Dictionary of Music - Birding America

38 bell chimesize, weight, and other physical characteristics) andthe overtones of that pitch, which in bells of thehighest quality are accurately tuned to the basicpitch and account for the instrument’s ringing quality.The church bells used today tend to be verylarge, weighing anywhere from 5,000 to 15,000pounds. The largest bell ever made was the “TsarinaKolokol” of Moscow (kolokol is the Russian wordfor bell), which was cast in 1734 and destroyed in afire only three years later; it weighed about 432,000pounds and was 22 feet in diameter.Hand bells, equipped with a handle so they canbe shaken (or stationary, so they can be tapped withthe hand), are made in tuned sets. Ranging from sixto sixty or so in number, they can sound anywherefrom a short scale to a full five chromatic octaves.Hand bells are used by a group of four to fifteenringers, each of whom holds one or two bells (andmay switch to still other bells). Hand-bell ringinghas been popular in Europe off and on since the thirteenthcentury. It is especially popular in England,and has come from there to North America.Small hand bells are sometimes used in the percussionsection of the orchestra for special effects.Mahler in his Symphony no. 4 called for sleighbells,and in Symphony no. 6 for cowbells. Moreoften, however, the bells used in the orchestra areactually metal tubes hung from hooks, which arestruck with a hammer. (See BELL CHIME; CARILLON,def. 1; CHANGE RINGING; CHIMES; COWBELL;GLOCKENSPIEL; GONG.)2 The bell-shaped, flaring opening of windinstruments, such as the clarinet, oboe, and trumpet.The shape of the bell affects the instrument’s tonequality. A wide opening, as in a French horn, makesfor a mellow tone, while a narrow opening, as in atrumpet, creates a more brilliant (shrill) tone.bell chime A set of bells tuned to various pitchesand suspended on a rack. Used in the Middle Agesand still popular in Asia, they resemble the tubularbells of the modern orchestra (see under CHIMES, def.1) but are bell-shaped and may be sounded from theinside by a clapper or from the outside with a mallet.Bellini (bel lē′nē), Vincenzo (vin chen′dzō),1801–1835. An Italian composer rememberedmainly for three of his eleven operas, Norma, LaSonnambula (“The Sleepwalker”), and I Puritani diScozia (“The Puritans of Scotland”). His music isnoted for its lyrical expressiveness, well suited forthe bel canto style of singing so popular in the earlynineteenth century.bell lyre See GLOCKENSPIEL, def. 2.bells1 See CHIMES. 2 See GLOCKENSPIEL.belly Also, soundboard, table, top. The upper surfaceof the body of a stringed instrument, such as theguitar, violin, or lute, over which the strings arestretched.ben (ben) Italian: “well.” A word used in suchdirections as ben marcato (ben′ mär kä′tô; “wellaccented”), and ben sostenuto (ben′sôs′′ te noo — ′tô;“well held” or “well sustained”).Benedictus (be′′ne dik′too s) Latin: “blessed.” 1The second part of the Sanctus of the RomanCatholic Mass (see MASS), which is set to the textBenedictus qui venit in nomine Domini (“Blessed ishe who comes in the name of the Lord”). Composersoften treat this section as a separate movement. Seealso SERVICE. 2 The concluding canticle of theRoman Catholic OFFICE of Lauds, Benedictus DominusDeus Israel (“Blessed be the Lord God ofIsrael,” from the Gospel of St. Luke).berceuse (ber sŒz′) French: “lullaby.” A titleoften used for an instrumental piece (for piano,some other instrument, or orchestra) that suggeststhe smooth, regular rhythm of a rocking cradle. Suchpieces are generally in 6/8 meter and moderatetempo. A notable example is Chopin’s Berceuse op.57, for piano. See also LULLABY.Berg (berg), Alban (äl′bän), 1885–1935. AnAustrian composer who became known, along withAnton Webern, as one of Schoenberg’s chief disciples.From his teacher, Berg learned to composeatonal music, that is, music in which a tonal center isavoided. The principal method developed for atonalmusic was the twelve-tone technique, in which all