Campane

As Printed on a Score

Labels tubular bells (Campane, Campane tubolari), or real church bells where those are meant, on a treble-clef staff at written pitch; the needed pitches are often listed at the head of the part, since each tube sounds only one note. Camp. may also stand for campanelli (glockenspiel), so the first-system label decides.

Also spelled: Campane tubolari, Glocken

How Composers Use It

Orchestral tubular bells cover about an octave and a half from middle C and imitate church bells; their complex overtones can make the pitch sound lower than written. Each tube rings a long time, so mark the damper or l.v., and expect fast passages to blur. Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and Puccini’s Tosca use bells for their ceremonial or sacred associations; large real bells are rarely practical, so write for the orchestral set.

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