Campana in aria

As Printed on a Score

Printed over a horn, trumpet, trombone or reed part at the passage to be played with the bell raised; it lasts until a direction restores the normal position. The German equivalent, Schalltrichter auf, is more common in late-Romantic scores.

How Composers Use It

Raising the bell throws the sound straight at the audience, adding bite and visual drama — strongest on horns, whose bells normally face away. It is a fortissimo gesture for climaxes; Mahler asks it of oboes and clarinets as well as brass. Give players a moment to lift, and expect some loss of control in soft or fast music.

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