Mediant Studies

TUBULAR
BELLS

Mike Oldfield

Resource notes
By

Bruce Baker
 CONTENTS

A. Overview of side one

B. Overview of side two

C. The origin of youth music

D. Some contemporary musical figures

E. Analysis of side one

F. Analysis of side two

G. Biography and the making of Tubular Bells

H. Features of Oldfield’s style

Appendix: Other recordings by Mike Oldfield

Copyright © 2001 Mediant Studies

 C. THE ORIGIN OF YOUTH MUSIC

Rock and Roll

Before the 1950s, music had crossed age groups. No one group could claim to ‘own’ a particular style of
music. However this changed with the emergence of Rock and Roll. Musically, this movement drew on
styles developed by Rhythm and Blues and Country and Western. However there were subtle changes.
Pounding guitars and drums took centre stage. They were sometimes supplemented by piano (often
percussive - e.g. repeated loud chords) and/or saxophones. Sometimes there was just acoustic guitar,
maybe with backing vocal harmony - e.g. Elvis, Love me tender. Performers (especially Elvis) often
dressed in eyecatching clothes, sometimes with low-cut tops, sometimes using body movements with
sexual overtones.

The folk movement

Since the nineteenth century ‘classical’ composers like Grieg and Dvorak had shown an interest in
folksong, either using folksong in their works or writing tunes that sounded like folksong. A similar
movement emerged in popular song in the 1960s, led by groups like Peter, Paul and Mary, The Seekers
and Simon and Garfunkel. This coincided with a nationalist movement that saw an interest in recovering
racial origins. In the United Kingdom there was a resurgence of celtic movements, especially in Wales,
Ireland and Scotland. In Ireland the group The Chieftains used traditional instruments to sing traditional
folksongs (and songs in a folk style).

The development of rock

To give their music a specific ‘youth’ feel, bands were abandoning traditional instruments like piano,
saxophone and acoustic guitar. The typical rock band consisted of the following:
 a drummer playing a ‘drum kit’ (including various drums and cymbals, some beaten with sticks or
brushes, some operated by foot-pedals
 guitarists (‘lead guitar’ playing the melody, ‘rhythm guitar’ strumming the chords, and ‘bass guitar’
supplying the bass line)
 vocalists, who may or may not also play guitar.
There was a growing use of instruments that produced sound by electric means (electric piano, electric
organ, synthesisers, etc). Most, as well as producing a range of sounds, had devices for manipulating
them. (e.g. Most organs had a Lesley, in which the speakers rotated, producing a gentle oscillation, and a
tremulant, which produced a kind of vibrato by continually altering the volume of sound produced).
Rock music was born in the United States. In the 1960s, British rock music hit the world stage.

Rock music in Britain

The Rolling Stones produced a type of music known as ‘heavy metal’ - loud twanging guitars, raucous
(sometimes ‘shouted’) singing, pulsating drums.
The Beatles found the solid rock sound too limiting.
 They used a variety of instruments, including the acoustic guitar abandoned by other groups, and
electric pianos. One song (For no one) even features a clavichord. Quite different instruments were
used. Sometimes these were used on their own, as in the Eleanor Rigby, in which the vocalists are
accompanied solely by a string octet. Sometimes they were incorporated with the rock band, as in
Got to get you into my life, in which Baroque trumpets are heard with electric guitars and percussion.
 They used various electronic means to produce and manipulate sound. They used a Moog
synthesiser in Abbey Road. In Revolver they played recordings backwards, sped up tapes, and
manipulated sound electronically to create special effects.
 They used recordings of everyday sounds (like ocean waves, crowd noises and captain’s instructions
in Yellow Submarine).
American Jimi Hendrix settled in England. He did for lead guitar what Paganini had done for the violin,
in his virtuosity, his new techniques, and his showmanship. The frenetic sound he produced was entirely
different from anything that had been heard before, and young people adopted it as their own.
 D. SOME CONTEMPORARY MUSICAL FIGURES
Pink Floyd
Led by Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd looked beyond traditional rock vocabulary. As well as guitars and drums, they
used saxophone, electric organ, synthesiser, piano, and wordless voice, experimenting with types of tone colour
that could be produced. They even used everyday sounds like laughter and an aeroplane engine. Sounds of both
instruments and voices were manipulated electronically, producing a wide range of unusual timbres. Their
harmonies jumped about, sometimes including sudden dissonances, producing surprising chord progressions. They
also used minimalist techniques. Rather than producing neat rock songs of three minutes, that DJs could play in
normal radio time, they built long tracks from consecutive sections, often with little or no obvious sharing of
material. Heavy drug use led to psychedelic music that was highly unpredictable and very novel. Along with The
Nice, they pioneered crossover music, playing their music with orchestras and choirs.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer

This trio often looked to ‘classical music’ for their inspiration, sometimes simply transcribing an existing classical
work for rock band. In their own music they combined classical and rock styles. Orchestral instruments (and
occasionally even a whole symphony orchestra) were used to enrich the sound of their music. Yet they also looked
for other sounds. Keith Emerson himself was a prodigious performer, and used various keyboards and synthesisers
to create a range of sounds and styles. Tape manipulation also enabled the group to produce avant-garde music.

John Cage
Cage believed that everything we do is music. Melody, harmony and rhythm, in their normal sense, are absent from
some of his music. He used electrical equipment (such as audio oscillators) as well as conventional musical
instruments (e.g. piano, cello), although often the piano was prepared in some way. (e.g. screws, rubbers and other
items were fixed to the strings, so that each note sounded differently.) He also experimented with different ways of
using and recording the human voice. He studied Asian music, and its influence can be seen in some works. He
used aleatory techniques (e.g. musicians toss a coin to determine what goes into a particular piece).

Karl Orff
Orff spent much of his time working with children. He wrote music with interesting rhythms to appeal to children
but simple enough for them to perform. Much of this music involved using ostinati.

Steve Reich
Reich’s early music was influenced by John Cage, much of it ‘process’ music (making wide use of electronic
sound). Most of it was created by endless repetitions. Some featured tape loops or parallel lines of sound gradually
moving in and out of ‘sync’. Some used electronic means to transform human speech. He kept to the pattern of
repeating ideas with minimal changes, but moved towards a more conventional and tonal musical style. This style
became known as ‘minimalism’. Early music was harmonically simple, although later works were more chromatic.
Like Cage, Reich wrote for unconventional instruments (e.g. Music for Pieces of Wood). Eventually he abandoned
these for conventional instruments, although these were sometimes in unusual groups (e.g. Music for Mallet
Instruments, Voices and Organ). He also called for overdubbing (e.g. Vermont Counterpoint, in which one flautist
records on 11 tracks, to be played back together). Many works use multiple keyboards, often with percussion and
synthesisers, and sometimes wordless voices. (Percussion instruments could include items like sewer pipes and
hubcaps.) Later pieces would involve orchestras and choirs. He was attracted to Ghanaian music, with its lively
rhythms (some imitating speech) and use of polyrhythms (several rhythms played together), using a wide variety of
percussion instruments. There are also echoes of Indonesian gamelans, and Hebrew and mediaeval chanting.

David Bedford
Bedford was born into a musical family. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music, and took lessons from an
avant-garde Italian composer, Luigi Nono. He was also influenced by John Cage. He earned his living by music
copying, teaching, and arranging, as well as composing. He became arranger and keyboard player (playing piano
and organ) for Kevin Ayers’ band The Whole World. He was the first to write a piece for rock band and orchestral
instruments. He left The Whole World to work with Mike Oldfield on developing a work that was first named
Opus 1 but was eventually published as Tubular Bells. He was to collaborate with Oldfield many times. Bedford
arranged most of the music for choral and orchestral groups in Oldfield’s records and CDs. In return Oldfield set
up his own record label to release some of Bedford’s music. Bedford has produced music in a number styles
(including minimalism) and for various musical forces (including rock bands, choirs and instrumental groups).
 E. ANALYSIS OF SIDE ONE

1 First theme, in the Aeolian mode (on A) The melody consists entirely of 30
quavers, although by repeating the dominant (E) at various places in each bar
Oldfield produces and interesting pattern with a syncopated ‘feel’. It begins
with an anacrusis, then there are three groups of 7 quavers and one group of 9
quavers (7/8 – 7/8 – 7/8 – 9/8). This ostinato begins on the piano, but after
about 7 seconds the glockenspiel and organ join in, doubling the piano.
2 50 sec. The bass guitar enters with a basso ostinato, in counterpoint with the first theme
but in a different rhythm (3/4 – 4/4 - 3/4 - 5/4), and sometimes slightly changed.
The chords are A minor and G major. Occasionally this is interrupted by
sudden bursts of sound. Eventually the bass guitar settles into supplying
repeated notes making up a falling walking bass, ending with a perfect cadence
(although the dominant chord is of course minor in this mode).
3 1 min. 38 sec. The bursts disappear. The first idea is transformed into triple metre. The piano
plays descending chords, accompanied firstly by a descending bass line. The
bass finally outlines subdominant and tonic, and ends with a perfect cadence.
4 2 min 2 sec. There is a short interlude for piano, honky-tonk piano, and bass guitar, featuring
a walking bass, leading to a perfect cadence. The first theme continues. The
sudden bursts reappear, and will feature through the next few sections.
5 2 min. 8 sec. Ideas from sections 1, 2 and 3 are combined.
6 2 min. 33 sec. The interlude reappears.
7 2 min. 40 sec. Section 3 reappears.
8 2 min. 56 sec. Transition section. The flageolet enters (double-tracked), while the rhythm
changes.
9 3 min. 1 sec. Flageolet plays a third theme, while section 2 is repeated, but with a different
rhythm in the piano chords.
10 3 min. 39 sec. Electric guitar (recorded on two tracks) enters with a fourth idea, using chords I,
VI and v, while the music of the previous section continues, pierced by ‘bursts’.
11 4 min. 4 sec. Transition section, featuring flageolet and electric guitar with a changing metre.
It begins with chords v7 and VI, and ends with the key stepping up until finally
landing in F# major
12 4 min. 17 sec. Ideas from section 1 and section 11 are combined in quadruple metre, with bass
guitar and organ chords.
13 4 min. 43 sec. Acoustic guitar enters with a fifth theme while glockenspiel continues with a
metamorphosis of the first theme in the original metre. Organ alternates A
major and F# minor chords and bass notes. Piano has gentle broken chords,
adding sevenths and ninths.
14 5 min. 19 sec. Sixth theme, in F# major, in quadruple metre, played by flute and glockenspiel
(double-tracked). Dotted rhythms are featured, and chords IV and I. Piano and
organ accompany in a style similar to that of the previous section.
15 5 min. 45 sec. First part of transition, still in quadruple metre. It is linked by an inverted pedal
(high F# held by the flute) and a broken-chord figuration by the piano. Organ
supplies alternating F# and G# bass notes. At the end the glockenspiel plays a
rising figure leading from F# to A.
16 5 min. 55 sec. Second part of transition in a lively quadruple time, based around A. There are
two piano tracks, one providing agitated semiquaver broken chords and the
other a gentler figuration. There are syncopated organ chords and bass notes
played by the bass guitar. A final sweep of the strings and the clash of a cymbal
announce the end of the transition.
17 6 min. 8 sec. Seventh theme played by distorted electric guitar, still in quadruple time. There
are triplets and syncopated rhythms, and the frantic mood is reminiscent of Jimi
Hendrix. The bass guitar plays a lively crotchet-quaver-quaver rhythm. Chords
 are supplied by yet another voice on the organ. The mood becomes even more
frantic towards the end, with chromatic steps up and down.
18 6 min. 58 sec. The eighth theme bursts forth and grumbles on bass instruments, including the
double bass, in Aeolian on D. The metre is still quadruple.
19 7 min. 45 sec. Another theme appears, accompanied by guitar chords. The organ joins in the
second section, and becomes more evident in the third section. The piano
supplies a broken chord figuration based on the first theme in changing metres.
The chords oscillate around A minor, B minor, and G minor
20 9 min. 1 sec. Transition section, beginning with dissonant 9ths on B minor chords which give
way to C#sus chords. These resolve not on F# minor but F# major.
21 9 min. 17 sec. The transition theme announced in section 11 reappears, led by the mandolin
and acoustic guitar, accompanied by piano and organ.
22 9 min. 42 sec. The bass guitar continues this theme while lead guitar introduces the tenth
theme, in Aeolian on A, accompanied by the first theme on piano.
23 10 min. 8 sec. The transition theme is now picked up by the acoustic guitar, accompanied by
chords on organ and piano. The sequence A minor (or F major), E minor7, F
major, G major recurs. (This is a variant of the progression i - VII - v7 or VI
- i which occurs frequently in Oldfield’s music.)
24 11 min. 16 sec. The flageolet picks out a small idea at a high pitch, accompanied by figurations
on the piano based on the first theme, and chords on acoustic guitar on organ.
25 11 min. 28 sec. Eleventh theme, in 6/8 time, played by electric guitar double-tracked, with bass
notes bowed by double bass and picked on bass guitar. A variant of the first
theme is played on the glockenspiel. The chords used are i, iv and V in E
minor, with an occasional chord VI.
26 13 min. 15 sec. Transition, featuring guitar and organ, based on the earlier transition theme.
27 13 min. 32 sec. Distorted electric guitar (double-tracked) playing twelfth theme in quadruple
metre in B minor.
28 13 min. 52 sec. Voices (male), with honky-tonk piano in C major, starting on chord vi.
29 14 min. 11 sec. Transition, moving up several steps (C major, D major, E major)
30 14 min. 19 sec. Distorted guitars play twelfth idea, firstly in G major then Aeolian on A.
31 14 min. 58 sec. Development of previous idea, played by acoustic guitars, with organ backing,
firstly in Aeolian on A, then on D.
32 15 min. 45 sec. Transition, on tubular bells, accompanied by organ chords with Lesley rotating
speakers
33 16 min. 24 sec. Acoustic guitar, in E minor (with many flattened 7ths) unaccompanied at first,
on chords I – bII – V - I, then with organ backing, playing unrelated chords.
34 17 min. 4 sec. Final ostinato, featuring sustained notes on double bass, acoustic and bass guitar
figurations, with organ chords, in quadruple metre. This continues while other
instruments enter with the final theme Key varies from E minor to A major:
19 min. 52 sec. Grand piano
20 min. 14 sec. Reed and pipe organ
20 min. 39 sec. Glockenspiel
21 min. 1 sec. Bass guitar
21 min. 24 sec. Double-speed guitar
21 min. 48 sec. 2 slightly distorted guitars
22 min. 10 sec. Mandolin
22 min. 35 sec. Spanish guitar and acoustic guitar
22 min. 58 sec. Tubular bells
35 23 min. 22 sec. Wordless female voices singing high harmony notes, including a number of
notes a major seventh above the root (two verses and interlude)
36 24 min. 30 sec. Coda, played by unaccompanied acoustic guitar, The first theme is transformed
into quadruple metre. The dominant chord in A major, E major, now becomes
the tonic. A tonic pedal continues for most of this solo.
 F. ANALYSIS OF SIDE TWO
1 The section begins with several ostinati. Unusually for rock music, they are in
6/8 time, and there is little syncopation. The ostinati are of different lengths, so
there is a changing contrapuntal texture.
The first ostinato is played by double-tracked guitar in Dorian on D.
After three entries of the first ostinato, the second ostinato by electric guitar
begins in Dorian on E
Part-way through the first entry the third ostinato begins on bass guitar. This
centres on E, with subdominant (A) and dominant (B), with flattened leading
note.
Almost immediately the organ enters with the fourth ostinato. This is often
decorated. One entry is replaced by a vocal melisma based on the same idea.
2 1 min. 21 sec. The organ continues with the fourth ostinato. There is a gradual change of
emphasis from compound duple metre (6/8) to simple triple (3/4). The other
ostinati disappear, to be replaced by a harmonic ostinato, carried at first by
guitars. D minor and C major chords alternate, and the passage ends with
chords rising by step (E minor, F major, G major). This ending will recur
many times even when the ostinato has ended. While this continues, the bass
guitar enters with a stepwise figuration. Then an organ melody based on the
fourth ostinato begins, later accompanied for a short time by mandolin.
3 2 min. 10 sec. The second of the first group of ostinati reappears on acoustic guitar, and will
continue (either in its original form or transformed) while the harmonic ostinato
continues. For a while the organ continues with a melody which has some
echoes of the fourth of the original group of ostinati. Meanwhile guitars
continue a melodic web, and the piano adds figurations and melodies in
counterpoint with the guitars. The passage is repeated in true minimalist style
with subtle changes each time. These include a pattern featuring rapidly
repeated notes (slow than when playing a mandolin) moving in steps, and, at 3
min. 55 sec., the acoustic guitar ostinato momentarily in stretto. The passage
ends with two bars of the dominant seventh chord in C, leading to the following
passage in C major.
4 5 min. 21 sec. There is an introduction, featuring block and broken chords played by guitar in
the tonic chord, with Gs and Cs alternating on the organ. There is an
accelerando, leading to a tune from the organ. The guitar supplies a broken
chord accompaniment, but occasionally doubles the melody, or adds fillers.
5 5 min. 29 sec. G major tune, slightly faster, continuing in the style of the previous section,
over a stepwise bass. There is a brief pedal point supplied by the organ.
6 6 min. 23 sec. Journey through various chords, with resting points in B minor, E major, E
minor, but settling each time in G major. The texture is as the previous section.
7 7 min. 34 sec. Same instruments continue. There are varied harmonies, but there is a stronger
G major ‘feel’. There are several bars in the mediant minor chord, and there is
a diversion into D major at the end.
8 8 min 1 sec. Wordless female voices enter. The mandolin enters on a rising scalic motif,
then plays the melody, based on ii7 and I7b in G major. High notes from a
guitar sounding like bagpipes announce an uncertain ending (plagal cadence?
imperfect? interrupted?) V - IV - I - V – (vi)
9 8 min. 49 sec. A new tune in Aeolian mode on E in 6/8 time. The tune is in the style of a
Scottish folksong: the guitars and flageolet give it a Celtic sound, a mode is
used, and there is a rhythms known as the ‘Scotch snap’ (a short note on the
beat followed by a longer, accented note, as in Com-in through the rye.) The
organ doubles the melody while acoustic guitar accompanies and timpani
provide steady beat. The chords used are mainly I and v7, although there is an
episode featuring a dramatic chromatic chord progression. The main melody is
 repeated several times, often with melodic or rhythmic variations.
An inner section features repeated iv – I progressions, then goes through a
succession of unrelated chords.
10 10 min 38 sec. The folksong continues in parallel fifths (giving the sound of a mixture stop on
a pipe organ.
11 11 min. 12 sec. Interlude. The piano enters and becomes progressively more fierce, ending
with a glissando.
12 11 min. 44 sec. Drumbeats begin, with regularly repeated Es on bass guitar. The caveman
voice (the only ‘words’ on the LP) enters, with acoustic guitar backing, on a G
major chord, but various keys and chords are used, especially E minor and B
minor.
13 12 min. 18 sec. There is an instrumental episode with a staccato triadic piano melody featuring
repeated notes (perhaps recalling the repeated notes of the guitar entry to the
‘caveman’ section) while the organ plays an arpeggiac countermelody. The
notes of the two melodies mark out Em7 and F#m7 chords. (This chord
sequence recalls the D minor/C major sequence of . They are backed by guitars
and drums
14 12 min. 43 sec. The caveman returns. Shouts can be heard in the background. His entries are
punctuated with guitar licks and animal howls. Various keys and chords
appear, although there is an E minor ‘feel’.
15 13 min. 30 sec. Instrumental section, featuring electric and acoustic guitars playing in unison
(or octaves), based on A, then playing the same motif on D (although the
electric guitar stays on A, so there are parallel fifths between the guitars), then
on A again, using the Aeolian mode (minor scale with leading note not raised).
A yell leads into a country and western section, based on chords I and V in A
major. Then the whole section is repeated.
16 14 min. 20 sec. Bleating electric guitars in A major, in a Country and Western style are
followed by with frantic licks in the style of Jimi Hendrix, transforming the idea
into a rock song. The chords are mainly I and V, although there are occasional
sidesteps into the C chord, and chromatic stepwise shifts (G major – A flat
major – A major). At the end is an imperfect cadence (an E major chord).
17 15 min. 1 sec. The caveman returns, accompanied by drums and guitars. A G major – F#
minor sequence leading to the tonic, E minor. This sequence will recur.
18 15 min. 22 sec. The piano/organ episode returns.
19 15 min. 43 sec. Caveman returns, with staccato piano chords, guitar licks and howls
20 16 min. 32 sec. After a distorted guitar chord there is a sudden change to a soft section in slow
duple time. There is a slow-moving organ melody, while an acoustic guitar
solo plays gently in counterpoint with the organ solo. The organ melody is built
largely on notes from the chords, while the guitar melody is more rhythmical
and has many non-harmony notes. The accompaniment is provided by organ
chords on two tracks with Lesley rotating speakers, over a ground bass (E – D –
B –E – D) using chords Em – D – Bm7 – Em – D6. (The first four are a
favourite chord progression in Oldfield’s music.) There is another, more lively,
guitar solo while the organ melody is repeated. A number of Scotch snaps and
triplets are included. Then the organ solo disappears. A new organ sound
enters, featuring a new melody above the chords, in counterpoint with an
electric guitar solo, which often becomes quite lively, in the style of an
improvisation.. Later yet another electric guitar will join in, clearly articulated
so to contrast with running figures played by the other guitar.
21 21 min. 11 sec. The key changes to E major. The ground bass ends. The organ and bass guitar
(supplying a tonic pedal) are at first alone, although later guitars enter.
22 21 min. 48 sec. Hornpipe played on guitars, with lively organ countermelody, in E major. It
gradually speeds up (in the manner of the last of season of Promenade Concerts
given in London.)
 G. Part One: BIOGRAPHY

 He was born in Reading, near London, on 15th May 1953, and went to school there.
 As a teenager, he spent most of his free time playing guitar. He began to make up instrumentals.
 He played in local folk clubs.
 At 15, he started the folk duo The Sallyangie with his sister Sally. They were later to record together.
 Later he formed the folk group Barefeet with his brother Terry.
 In 1969 he joined Kevin Ayers and The Whole World as bass guitarist. Another member of the band
was David Bedford. The group combined well-known forms of rock music with touches of jazz and
minimalism. However Oldfield became frustrated by the lack of professionalism of Kevin Ayers,
and wanted to replace him as lead guitarist. He also wanted the group to play his music. In 1971 he
left The Whole World. David Bedford chose to join him, and helped him work on ideas which
eventually became Tubular Bells).
 He had had to battle with acute stagefright, and much of his later work would be in the studio.
 He found spasmodic work as a studio musician and as reserve guitarist in the musical ‘Hair’.
 His first LP, Tubular Bells, was released in 1973.
 Several months later, his next LP Hergest Ridge toppled Tubular Bells from the top of the charts.
 In 1975 a new version of Tubular Bells, orchestrated by David Bedford and played by the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra, appeared. It was very successful.
 The same year he released Ommadawn.
 Oldfield had had a lot of difficulty getting a record company to release his first LP, and continued to
find it difficult getting his music recorded and played. The rock industry was very competitive, and
the strain was telling on him. For a while he kept to his home, to avoid this pressure.
 The album Boxed was released. This contained the three albums already produced as well as some
unpublished original material, including collaborations with other artists (e.g. David Bedford.)
 In 1978 he became a controversial broadcaster. Incantations was released.
 In 1979 he decided it was time to face up to his stage nerves, and undertake his first tour. To play his
music he needed a large band. The concerts sold out, but hiring the musicians left him in debt.
 He extinguished the debt by producing the LP Platinum.
 Oldfield went on tour again, this time with a smaller group of eleven musicians.
 By the time he produced next LP, QE2, Oldfield had gathered around himself a group of musicians
(vocalist, percussion, keyboards)
 In 1981 he undertook another tour in Europe, this time with the group who supported him in QE2.
 Shortly after, Five Miles Out was released. The group were allowed more limelight.
 The next LP was Crises. It featured several vocalists. A couple of tracks became hit singles.
 Oldfield embarked on another European tour.
 The 10th anniversary concert at Wembley Arena in London earned high praise.
 He was deeply impressed by David Bedford’s composition Star Clusters, Nebulae and Places in
Devon for brass and a huge choir, and in 1983 founded his own record label, Oldfield Music, to
release it, along with Song of the White Horse. Few copies were sold.
 In Switzerland Oldfield worked on Discovery, using the Fairlight computer to put it together.
 At the same time he was working on the film score for The Killing Fields. David Bedford helped
him produce an appropriate style of music. A number of recording stars were featured.
 In 1987 Oldfield produced Chimes. He had help from other producers in creating this.
 After a two-year break Oldfield released Earth Moving. This was aimed at the popular market.
 In 1990 the CD Amarok appeared. It was the first CD. It lasts for 60 minutes without a break. The
public found the work difficult to relate to, and it did not sell well.
 Oldfield’s voice was not well-developed, and as a result he seldom sang. He resolved to improve his
singing technique, and took lessons for six months. Heaven’s Open showed the benefit of these. It
was the last collaboration with Richard Branson, head of Virgin Records and Oldfield’s manager.
 Since then several CDs and CD-roms have appeared, and more are planned.
 G. PART 2: THE MAKING OF TUBULAR BELLS

Preparation of Tubular Bells

 Oldfield began developing ideas that later led to Tubular Bells in 1970, during his time with The
Whole World.
 Oldfield worked on the material in the Abbey Road studios, and in 1972 a rough demonstration tape
was ready.
 He sent the tape to the major record companies, but none of them thought there would be a demand
for the music.
 Richard Branson, manager of a chain of record stores, liked the tape. Eventually he bought The
Manor at Oxford as a venue for musicians, and built a recording studio there.
 Oldfield used the studio, learning how to engineer and produce his own music. He experimented
with starting off with a few instruments and gradually adding more until a full sound was created.
 Eventually he was offered a full week of recording time at the studio. In a great rush, he recorded
most of the first part.
 Other musicians were involved. Viv Stanshall, of the Bonzo Dog Band, happened to look in and was
asked to introduce the instruments at the end of side one. A flautist, a drummer and vocalists also
took part.
 Tom Newman and Simon Heyworth helped with the production.
 The rest of the recording would take place over the ensuing months. In all, more than 20 instruments
were involved, and over 2000 tape overdubs were made.
 The technology available at the time made it difficult to produce a good master. It was decided to cut
the album on heavy vinyl usually used for the high-quality sound needed for classical music.
 Branson tried to interest record companies in it, but most felt that without vocals the LP would not be
popular. Along with Tom Newman, Branson was considering launching his own record label.
Eventually Branson used Tubular Bells to launch the new label, Virgin Records.
 The LP was released in June 1973.
 About the same time, the music in the album was performed live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall,
featuring a host of leading musicians (including David Bedford.).
 The type of music was radically new; however it was well received. The British press gave very
favourable reviews. Eventually Tubular Bells rose to top of the charts.

Instruments used
PART ONE PART TWO
Grand piano Electric guitar
Glockenspiel Farfisa organ
Farfisa organ Bass guitar
Bass guitar Acoustic guitars
Electric guitar Piano
Speed guitar Speed electric guitars
Taped motor drive amplifier organ chord Lowrey organ
Mandolin-like guitar Concert timpani
Fuzz guitars Guitars sounding like bagpipes
Assorted percussion Hammond organ
Acoustic guitar Spanish guitar
Flageolet Drums (played by Steve Broughton)
Honky-tonk piano
Lowrey organ
Tubular bells
Flutes (played by Jon Field)
String basses (played by Lindsay Cooper)
 H. FEATURES OF OLDFIELD’S STYLE

Rhythm
 Rhythms are usually quite simple, although there is some syncopation.
 Mixtures of time signatures (e.g. 4/4 – 3/4). This often arises from adding or subtracting one or two
beats in one bar (e.g. 4/4 4/4 4/4 3/4)

Harmony
 Use of simple chords. (Most are major or minor. There are few diminished or chromatic chords,
although major and minor sevenths sometimes appear.)
 In major keys, harmony is mainly limited to primary triads, although chord vi appears from time to
time.
 In minor keys, the major chord on the flattened leading note (bVII) and the minor chord on the
dominant (v) sometimes with added seventh (v7) are common.
 Chord progressions often feature rising steps (e.g. IV – V – vi in major keys and i – ii – III – IV – v
in minor keys.
 There is sometimes experimentation with other chords.
 Frequent changes of key. Modulations are not planned in the classical sense. Often the music simply
‘steps up’ to the key a tone higher.

Texture
 Often quite thin
 The accompaniment style often changes while the thematic material continues.
 Textures are often contrasted, with sudden rather than gentle changes.
 Frequent use of ostinato rhythms, chord progressions or chant
 Frantic guitar licks
 Countermelodies

Tone colours
 Use of different instruments and voices (often wordless), changing throughout the piece.
 Instruments are often distorted electronically.
 Synth strings are often used to supply chords or inverted pedals.
 Combining non-rock instruments (e.g. flute, glockenspiel, honky-tonk piano) with rock instruments.
 Electronically altered sound
 Wide use of percussion instruments (e.g. tubular bells, glockenspiels, tambourines, drums)
 Unusual combinations of instruments
 Use of everyday objects to produce sound

Structure
 A piece will often begin quietly, with only one or two instruments, and more instruments and/or
voices will be added gradually until the texture is quite full.
 Longer tracks are often built up with ‘blocks’. Consecutive blocks usually (although not always)
have one or more elements in common (e.g. a continuing ostinato). There may however be changes
of tempo, dynamics or time signature.

Folk elements
 Use of folksong and folkdance, especially sea shanties (e.g. Blue Peter).
 Many original melodies sound like folksong or dance.
 Use of traditional instruments (e.g. Ueillian pipes, recorder, folk violin)
 African drums and Celtic harp are used in Emmadawn
 There are often simple rhythms typical of folk tunes.
 APPENDIX: OTHER RECORDINGS BY MIKE OLDFIELD

LPs
 Hergest Ridge is a gentler type of music, featuring a range of moods. It continued the minimalist
trend of Tubular Bells, showing some similarity to music written by ‘classical’ minimalists like Steve
Reich and Philip Glass. The LP featured soloists and a wordless choir, conducted by David Bedford.
 In Ommadawn he did not attempt to produce all the music himself, but involved other musicians in
composing arranging and performing. One of these was Paddy Maloney, member of Ireland’s best-
known traditional band, The Chieftains, playing Ueillean pipes. This was to bring in Celtic
influences, which would resurface in Oldfield’s later album Voyager. There were also elements of
classical, East European and African music.
 Incantations were rather like symphonic rock soundpaintings, featuring a large group of musicians.
 As in previous LPs, Platinum had a long piece on side one. However on the reverse side were four
songs including covers (arrangements) of music by George Gershwin and Philip Glass. (The use of a
song by Gershwin was perhaps significant in that he, like Oldfield, crossed the boundaries between
‘classical’ and ‘popular’ music.) Oldfield did not consider himself a good singer, so had Wendy
Roberts do the solos.
 In the next LP, QE2, the first side was not filled by a long instrumental piece. The longest piece was
only ten minutes. Oldfield had now gathered around himself a group of musicians (vocalist,
percussion and keyboards). There were two covers of songs by other groups.
 Five Miles Out included longer pieces again, the first filling side one. The singer (Maggie Reilly)
made attractive popsongs out of Oldfields compositions.
 Crises was closer in style to contemporary rock music. Moonlight Shadow and Shadow on the Wall
were hit singles all over the world.
 Killing Fields used strange harmonies and unusual combinations of sounds. Some tracks are in a lush
romantic idiom, others are very rhythmical. There are hints of South-East Asian percussion groups.
 Discovery featured seven songs and an instrumental track.
 Earth Moving had no instrumental track, but featured six vocalists in ten songs.
 Chimes made use of several singers. A video lasted its entire length.

CDs and CD-ROMs

 Like Tubular Bells and Ommadawn, Amarok is entirely instrumental, and features Oldfield playing
numerous instruments, although some were rather obscure. Some, indeed, were everyday objects like
shoes and a spoon.
 Heaven’s Open was released in 1991. It features quite an attractive singing voice by Oldfield.
 In 1992 a successor to Tubular Bells was produced in Los Angeles. It was premiered at Edinburgh
Castle with a fireworks display and made a huge impact.
 In 1994 Oldfield produced The Songs of Distant Earth. This included an interactive journey on CD-
rom material, and was in fact the first commercial album to use CD-rom material. Sales of the CD
were poor, but the video won an award for new techniques used in making it.
 In 1996 Oldfield released Voyager, while preparing to move to Ibiza in Spain. It contains ten tracks,
3 of them original and the other 7 highly original versions of Scottish, Irish and Spanish folk songs.
 In 1999 Tubular Bells 3 appeared. Spanish influence can be seen in the inclusion of flamenco style,
although there is also heavy rock, as well as music in a ‘pop’ style.
 2000 saw the release of Guitars. This album, as the name suggests, includes only guitar music.
 Later the same year The Millenium Bell appeared, intended to celebrate 2000 years of music.