Tubular Bells

As Printed on a Score

Labels the bells line (Tubular Bells; Chimes in American scores), written in treble clef over about an octave and a half from middle C. Plain Bells can mean tubular bells in British usage but glockenspiel (orchestra bells) in American, so check the range. l.v. or a tie to nothing lets a stroke ring; damper-pedal use is marked in words.

Abbreviations: Tu. Be.

Also spelled: Chimes

How Composers Use It

Tubular bells evoke church bells, ceremony and alarm, and their long ring blurs quick figures, so write sparing, widely spaced strokes and let each one decay. Their pitch is clear but can seem ambiguous in octave, and a standard set lacks the deep notes of church bells, so very low bell sounds need other means. Mark damping when the harmony changes underneath.

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