Tubular bells
Tuned, freely hanging metal tubes struck with a hammer; imitate church bells.
What it means
Tubular bells are a pitched percussion instrument: a row of long metal tubes, tuned chromatically and hung in a frame, struck with a hammer at the top end. Their sound is bright, long-ringing and reminiscent of pealing church bells.
Musical use
In the orchestra, tubular bells are used mainly when a work calls for the sound of church bells, for example in opera, program music or film scores. Tubular bells are distinct from actual church bells, whose huge cast bells are impractical in an orchestra, and from the glockenspiel, whose smaller metal bars produce a brighter, shorter and less booming sound.
Performance practice
Let a struck tube ring on as freely as possible and only dampen it deliberately with your hand when the score calls for the sound to be cut off quickly.