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7 - Bells as inspiration for tintinnabulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2012

Andrew Shenton
Affiliation:
Boston University
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Summary

Many descriptions have been employed by musicians and popular media to characterize the austere, timeless qualities of tintinnabuli. Being both a spiritual and artistic métier, its most quintessential declaration is often quoted from Arvo Pärt himself: “The three notes of a triad are like bells. And that is why I called it tintinnabulation.” What Pärt describes as something “like bells” is a musical essence that transcends its own comparison. The full reference from his debut ECM recording provides us with a fuller context:

Tintinnabulation is an area I sometimes wander into when I am searching for answers – in my life, my music, my work. In my dark hours, I have the certain feeling that everything outside this one thing has no meaning. The complex and many-faceted only confuses me, and I must search for unity. What is it, this one thing, and how do I find my way to it? Traces of this perfect thing appear in many guises – and everything that is unimportant falls away. Tintinnabulation is like this. Here I am alone with silence. I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note, or a silent beat, or a moment of silence, comforts me. I work with very few elements – with one voice, with two voices. I build with the most primitive materials – with the triad, with one specific tonality. The three notes of a triad are like bells. And that is why I called it tintinnabulation.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

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