The Piano as Kolokola, Glocken and Cloches: performing and extending the European traditions of bell-inspired piano music.

Abstract

Kolokola, Glocken and Cloches, collectively known as bells in Russian, German and French respectively, are embedded in music emanating from these European traditions. This performance-based project has been the first to explore the traditions of bell sounds in these regions and their significance for piano repertoire, and investigates the technical and interpretative challenges faced by pianists when simulating bell sounds. In the context of piano performance, this research explores pianistic and compositional techniques by identifying links and similarities when recreating bell sounds between various composers from Eastern, Central and Western Europe. It addresses ways of communicating the varying harmonic and rhythmic bell effects of the Russian, German and French traditions, and suggests how pianists can best interpret the bell sonorities represented in each work utilising pedalling, articulation, touch and chord balancing techniques. Being the first study of its kind to explore technical aspects of reproducing various bell sonorities between these three regions through piano performance, this research aims to enhance the field of pianistic performance technique and to aid performers with the interpretation of bell sounds and pianistic bell sonorities, both explicit and implicit. The primary outcome of this project is a collection of four CDs of recorded performances, and the collection is supported by an explanatory exegesis. The CD recordings include works for solo piano and two pianos by: Mussorgsky, Borodin, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Liszt, Wagner, Debussy, Blumenfeld, Franck, Ravel, Messiaen, Murail, Enescu, and Bodman Rae.