mm. 4, 20, 36, 53, 68: trebles RT the first eighth note
• mm. 39 and 71: don’t play the G3s. There should be both < > and [ ] brackets around the G3s.
• m. 100: change the quarter note to an eighth note and eighth rest, and RT the eighth note on beat 1
FANTASY ON LIVERPOOL
Fred’s Notes:
• Note that the beginning tempo indication is for the entire piece. All a tempo indications refer to “quarter-note
= 80”.
• As you can read in the notes on page 2, this is an alternate tune for “Nearer My God to Thee.” There were
actually some who thought this was the tune played as the Titanic sank. Who knows? In any case during the
opening statement of the hymn tune which is rung LV until measure 16, I visualize the stillness of the ocean in
the dark of night after the unsinkable ship met its fate.
• The rit. in measure 57 is such that the last eighth-note will equal the quarter-note in measure 58.
• In measures 64 & 65, note that the half-notes are rung, while the sixteenths are TD in the treble and struck
with mallets in bass.
• The LV above the treble in measure 66 is only for the sixteenth-notes.
• On page 9 the inner voice accents are paramount. Carefully internalize the rhythms and then rock them! Put
your ears on the sixteenths and your eyes on Carl. The melody is obvious in measures 68-71.. However in
measures 73-74 the accented sixteenths are the melody notes. It will take some effort to bring those notes to
the forefront.
• The LV in measure 87 is good until 89. I want the F major and c minor chords to overlap.
• In measure 111 connect with your kinder self and share a chime with the D5E5 ringer.
To which I add:
• m. 2: mark mf between the cresc. and the dim.
• m. 3: start p
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m. 4: dim. to pp
m. 6: cresc. to f
m. 8: dim. to mp
mm. 19-25: keep the treble line pp
m. 24: mark f on beat 1
m. 24: dim. to mp (except treble line, still pp)
m. 26: mark p
m. 28: cresc. to mf
m. 30: mark mp
m. 34: dim. to mp
we will sing as indicated
work hard on dynamics
work hard on accents
UNSQUARE DANCE
• clap if you can. The audience will not be clapping. I don’t even want to go there.
• I will conduct in 3 (2+2+3)
• WARNING: the tempo may be a bit slower, but we’ll start off on Monday at q=210
• swing the dotted eighth/sixteenth note patterns; play all other rhythms straight.
PAVANE
• mark and observe all tempo changes!
• mark (if necessary) and observe all dynamics!
• change tempo to q=64
• m. 49, beat 2-and: mark ‘a tempo’
• m. 72: delete all Bs and the G5. Play the chord mp
DORIAN DANCE
• Mallet any notes below C4 that are marked to mart
• How will I direct the various metres? I’m still working on it. I will tell all in the next set of notes.
• mm. 46, 48, 53, 55, etc.: clean damps on the rests. Wait! Make that IMMACULATE DAMPS!
HUNGARIAN DANCE NO. 5
• beginning tempo is q=126
• mm. 11 and 27: add G#5 and G#6 to the dotted quarter note chord
• mm. 17-32: double melody up one octave
• m. 41: q=63. Delete ‘poco rit’ and mark ‘slower’. (No slowing down; it’s just suddenly slower)
• m. 44: mark ‘poco rit.’ on beat 2
• m. 45: watch me for the downbeat
• mm. 49-70: start at q=160; change all ‘poco rit.’ to ‘slower’ (q=80; half note becomes the quarter note);
• mm. 49-70: All ‘a tempo’ q=160; all ‘slower’ q=80
• m. 62: move the fermata to the bar line between m. 62 and m. 63. It will be a short fermata with no sound.
• mm. 70-71: same as 62-63
• m. 81: add G#5 and G#6 to the dotted quarter note chord
• m. 95: change ‘poco rit.’ to ‘slower’
• m. 98, beat 2: mark ‘poco rit.’
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• m. 99: watch me for the downbeat
• m. 104: delete the fermata; two beats is long enough!
THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU (sung)
• no change from previous years, so alumni can skip this.
• As the veterans know, I take great liberties with the tempo. Watch me and we’ll be fine.
• De-emphasize the second syllable of “gracious”.
• Once we start the amens, there will be no breaks; stagger your breathing accordingly.
• Don’t start the crescendo (in the amens) until the sopranos begin their amens.
• We sing this from memory.
Last Words: If you spot any errors or have any questions, please write to me at bayviewwoh@btinternet.com. I
will most likely add the answers to your questions in a subsequent set of Performance Notes. There is no stupid
question if you don’t know the answer!