Tubular Bells

The tubular bells are a musical instrument, specifically, it is a percussion metal idiophone. Their sound is similar to that of church bells, carillons or a bell tower. They are called tubular bells because, in fact, their sound is similar to that of church bells, which they tried to emulate. It was a way to avoid bringing the large and impractical original bells to the orchestra.

Each bell is a metal tube, 30-38 millimeters (1.2-1.5 in) in diameter, tapered by altering its length. Their standard range is middle C–F, although many professional instruments reach G. Tubular bells are often replaced by studio bells, which are a smaller and generally less expensive instrument. Study bells are similar in appearance to tubular bells, but each bell has a smaller diameter than the corresponding bell in tubular bells.

Tubular bells are 18 hollow metal tubes (copper or brass) that are suspended from a frame. These tubes are struck with one or two mallets. The tube is always hit in its upper section. To stop the sound, either a bar or a pedal is used.

Each bell (tube) has a different length, in order to offer different notes. It allows tuning, so it is a specific sound instrument.n

Classical music

Tubular bells first appeared between 1860 and 1870 in Paris. The Englishman John Harrington patented tubular bells made of bronze. Arthur Sullivan may have been the first composer to set a part for tubular bells in the orchestra, in 1886. At the beginning of the 20th century, tubular bells were also incorporated into theater organs for effect.

Tubular bells, as substitutes for church bells, were first used by Giuseppe Verdi in his operas The Troubadour (1853) and A Masked Ball (1859) and by Giacomo Puccini in Tosca (1900).

Another work that would make use of them and that would be more famous was the Overture 1812 by the composer Tchaikovsky, because in the climax tubular bells are used to represent church bells proclaiming that He has won the war against France.

Passages in classical music:

• Giuseppe Verdi - Rigoletto (1851)
• Giuseppe Verdi - Il trovatore (1853)
• Giuseppe Verdi - A ball in maschera (1859)
• Modest Músorgski - Borís Godunov (1869, 1872, 1874)
• Piotr Ilich Chaikovski – Obertura 1812 (1880)
• Pietro Mascagni - Cavalleria rusticana (1890)
• Ruggero Leoncavallo – The Bajazzo (1892)
• Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 2 (1895).
• Giacomo Puccini - Tosca (1900)
• Aleksandr Skriabin - The poem of ecstasy (1908)
• Anton Webern – Six pieces for large orchestra (1909–10, revised in 1928)
• Claude Debussy - Ibéria (1910)
• Gustav Holst - The Planets (suite) (1914-16)
• Giacomo Puccini - Turandot (1926)
• Edgard Varèse - Ionisation (1931)
• Richard Strauss - Die schweigsame Frau (1935)
• Paul Hindemith - Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber (1944)
• Benjamin Britten - Albert Herring (1945)
• Aaron Copland – Symphony No. 3 (1946)
• Olivier Messiaen - Turangalila Symphony (1946-48)
• Carl Orff - Antigonae (1949)
• Dmitri Shostakóvich – Symphony No. 11 (1957)
• Olivier Messiaen - Chronochromie (1959–60)
• Daron Hagen— Shining Brow (1993)

Popular music

Mike Oldfield would make them famous in the 20th century with his Tubular Bells from 1973. The production of this instrument skyrocketed, given the demand generated by collectors and other artists, who included the invention in many subsequent creations.

Extension

Its basic extension goes from the middle C of the piano (C3) to the G of an octave higher (G4). However, there are large models that go down to la2, and even to sol2, and go up to do5.