The Bells
The Bells(exerpt) for SATB choir (2008). Text: Edgar Allen Poe. Duration: [4']
The text of this work is excerpted from Edgar Allen Poe’s poem of the same title. In typical Poe fashion, he starts off with subject matter that can be light and playful (sleigh bells) and moves toward darker themes. By the end of the poem we reach iron bells tolling death peals. Each voice section plays off the others, just as ringing bells overlap and complement each other. The sectional work of the poem is reflected in the music, each section growing denser and more dissonant until the coda, with a brief echo of the opening theme.
