Taken from: http://www.arvopart.org/tintinnabulation.html
"Tintinnabulation is a word "which evokes the pealing of bells, the bells' complex but rich sonorous mass of overtones, the gradual unfolding of patterns implicit in the sound itself, and the idea of a sound that is simultaneously static and in flux." Pärt explains the term this way: 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. . . . The three notes of a triad are like bells. And that is why I call it tintinnabulation."
I love this idea of the church bells being both static and flux. This is something i can easily relate to. They stop you in your tracks to a moment of deeper questioning, you become transfixed. But they also have the gift of bringing joy and memories that flood back into you. This notion proves how poignant bells are, that these great composers have sought after them and their structure to bring something unique and important to their work.
"Tintinnabulation is a word "which evokes the pealing of bells, the bells' complex but rich sonorous mass of overtones, the gradual unfolding of patterns implicit in the sound itself, and the idea of a sound that is simultaneously static and in flux." Pärt explains the term this way: 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. . . . The three notes of a triad are like bells. And that is why I call it tintinnabulation."
I love this idea of the church bells being both static and flux. This is something i can easily relate to. They stop you in your tracks to a moment of deeper questioning, you become transfixed. But they also have the gift of bringing joy and memories that flood back into you. This notion proves how poignant bells are, that these great composers have sought after them and their structure to bring something unique and important to their work.