Die Glöcke

12 Unaccompanied Solos for Glockenspiel

Die Glöcke ("The Bell" in German) is a delightfully unique collection of solos for unaccompanied glockenspiel. The 12 pieces total over 30 minutes of music and may be mixed & matched to create whatever duration & assortment of styles suits your needs.

Program Notes

Die Glöcke was commissioned by percussionist Timothy Shuster and the piece is dedicated to him. The title in German means “The Bell,” which is a fitting title for a solo glockenspiel composition. It is also the name of one of Germany's supposed “Wunderwaffe” (Miracle Weapon) devices which is associated with Nazi Occultism, antigravity, and free energy research. I became more interested in composing music that was more tonally centered and wrote 12 movements for a total of 30 minutes of music or a song cycle for glockenspiel. Performers may feel free to mix and match the pieces or only perform several movements at a time.

Grade Level: 4; 5
Copyright: 2021
Number of Players: 1
Duration: 32:30 total
Publisher: C. Alan Publications
Category: Solo Works

Listen to Recordings

Instrumentation

Glockenspiel (3.3-octave, C3 to E6)

With some octave displacement, most of the solos are playable on the more standard 2.5-octave model.