Floating Bell Preludes

Program Notes

The Floating Bell Preludes (2012) were commissioned by Elizabeth Hainen & the Lyra Society, and premiered by JiHyun Wu in Philadelphia, PA. In the first prelude, "Circles," the right hand plays a repetitive figure, cycling again and again while the left hand dips above and below; then, the hands meet briefly in the middle, playing a flowing cadenza, before returning to the patterns, only this time with their roles reversed. In the second prelude, "Toccata," the harp sings melodically with bright accented lines, yet all the while, the hands are imitating one another with complex undercurrents of counterpoint beneath. I gave the piece its title because of the arresting sound of harp harmonics, which ring like gentle bells, hovering through the air, before melting away.

— Daniel Temkin