Lecture: The Bell's Toll and Its Echo

Together with musician and musicologist Yaroslav Timofeev, we explore how the sound of bells moved from Christian temples into the world of modern music. Although bells are associated with churches, over the last hundred years they have been actively used by secular composers. Bell sounds can be heard in compositions by contemporary artists such as “Pink Floyd,” Kanye West, “Piknik,” and Basta. Once, bells were rung by church officials, but Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky rediscovered them as a musical instrument. How did the ringing of bells influence classical and modern music? Yaroslav Timofeev explains this in his lecture. We will hear recordings of various bell sounds and musical works in which they are used. We’ll also delve into the history and myths about bells—for example: how they entered Russian culture and why, specifically in the Russian Empire, the largest bells were created, including the Tsar Bell; how Russian bells differ; how bell ringing affects people and whether bells have healing properties; and how bells are integrated into modern music. Yaroslav Timofeev is a musicologist, lecturer, composer, musician, and host of concerts at the Moscow Philharmonic. He is a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory named after Tchaikovsky, a music critic, and the editor-in-chief of the journal “Musical Academy.” He is also a member of the jury and expert council of the National Theatre Award “Golden Mask,” a keyboard player, and a composer of the group OQJAV.