A Bell Left Under Snow

The bell was real, though not as old as Mara claimed. It came from a school cupboard, wrapped in a green towel, with a crack running from lip to shoulder. During rehearsal it would sound once and then refuse to settle. The players began leaving room around that bad note. Soon the room was the composition.

We recorded in a wooden hall while snow worked against the roof. Clarinet, viola and bass moved in breaths; the percussion was a bow drawn around the bell's rim. On the final morning the weather cleared. They kept the take from the storm. You hear four players listening as hard as they play.