La Campana della Pace Heiwa no Kane 平和の鐘

6 violins, 2 violas, 2 celli and 1 contrabass (six bells and five paper cranes in the case 2nd ending is performed). The number of strings may be increased as long as a balance is maintained.

Programme notes

La Campana della Pace (or the Peace Bell) is a dense composition written by Robert Casteels for the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. The composition is a journey from darkness to light, from despair to hope. Part one briefly expresses the military preparation under the code name Manhattan Project, the take-off of the bombers, the dropping and explosion of the nuclear bombs, the radiation waves and the ensuing black rain. The musical language of part one is atonal and microtonal. Part two is tonal and consists in a sad chorale questioning the degree of suffering humans inflict on each other. During part three, the music opens up gradually and becomes soothing to lead into a peaceful modal melody. During the whole composition, two rhythmic themes, derived from the exact date, year, and time of the explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The nine letters of Hiroshima are converted into a melodic theme. During the whole composition, a war bell consisting in a dissonant interval tolls forty times and a peace bell consisting in a consonant interval also tolls forty times. The entire music unfolds in 80 gestures, in reference to this year’s 80th anniversary. (Conclusion in case opus 148A is performed) La Campana della Pace ends with texts written by students of the Hiroshima Middle School, the sound of little bells and the sight of symbolic paper cranes. The ultimate message of hope is: Never Again.

Handwritten sketches and drafts

in white cover, A5 size, 100 pages book

Completion of the composition

1-V-2025

Parts

see full score: piano (page 61), violin 1 (page 71), violin 2 (page 79), violin 3 (page 87), violin 4 (page 95), violin 5 (page 103), violin 6 (page 111), alto 1 (page 119), alto 2 (page 127), cello 1 (page 135), cello 2 (page 143) and contrabass (page 151)

Extensive analysis

see page 161 of the full score