A Composition Written by Light

At the heart of Solstice Bells is a living musical composition shaped by one of the oldest rhythms on Earth: the changing relationship between our planet and the sun.

The piece transforms patterns of daylight into sound. 

Using the latitude of a participant's location and the changing length of daylight throughout the year, the composition generates a unique rhythmic motif and tempo for every place and every moment. No two locations experience the score in exactly the same way.

During spring and autumn, daylight changes rapidly from day to day. As a result, the music becomes more active, with bell strikes occurring more frequently and at faster tempos. These seasonal transitions are especially pronounced at northern latitudes, where the contrast in daylight change creates greater rhythmic variation.

During summer and winter, daylight changes more gradually. Bell strikes become more spacious and contemplative, unfolding at slower tempos with less rhythmic variation. At northern latitudes, where daylight appears to linger near its seasonal extremes, these patterns become even more subtle.

Together, these shifting rhythms create a global musical portrait of Earth's movement through the seasons. What begins as local sound becomes part of a larger composition connecting participants across continents, cultures, and communities.

Participants are invited to perform the work during the solstices and equinoxes, gathering in neighborhoods, schools, temples, churches, concert halls, public squares, and homes. Any bell may be used—carillon bells, handbells, bicycle bells, temple bells, school bells, dinner bells, or bells yet to be imagined.

Solstice Bells draws inspiration from landmark works that transform time, place, and natural systems into music, including:

• The Place Where You Go to Listen by John Luther Adams
• Longplayer by Jem Finer
• January 07003: Bell Studies for the Clock of the Long Now by Brian Eno