Dear 2017 BVWOH Musicians, It is a privilege for me to be coming back to assist Carl for the 40 th anniversary of this unique event. It will be such a glorious celebration of what Don and Carl have built over the years through their untiring dedication and hard work. We owe them immense gratitude for the opportunity they have given us to make music at Bay View. Every single musician attending this year has been part of this event before. This means you already know what degree of preparation is needed to deliver on our mission statement:
The Bay View Week of Handbells exists to give advanced ringers an opportunity to prepare a concert to be performed at a high professional level.
Please take as seriously as ever the need to purchase your music early, incorporate the performance notes, mark your bell changes, practice on a regular basis and send Carl and me any questions you may have along the way. Being able to ring all the music at tempo at the first rehearsal is not a suggestion. It’s a requirement. It’s a considerable amount of work, but the payoff is being able to join with dear friends in presenting exquisite music in a place of amazing beauty. Let’s make the 40 th a year to remember! Fred Gramann
Let me start with a quick word about Watch Windows which are included in these performance notes. I am requesting that you to put a box around the treble and bass clefs in the places that involve tempo changes. The box serves a dual purpose. First, it makes it impossible to accidentally miss a tempo change. You can see the Watch Window coming and know that it signals a tempo change, thus a time to watch. Secondly, for the BVWOH you are asked to memorize these spots. This is not new. It is included under the list of expectations for this event: Memorize short passages of music in order to better watch the director and make page turns. The beauty of the box is that you can see where to look up and where to look back to in the music so you do not lose your place on the page. Here is an example from Anitra’s Dance:
Let me also say a word about memorization . If this isn’t something you regularly do and are simply petrified of trying, let me make this easier for you:
A SUPER IMPORTANT FACT : You don’t have to memorize everyone’s part. Only your own pattern. (Say that over to yourself several times. Let it sink in.)
Let’s take the example on the previous page from Anitra’s Dance . Let’s say you’re pos. 5 (D5E5). What’s your pattern?
I can hear you saying, “Wait just a minute! That looks like a level 1 piece. You mean it could be that easy if I just look at my own pattern?” My reply: “Yes, it can be, if you just look at your own pattern.” So, memorize these two measures. (Got it?) Now mallet the notes in m. 83 and m. 84 while pretending to look at a conductor. Imagine he’s slowing down. (He is!) :^) Okay so far? (Take a breath.) Now, SLOWLY ring measure 82 while looking at the score, then look up at m. 83 (Find Fred!)(You know your pattern. Don’t panic.), then look back down at m. 85 and keep ringing. Do it again. Make it a habit. Make it automatic. Each time you rehearse this spot over the next few months, review it (what’s my pattern?) and do it several times. Eventually you can try this with the practice files that will be available. In the massed rehearsals you will of course listen to all the notes around you, but your only responsibility will be to know your pattern and watch me during those two measures so you line up exactly with my beats. It’s as simple as that.
Let’s look at some other patterns:
Pos. 8 (C6D6) is a little harder, but not much. Because you play part of the grace note figure (I’ll explain how to deal with them later in the notes), it’s best to also memorize the last note of m. 82:
Follow the same steps as above.
Pos. 9 (E6F6): Here’s what you have to learn by memory:
Follow the same steps as above. Having trouble? Chunk it down into manageable sections. Memorize just the second measure. Got it? Now add the first measure. Pos. 7 (A5B5): Like C6D6, you need to memorize the end of m. 82 as part of your pattern. (The explanation of grace notes under Anitra’s Dance will explain why you actually ring an eighth note at the end of m. 82)
Follow the same steps as above.
“Oh, Fred, will every Watch Window be this easy to memorize,” you ask with slightly moistened eyes. Fred answers: “Some will be easier. Some will be harder. But if you focus on your pattern and work this process, it is totally possible. Approach it with a positive attitude and patience. You can do it.” (Fred pats you gently on the shoulder at this point.)(You sigh.)
Okay, dry those eyes (sniff) and let’s get on with the notes. PASSACAILLE mm. 1-8 Please do not guess at the rhythm. Subdivide like crazy. Got a metronome? (If not try the free app “Metronome Beats.”) Set it on 300 beats per minute (or slower to start with) and work the dotted eighth note and sixteenth note rhythm. Clap it. Snap it. Tap it. TD it. Ring it. Ring the sixteenth notes lighter (slightly softer) than the eighth notes. m. 25 The dotted quarter equals the quarter note in m. 24, thus the same main pulse. mm. 33-36 Black notes: subdivide into sixteenth notes. Achieve mathematical exactness. mm. 37-43 Note which of your two consecutive bells is “strong” (thus on the main subdivisions: 1st and 3 rd sixteenth notes of each pattern). Know your pattern. Emphasize the strong bell. Think “eighth notes divided in two” instead a stream of sixteenths.
Note that each sixteenth note pattern is repeated once. In the following measure the pattern moves one sixteenth note earlier, changing which of your bells is on the strong subdivision. m. 45-47 The LV indication is for a single note in each measure. The others are R. m. 49-56 The chromatics can be handled by weaving. One exception: Pos. 4 (B4C5) should ring the A4 in m. 51. m. 51 The cautionary accidentals on C6 & 7 are a typo. Disregard. m. 57-59 The LV s are obviously only for the bass clef. m. 60 The LV starts on 3.4 (C5 & 6) and is for both clefs. m. 67-68 Put a Watch-Window around them and memorize your pattern. The poco a poco rit. will depend on your being with me 100%.
ANITRA’S DANCE
Staccato Please mallet all staccato notes except for the following which are TD : mm. 15-18/31-34 A#6 & B6 (pos. 11 TDs both bells) mm. 97-100 D#7 & E7 ( TD as marked) Rows 1, 3, 5 cover E6 only Rows 2 & 4 TD D#7, E7 only Pos. 2 (E4F4) should mallet both the D#4 and E4 Pit 3s: One ringer should mallet both the D#3 and E3. You can decide who will do that.
Dynamics Use a highlighter and mark them all. They make or break the piece. Especially observe the quick change from f to p in mm. 43-45/51-53. End of m. 81 through m. 84 the dim. goes from mf to p. Please write in a hairpin decrescendo in these measures to remind you. Watch Window There is one: mm. 83-84 – poco rit. to a tempo . M & M (mark and memorize)
Grace notes Let me try to de-mystify these pesky little added notes and explain how to ring them confidently: 1) They come before the beat. 2) You observe the note value indicated, stealing it from the previous beat. 3) Where there are two grace notes do not damp the first, only the second.
is actually
is actually
When you ring both grace notes, no problem. Right? When they are shared, still no problem - if you think them this way:
is actua lly
Pos. 5 (D5E5) thinks this:
Pos. 6 (F5G5) thinks this, placing the sixteenth note exactly where it belongs: Approaching it this way allows adequate prep time for the sixteenth. If you wait to hear the first grace note I bet you’ll be late. :^( [Having trouble with the sixteenth? Mallet the following down-beat on the foam.] If both positions do what they are supposed to do it will be perfect. :^) Apply this concept to any combination of grace notes in this piece.
Page turn Manage a SILENT page turn when repeating from the 1 st ending back to m. 39. Doubling As noted mm. 89-96.
PRELUDE AND HYMN
The footnotes are quite clear. Read and observe them. There will be complete cut-offs at the end of mm. 2 and 4. The SB indications through m. 12 are for all bells except the G6-D7-B6 figure in mm. 4 and 7, all up-stemmed notes from m. 10 onwards, and G3. mm. 1-12 Pos. 2 (E4F4) should take care of the G4 Pos. 3 (G4A4) the A4 Pos. 4 (B4C5) the B4 Pos. 5 (D5E5) the D5 Pos. 6 (F6G6) the E5 Pos. 7 (A5B5) the G5 (Don’t forget to bring a dowel that works well on your bell size.)
m. 8 As indicated, D3 and D4 involve mallet rolls. m. 61 The shake is for all up-stemmed treble clef bells. m. 69 The shake is for all treble clef bells. mm. 95-97 Shake all treble clef dotted half notes. m. 102 Also shake A5 but restrike on beat 3. m. 104 Yes, that’s a mart lift into a shake for all four notes. m. 105 D5E5 continue the shake. mm. 115-118 The shake is for all treble clef dotted half notes. mm. 121-125 The shake is for all treble clef notes and up-stemmed bass clef notes. m. 127 Do not damp the top 5 bells. Wait for a signal to random ring them. Highlight and observe all accents. >
Watch Windows Put one around mm. 70-71 for the rit . and memorize it (not kidding). Trace one around mm. 87-88 for the rit. (By memory. No peeking!) Another around m. 90 for the accel. (Find Fred!)
MOUNTAINTOP
Meter After having established my reputation last year as the “odd meter guy,” I’m back with a piece with a lengthy section in 5/4. The good news? It stays in 5/4 for 48 measures without changing. The 5/4 pattern is always a group of 3 beats and a group of 2 beats. In m. 55 we move to 3/4 with the quarter note remaining constant. The rit . in mm. 58-60 will be gradual and lead to the new tempo, with the last quarter note in m. 60 being equal to the dotted quarter note in m. 61.
Watch Windows mm. 1-6 After holding the fermata in m. 5 you’ll get two prep beats in the new tempo. mm. 58-61 for the rit . and new tempo. m. 103 for the poco rit.
LVs The LV in m. 6 is for all bells until m. 16. Read the footnotes about LVs on the bottom of pages 3 & 5. The LVs in mm. 49, 51 & 53 are for all bells. The LVs in mm. 55-58 are for treble down-stems only. The LVs from m. 65 are for the treble clef down-stems, but go ahead and LV the A4 & C#5 in mm. 74-77.
LE CYGNE (THE SWAN)
Chimes Add the G#5. m. 2 The R is only for the chimes (as noted). Sixteenths In the repeated sixteenth note patterns make sure you are circling gently to your first note, especially if it is on the 2 nd or 4th sixteenth note in the pattern, allowing adequate preparation. Then make small, continuous circles between them as they repeat. Swans do not punch. (At least I’ve never seen one do that.) They glide gracefully. Please ring like a swan. :^) Chimes and Bells I believe the treble clef ringers can manage to cover all their bells and chimes by 4-in-handing them as needed. If you need solutions let me know. In the bass clef let me suggest that the E4 and F#4 chimes be reassigned to pos. 1 (C4D4), and the G4 chime reassigned to pos. 2 (E4F4). Please be sure to coordinate this in advance with your neighbors. You are certainly free to find alternate solutions. Just make sure you are able to respect the LVs for the bells and damp the chimes consistently. Approximate damping of the chimes or sloppy LVs for the bells are not an option.
Watch Windows Box in the last two beats of m. 17 ( poco rit. ) Mark one around m. 25 ( rit . / Lento ), and second half of m. 27. ( rit .) (Oh, did I mention to memorize these windows?)
Final Measures Note the changes as shown in the example below: • The G5 chime damps on the rest (b. 4) • I am changing the notes in m. 28 to match those in the original score and have given them a precise rhythm for our massed ringing purpose. Please copy this into your score. • All bells damp gently on beat 2.5 in m. 28 where I have put an R. (I lack the damp symbol on my program)
Your trivia fact for today: The final “s” of Saint-Saëns is actually pronounced.
CORONATION AND TRIUMPHANT EXULTATION mm. 1-18 Rows 1, 2, and 3: Ring only the middle staff (no SB s). Rows 4 & 5: Do SB only. (Do not stop the SB to ring the middle staff.) Pit 3s: Emlee and Scott, please cover the SB . (If either of you prefer not to do this part, please let me know and I’ll reassign it.) All others ring the middle system only. m. 71 Only double the top note. m. 72-90 Note that all the up-stemmed notes are doubled (not just the top note.) m. 92-93 Move the fermata to m. 93. Once the bells have nearly died away we will go directly into m. 94 without a pause. Dynamics m. 3: mark mf between the top two staves m. 14: mark f m. 47: mark mf on b.1 m. 49 mark mp on b.3 m. 53 mark mf on b.1 m. 65 mark pp on b.3 m. 69 mark p on b.1 m. 71 mark pp on b.1 (with immediate cresc . to f in m. 72) m. 95, b.4: mark mf mm. 94-end: Pay very close attention to the dynamic markings, especially the subito mp for treble clef in m. 122.
mm. 138-end Rows 1, 3 & 5 cover chimes. Rows 2 & 4 cover bells. Anyone who is able to ring both chimes and bells can do so where possible, but please do not sacrifice damping in the process.
Counting In Coronation , the down-stemmed bass clef notes have a recurring rhythm which includes two dotted eighth notes. (I love it, Larry!) The example below shows how to count this rhythm. Count it out loud and clap the rhythm. Count it out loud and only clap on 5&. Repeat these steps while ringing. The chord on 5& must be secure, accented and exactly in place. No points will be awarded for simply feeling it, especially if you feel it wrong. :^(
mm. 37-38 There is a mathematical relationship between these two measures. The quarter note in m. 38 equals the dotted eighth note in m. 37. Thus the quarter notes in m. 38 will be the same speed as the dotted eighth note chords in m. 37. If this seems as clear as mud, rest assured that I will clearly conduct the quarter notes in m. 38.
Watch Windows m. 38 and mm. 92-94 (fermata / new tempo)
& (get it?)
LVs & SDs mm. 72-90 Treble up-stems have a significant amount of slow work to do to master the LV and selective damp indications. Start now at a super slow speed. Go for slow, controlled perfection. mm. 94-121 The upper treble voice has a lot of LVs to cope with. Start now working on this slowly, eventually getting it up to tempo.
A few corrections to the score (from Larry): m. 72 2nd C6 is not damped. m. 75 1st G5 should be damped. m. 75 2nd Ab5 should not be damped. m. 76 2nd C6 should not be damped. m. 82 3rd Gb6 should not be damped.
Syncopated notes As you have likely noted, the melodic motif in Triumphant Exultation has numerous syncopated notes, thus happening on the off-beats. Count and ring this slowly. It can be extremely helpful when practicing to remove the ties so you physically feel the strong beat that follows the syncopated note.
It is written like this:
Try ringing it like this, accenting the notes that are on the beat:
Then ring it as written, feeling the accented main beats to help place the syncopated notes.
That’s it for now. Please don’t hesitate to send me your questions as they arise. [email protected]
All the best, Fred