Pavillon en l’air

As Printed on a Score

Printed above horn, trumpet, trombone or clarinet parts at the passage where the bells are raised — pavillons en l’air for a section — and in force until an instruction to return to the normal playing position.

Also spelled: pavillons en l’air, pavillon en l'air, pavillons en l'air

How Composers Use It

Raising the bells sends the sound straight at the audience: brighter, more piercing and visibly theatrical. It is a gesture for climaxes and fanfares, the French counterpart of Mahler’s Schalltrichter auf. Players need a moment to lift and lower the instrument, so mark it at the start of a phrase, keep it to loud passages, and mark the return.

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