Benoît-Joseph and Marcel
Chamber Orchestra - Digital Sheet Music

With their many overtones and unconventional harmonic series, the sound of church bells are both mysterious and awe-inspiring to the ear. Even those who are not musically trained are captivated by the way their reverberate tone penetrates the space around them. To this end, I was inspired to write this piece after visiting the Notre Dam in Paris, France. I was lucky enough to be atop one of its towers when two bells started ringing, one through a wall right next to me and the other on the far side of the church. I was amazed that only two notes could produce such rich harmonies and variety of timbres. Upon later research, I discovered the two bells I heard that day are named Benoît-Joseph and Marcel and it is their fundamental notes of D# and F# that I have based this work upon.

In composing Benoît-Joseph and Marcel, I was faced with the challenge of creating a constantly engaging work with just two notes. To overcome this, I replicated the rhythmical phasing of the church bells in a lilting ostinato first presented by the brass and woodwinds at measure 5. I also focused on shifting the timbral colours throughout this motif to achieve the undulating quality of the bells’ tone. With respect to the character of the work, I strived to capture the majesty and drama of the church’s physical appearance and its emanating aura of antiquity.