AParsifal bell (German:Glockenklavier,'bell piano') is astringed musical instrument designed as a substitute for the churchbells that are called for in the score ofRichard Wagner's operaParsifal.[1]
The instrument was designed byFelix Mottl, a conductor of Wagner's works, and constructed by Schweisgut ofKarlsruhe, Germany.[1]
It is constructed on the principle of thegrand piano. A massive frame is shaped like asnooker table. The instrument has five notes; each note has six strings (three are tuned to the fundamental pitch, and three an octave higher). The strings are struck by large hammers, covered with cotton-wool, which the performer sets in motion by a strong elastic blow from their fist,[2] similar to the motion of playing acarillon.
The hammers are attached to arms 22 inches (56 cm) long, which are screwed to a strong wooden span bridge placed horizontally above the strings at about two-fifths of the length from the front. On the point of the arm is the name of the note, and behind this the felt ledge struck by the fist. Two belly bridges and two wrest-plank bridges, one set for each octave, determine the vibrating length of the strings, and the belly bridge, as in other stringed instruments, is the medium through which the vibrations of the strings are communicated to thesoundboard. The arrangement of pegs and wrest-pins is much the same as on the piano.[3]
Difficulties arise whenever a composer writes a piece for orchestra in which he calls for reproducing the effect ofchurch bells. Well-known examples include1812 Overture,The Golden Legend,Cavalleria Rusticana,Pagliacci,Rienzi, andParsifal. The most serious difficulty of all arose inParsifal, where the bells are called for in an extremely solemn scene with deep religious significance. If real church bells were used for the notes Wagner wrote, they would overpower the orchestra and ruin the solemn atmosphere on the stage.[3]
Various substitutes for bells were tried in vain, but no other instrument gave a tone similar to that of church bells. This is because a bell sound consists of rich harmonics composing the clang, plus two distinct simultaneous notes, first the tap tone, which gives the pitch, and thehum tone or lower accompanying note. The dignity and beauty of the bell tone depend on the interval separating the hum from the tap tone.[3]
A stringed instrument, similar to the Parsifal bell but having only four notes, was used atBayreuth for the first performance ofParsifal in 1882, where it was combined withtam-tams orgongs in an attempt to replicate the sound of a church bell. The instrument was built by the Bayreuth-based pianoforte manufacturerSteingraeber & Söhne. After many trials the following combination was adopted as the best makeshift:[3]
In most orchestral music,tubular bells are used when a bell sound is called for.[citation needed] In another special case, a special peal of hemispherical bells was constructed for use in performances of SirArthur Sullivan'scantata,The Golden Legend. Struck with mallets, they produced both tap and hum tone.[3] ButParsifal presented a particular problem because the lowest of theGolden Legend bells was a minor tenth higher than the lowest note required for Parsifal, and the aggregate weight of the four bells was thousands of pounds.[citation needed]
Modern productions ofParsifal typically use a synthesized, or electronically recorded,church bell sound.[citation needed]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Schlesinger, Kathleen (1911). "Parsifal bell-instrument". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 867–868.| Complete operas |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-operatic music | |||||||||
| Writings | |||||||||
| Other opera |
| ||||||||
| Bayreuth Festival | |||||||||
| Wagner family | |||||||||
| Cultural depictions |
| ||||||||
| Named for Wagner | |||||||||
| Related |
| ||||||||
