I composed Bell Towers for Ann Kosanovic-Brown and the Ensemble Vindobona of Seattle, WA. I have always been captivated by the sound of gongs and bells, and many of my compositions contain bell-peals. The piano is called upon to be the literal bell tower in this composition, while the clarinet and bassoon weave melodies and murmurings in reaction to it. Throughout the first two-thirds of the piece, the piano provides increasingly persistent tolling. At various points the music tries to break out into a chaotic fast movement, but it never really succeeds before the loudest peals bring the whole issue to a climax. Bell towers are often found in churches, so the piece concludes with some down-home Southern gospel. A major influence was Duke Ellington's "Martin Luther King" movement from Three Black Kings. To complete the culture-clash that is America, the gospel tune morphs into a Chopin-esque nocturne as its last reverberations die away. The gospel tune itself is a reworking of a melody from my Bassoon Quartet, so Bell Towers brings my borrowings full-circle.