Ship's bell
A bronze bell aboard a ship, occasionally used as a sound source in orchestral music (e.g. Britten).
What it means
The ship's bell is a small to medium-sized bronze bell that serves aboard ship to indicate time and as a signal. It is struck with a clapper guided on a short line. Its sound is bright, clear, and far-carrying, with a clearly audible strike tone and a long decay. In the orchestra it counts among the percussion instruments with determinable but not freely choosable pitch: one takes the bell one has, and the score at most gives an approximate register.
In the notation
It is notated in the percussion line, often with a word indication instead of an exact pitch, because the available instrument determines the note. Rhythmic figures are written out precisely, especially when a signal-like character is meant. A tie or laissez vibrer indicates that the sound is to ring on.
Musical use
In music, the ship's bell almost always serves to designate a place or a situation: it evokes the idea of ship, harbour, and sea, similarly to how an anvil or cowbell points to other contexts. Twentieth-century composers use it in operas and incidental music when the setting has to do with seafaring. Musically it works like a signal: its sound stands outside the orchestral texture and interrupts it rather than blending in — precisely herein lies its effect.
Performance practice
Strike the rim, not the centre, with the clapper or a suitable mallet, and let the bell hang freely, so that it can vibrate. Check before the performance whether the pitch fits the surrounding harmonies; if the note is disturbing, another bell can be the better solution, if the score prescribes no fixed pitch. Damp with the hand at the rim if the decay is not to reach into the next section. Watch the suspension, for contact with the frame produces extraneous noise.
Bear in mind that bells decay for a very long time and the sound has an indeterminate but clearly audible pitch: check before the performance whether it fits the surrounding harmonies, and choose another instrument if necessary, provided the score prescribes no pitch. Plan the damping rhythmically precisely. With staged use, clarify the position, because the sound works differently from the set than from the pit.