For Whom the Bell Tolls (2016)
PURCHASE SCORE
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Concert Band // 5:30
Premiere: April 2016 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Commissioned by World Projects for the 2016 Washington D.C. International Music Festival
Program Notes:
For Whom the Bell Tolls, written for the Cerritos High School Wind Symphony, is a tribute to the many Americans affected, either directly or tacitly, by senseless gun violence. Only about an hour from San Bernardino, many members of the Cerritos community were personally affected by the tragic event that took place there in December, 2015. Even those not directly associated with a mass shooting must come to terms with the reality that such violence occurs so regularly in our country. The Gun Violence Archive has verified that, in 2015 alone, 330 mass shootings took place across the United States. For Whom the Bell Tolls takes the listener through a universal mourning process – one of introspection, reflection, a build-up of emotion, and hope for better times to come. The lament is framed by the tolling of a bell, reminding us of the infinite toll that these tragic events have on real lives and on our collective psyche.
**Requires 3 percussionists
1 - Timpani, Glockenspiel
2 - Cymbal, Snare Drum, Tenor Drum, Bass Drum
3 - Chimes