Every summer, more than a hundred handbell ringers from around the world travel to northern Michigan.
They're attending the Bay View Week of Handbells, held for five days every year by the Bay View Association.
It's a highly desirable event for ringers to get to participate in. Although it's self-selected and not auditioned, all musicians are expected to be at a very high skill level.
Classical IPR spoke with Catherine McMichael, a composer and handbell musician from Saginaw who has been a ringer at Bay View for the last 16 years.
The handbells in the choir at Bay View span several octaves, from tiny treble bells to enormous bass handbells that weigh fifteen pounds or more.
Nearly all ringers are responsible for just two bells (or two notes), but those bells combine with dozens of others to create the ensemble's sound.
Although the participants are asked to rank their preferred pitches or ranges in order, they may end up playing in a different range than what they requested.
"A good ringer should be able to ring almost the entire range," McMichael said. There are a few exceptions; for example, a person with bad shoulders probably shouldn't ring the bass bells.
This year, McMichael is ringing F5 and G5, which are treble bells, but not the highest end of the range.
"The highest bells are probably the hardest positions to ring because their parts are so intricate and busy," she explained.
These higher bells use a technique called "four-in-hand," which is actually a bit of a misnomer because the ringer actually holds two bells in each hand. (see a tutorial video for this technique below)
Even though most ringers are only responsible for two notes, they may have more than fifteen items in front of them during a performance.
In addition to their bells, ringers have chimes, mallets, dowels and other accessories.
Even if a ringer is only responsible for two notes, it doesn't mean they can just zone out during the performance and tune in only when it's their turn.
"Really good ringers know what's happening even when they're not ringing," McMichael said. "The melody might be cascading down, or the rhythm section might be jumping up to you. You've got to be playing the piece even when you're not playing your bells."
The scores look like piano scores, so all ringers can see what everyone is doing and not just their own parts. (see a score and performance in the video below)
"You have to pick your notes out of that thorny bush of notes that's stacked up all around you," McMichael explained. "You have to be aware of growth or decline in the sound, and you're part of this flow that's going through you. You can't just whack your note!"
Because each ringer is responsible for just two notes, it means there is no backup if they can't or won't play.
"Everybody has to step into their part and play it," McMichael said. "That's a personality of courage and collaboration that I love."
McMichael is also a composer and arranger for many different types of music, including handbells.
She said there's little different in composing for handbells compared to other types of instruments because she approaches a new piece with two main questions.
"First, what's it going to be about?" she said. "The second is to find a theme, either a melodic theme or a motivic theme."
For her, most music for handbells can't translate to other instruments.
"Handbells are percussion instruments," McMichael said. "What they do best is resonate. If you can imagine a crystal rain shower, that's what bells can do that you can't find in any other instrument in an orchestra or a band."
This year's Bay View Week of Handbells final concert takes place in John M. Hall Auditorium on Thursday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
