Note from Emily: Hey guys, we at N4F have been looking for new scene reporters, and I think we’ve found one who fits! The following article is from Rachel Allen, who recently attended a Music City Bronze concert. Here it is in all its awesomeness:
It is no secret to those who know me that I am a handbell junkie. I’ve played since I was 9 (I’m 23 now, so you do the math.) I youtube handbell videos. I have a youtube video of my church handbell choir. I will shamelessly brag to anyone that one time I handled 14 bells for one song. So when the opportunity arose for my first N4F blog to be about a handbell performance, I jumped all over it.
Music City Bronze is “Nashville’s Premier Community Handbell Ensemble.” They performed at Andrew Price Memorial United Methodist Church on Monday the 14th as well as several other churches in Nashville earlier this month. The performance was set for 7:00 p.m., so naturally it started at 7:05. (That’s just how we Methodists roll.)
Usually by this time of the year, my Christmas spirit is putting everyone else’s to shame. I love Christmas. This year, however, I’m falling a little bit behind. I’m not listening to all Christmas music all the time. We only have one 3-foot fiber-optic Christmas tree set up in our apartment as opposed to our 2 traditional trees last year. And walking into the church in 67 degree weather certainly wasn’t helping.
But all of that was about to change. As soon as they started playing, I was dazzled! Did you know you could be dazzled by handbells? Everything about this choir was beautiful. The pieces they chose, the arrangements, their technique, their form (yes, there is proper form!) Among my favorites were “I saw Three Ships”, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy.” Before each piece, the conductor gave a little background to each song. Did you know “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is the oldest Christmas carol written? Me either.
There were so many components that made this such a great performance. Their octave range was enormous. They had bells as small as my pinky and as big as my face. They also used chimes in some pieces, which resonate beautifully with the bells. The different techniques they used gave their pieces dimension. And even to a trained ear, they didn’t seem to miss a beat.
Turns out I don’t need snow, hot chocolate or an excessive amount of Christmas trees to put me in the Christmas spirit. All I need is a little bit of time to myself to just listen to what Christmas has to offer.
-Rachel
