RE: 25 th Anniversary Composition Contest Dear Composer: In 1990, a group of church handbell directors in the Portland area desired to push the art of handbell ringing outside what was typically possible in the church setting. Wanting to ring a greater variety of music, both in style and complexity, and expose the instrument to a wider audience, they formed Bells of the Cascades with the mission of advancing the art of handbells through performance and education. Twenty-five years later, Bells of the Cascades is still elevating the art of handbells and is asking for your help. While still a predominantly church instrument, there are more and more community handbell groups looking for music beyond arrangements or transcriptions of traditional hymns and well-known tunes. The number of composers writing specifically for handbells has increased in the last twenty-five years, but there can be more. This limited group of composers means the chances of having your composition read by Bells of the Cascades, and possibly selected as the winner, is higher than if you were composing for other instruments. Handbell ringing is the ultimate in ensemble playing multiple hands playing one instrument and striving to play with the consistency and finesse of a single person. This, and other, characteristics of handbells present unique opportunities that keep us ringing. They also present distinctive challenges to composers. We invite you to explore these challenges. Enclosed are the 25 th Anniversary Composition Contest Rules and a set of composition guidelines especially geared to the novice handbell composer. The rules must be strictly followed. The guidelines will help you create a piece that fits within the judging criteria. Our intent is to encourage your creativity to compose a piece that is as unique as the instrument on which it will be played. We look forward to your submission. Sincerely, Brian Parrott President Bells of the Cascades Encls. PO Box 151, Tualatin, OR 97062 www.bellsofthecascades.org
Bells of the Cascades Composition Contest 25th Anniversary Season Bells of the Cascades, a community handbell ensemble from the Portland, Oregon Metro Area, seeks original compositions or new arrangements to celebrate its 25th year as Oregon s premiere handbell ensemble. We re looking for forward-thinking music that is idiomatic to handbell ensembles, appealing for its listeners, and challenging for its ringers. Winning compositions will be premiered at Bells of the Cascades concert on October 10, 2015. Deadline for submission: January 31, 2015 Prizes: First Place $1000 Second Place $500 Send your submission and cover letter to: David Jordan, Bells of the Cascades Composition Contest Monitor daev.jordan@gmail.com Bells of the Cascades Composition Contest 25 NW 23Rd Place, Suite 6 6-100 Portland, Oregon 97210 Rules and Guidelines for Composition Contest 1. Submission Format A. Provide a cover letter with the contestant s personal information including name, address, email address, and telephone number. No personal identification should appear anywhere on the manuscript. B. The composition should be presented with standard handbell notation in portrait format (see notation guidelines below). C. Include a Bells/Chimes Used Chart and a list of auxiliary percussion instruments used. D. For new arrangements of pre-existing repertory, provide documentation verifying that the original work is now in public domain or that the arranger has been granted permission by the copyright holder to make and to publish a new arrangement. E. Inclusion of an audio recording - either with live performers or a midi-playback - is preferred, though not required. Recordings may be submitted electronically via email or burned to a compact disc and included with the submission. Do not include any personal identification on the audio submission. F. Submissions must be postmarked by 1.31.2015. G. Previously published works, works that have been performed in concert, or works under consideration for publication are not eligible. 2. Content (see addendum for guidelines for effective handbell writing) A. Submissions are to be written for performance on 5 octaves of bells (C3 through C8). B. Compositions may include 6 octaves of choirchimes (handchimes) (C2 to C8). C. Compositions may include handheld percussion, up to 13 players (combined ringers and percussion).
D. The duration of submitted compositions should be between 4 and 8 minutes in length. E. Submissions may be of any level of difficulty. F. Submissions may be either original compositions or arrangements. 3. Judging A. Submissions postmarked by 1.31.2015 will be reviewed and evaluated by a panel of judges including Music Director, David York, and other reputable musicians. Compositions that meet a suitable standard for consideration will be reproduced and read by Bells of the Cascades. B. A slate of five pieces will be selected for a public reading in the Spring of 2015. The reading session will be recorded and finalists will be provided with a copy of their composition s reading. Finalists are welcome and encouraged to attend. C. Winners will be selected by the current ringers of Bells of the Cascades using the following criteria: 1. Creativity / Originality 2. Musicality 3. Playability 4. Accessibility (Audience Appeal) 5. Effectiveness in advancing the art of handbell ringing D. Winners will be announced at the Bells of the Cascades concert on April 25, 2015. E. Members, former members, and Associates of Bells of the Cascades are not eligible to enter this composition competition. F. If Bells of the Cascades performs any of the submissions not awarded first or second place, an Honorable Mention and a $100 cash award will be given to the composer. 4. Bells of the Cascades reserves the right: A. to give the first performance of any composition submitted; B. to withhold awards if, in the opinion of the judges and the ringers, there are no worthy submissions; C. to make and retain necessary copies of all submitted compositions; D. to request or to make changes to the compositions subject to the composer s approval. In the case of an unresolved artistic dispute, Bells of the Cascades may opt to withhold the award. E. to record the submission in audio and/or video format and to distribute the recordings via sample CDs, Bells of the Cascades website, YouTube, and other social media without any additional payment. 5. Composer has the right: A. to own the copyright for the composition and to submit the composition for publication. If published, any prize-winning composition (including Honorable Mentions) shall include the phrase 2015 Bells of the Cascades 25th Anniversary Composition Contest Winner in the dedication line with the appropriate award designation. B. to receive a copy of the archive recording of a performance of their piece if it is performed by Bells of the Cascades; C. to receive a complete list of submission titles, composers names, and the winners. 2 Bells of the Cascades 25th Anniversary Composition Competition
Bells of the Cascades - Composition Guidelines - by David York 1 of 2 These guidelines have been prepared to assist composers who might be unfamiliar with handbells. Get a copy of Handbell Notation, Difficulty Level System, Solo and Ensemble Notation published by the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers (www.handbellmusicians.org) and follow its guidelines on notation standards and techniques. For this composition contest, composers should limit their range of handbells to five octaves: C3 to C8 (C5 = middle C in notation and sounds an octave higher; C8 sounds like the top note of the piano). This constitutes 32 diatonic pitches (plus their corresponding accidentals) and which are played by an ensemble of 13 people. Six octaves of handchimes are available (C2 to C8). Bass Bells - C3 to B3 (2 ringers) Bass bells are heavy. They take more time to move, and are slower to speak than the higher bells. Therefore, quarter notes at 96 bpm should be considered VERY fast for this range (unless played with mallets). By alternating the scale pattern, two people can cover this part of the handbell range in most circumstances; however, other players may be added depending on the demands of the music. It is not the composer s task to designate who plays which pitches; the players will decide how the bells will be arranged on the table and who will play which notes. The Battery - C4 to B5 (7 ringers) The mid-range of the choir is usually played with each ringer holding one bell at a time in each hand. Treble Bells - C6 to C8 (4 ringers) The small treble bells can be played with two bells in each hand making it possible for four ringers to cover two octaves of pitches. Using various techniques, skillful ringers can hold two bells in each hand and sound one bell at a time or both together. Most often the bells in the top octave (D7 to C8) are doubled with the same pitches an octave lower. However, other bell assignments may also be used depending on the demands of the music (see chromatics below). Generally speaking, think of the upper two octaves as doubled or with only one of the two octaves sounding at a time. Contrapuntal writing across the two octaves or using different articulations, dynamics, or ringing techniques for each of the two octaves would most likely require a reassignment of the bells. Handchimes Compared to the rich overtones of handbells, the tone of handchimes is purer and softer in dynamics, and has a longer decay time. Because their timbre is so distinct, handchimes provide a soothing contrast to the brilliance of the handbells. The two sets of instruments may be played simultaneously for a fuller sound. The lowest chimes (C2 to G3, often mounted on a rack and played with mallets) require several seconds for the sound to mature enough to be heard. They should not be assigned fast moving passages or notes of short duration. The treble handchimes (C6-C8) can be played 4-in-hand (two pitches in each hand), though not as quickly as handbells. Composing for handbells comes with a set of challenges unlike that which occurs for any other musical ensemble. Although all of the ringers read from a complete score, each person plays only two notes in scalular succession and their accidentals. Generally speaking, they are assigned notes with the space note as the lower of their pitches, most often played with their left hand and the higher note on the adjacent line played with their right hand. The sheet music looks similar to a piano score; however, middle C (and the C# above middle C) and all notes below are written in the bass clef, and the Db above middle C and higher are written in treble clef. Handbells are a transposing instrument; they sound one octave higher than notated. Composing for this many-handed, multi-brained musical instrument requires heightened sensitivity for how the music will be executed. Creating melodic contour at fast tempos is challenging. Beyond the courage, mental acuity, and physical dexterity needed to insert individual notes into a running passage that sweeps across the tables, achieving uniform dynamics throughout the line, or creating dynamic nuances requires considerable skill and practice. No one ever plays a line; the tune is always shared. Furthermore, the function of each pitch can change in a heart-beat. What was melodic in one moment - 4/14/14
Bells of the Cascades - Composition Guidelines - by David York 2 of 2 with its own code of dynamics, articulation, and damping - could in the next instant serve a harmonic function with a wholly different mode of playing. In both cases, ensemble awareness is critical, while trusting one s colleagues to play their notes precisely at the right time so that the momentum for each player s swing can be predicted. It s as if the tempo itself is a giant hacky sack being passed from player to player in various directions all at the same time, or a group of friends engaging in an elaborate 3- legged race with 13 people galloping down the hill. Decoding the puzzle of the music, strategically assigning parts, figuring out the most efficient patterns for playing all the notes, and putting in the drill and repetitions for the ringers to move in tandem are all inherent conditions in the culture of handbell choirs. A significant source of joy in playing handbells is working out these elements and mastering their execution. Even so, there are things that composers can do and avoid doing to help the ringers be optimally successful. THINGS TO KNOW about handbell ensembles Sharing Bells Rigid application of conventional handbell technique would have C#5 and Db5 (the same bell) played by different people. Players are accustomed to sharing bells by placing them on the table and picking them up as needed, and exceptions are commonplace. Chromatics Bass: It takes a lot of table space to accommodate the bass bells in half-step intervals; it better be worth it Battery: Playing chromatic passages in the mid-range involves putting down and picking up bells, and using the table to damp the bells. Sometimes it involves a technique called weaving - playing a succession of bells by changing which bell is in each hand. Quarter notes at 120 bpm should be considered fast for this technique. Treble: As noted, the treble bells can play four-in-hand, and though this technique is most commonly used for doubling the highest octave, it can also be used to play four distinct pitches such as Eb6/E6, F6/F#6. It s possible for virtuosic ringers to play these pitches very quickly (sixteenth notes at a quarter = 90); however, slower tempos will produce more reliable results. Voicing Close-position chords sound full and robust in bells. Open position, by comparison, sound thin. Stacked, diatonic clusters also work well. However, the rich overtones of the bells in combination with their high range cause some jazz chords or romantic harmonic writing to sound more dissonant than when heard on the piano or in other instrumental ensembles. Dynamics Compared to many instruments, handbells are fairly quiet at a distance. Despite this limit in overall volume, their dynamic range can be used to great effect when meticulously marked in the score. An effective approach to creating dynamic contrast is to write thick textures for more volume and thinner textures to sound softer. The higher bells can penetrate the sound palette at any volume, so giving them a rest in order to feature the lower bells can provide the ear a brief respite. Articulations / Ringing Techniques Make use of common handbell techniques to build in variety and to hold the listener s attention: such as thumb damps, ring touches, tower swings, martellato techniques (striking the handbell horizontally on a padded table), mallet techniques, shakes, and echoes to name a few. Page Layout Use a large print. It many cases the music will be read from as far as three feet away. Number every measure. Be attentive to page turns, forcing them early if necessary in order to end the page with a sustained chord that will allow the ringers time to free one of their hands for turning. Always provide a bells used chart and a chimes used chart. 4/14/14