Herdenglocken

As Printed on a Score

Labels cowbells in German scores (Herdenglocken; Herdengeläute in Strauss), usually on a single line whose notes only suggest a rhythm. Mahler adds a note in the Sixth Symphony asking for a discreet, realistic imitation of a grazing herd heard from a distance.

Also spelled: Herdengeläute

How Composers Use It

These are alpine herd bells with clappers, shaken rather than struck; Mahler uses them in his Sixth and Seventh Symphonies, and Strauss in An Alpine Symphony, as the sound of distant mountain pastures. Write them as a texture rather than a rhythm, place them offstage if you want distance, and keep them soft: the point is atmosphere, not percussion.

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