The Millennium Bell
Encyclopedia
The Millennium Bell is the 20th record album by Mike Oldfield
, released in 1999 (see 1999 in music
). The theme of the album is a reflection of different periods of human history. The album borrows its name from the dawning of the 3rd millennium
and Oldfield's Tubular Bells
series of albums. It was the main work performed at Oldfield's concert for Berlin's new year celebrations on 31 December 1999.
, London
with the London Session Orchestra.
It was Oldfield's third album within one year, after Tubular Bells III
in late 1998 and Guitars
earlier in 1999. It was also the first Mike Oldfield album available on the MiniDisc
format.
, Germany
on New Year's Eve
1999, with an estimated audience of 500,000 people. This concert was released on a DVD
(and later CD) with the title The Art in Heaven Concert
.
-esque orchestral passages through New Age sonic textures and ethnic sounds to strong pulse of electronic percussion.
, referring to the newborn Jesus Christ, the bringer of peace on Earth. The main aspect of this track is hope.
- and, in a broader sense, refers to Native Americans
(both in North
and South America
) in pre-Columbian era
, before another important year in human history - the year 1492.
' flagship, Santa Maria
- is about the age of exploration; it depicts the discovery of America
by the Europeans. The most important part of this track is the quasi-sacral choir vocal, reminding of the religious background behind the journey.
, the author of Amazing Grace
who for some time was a captain of the slave ship The Duke of Argyle, and later a strong advocate for the abolition of the slave trade. The track, featuring strong African themes, refers to slave trade. Mike Oldfield visited Goree Island, an island on Senegal
ian coast famed for its slave trading port, now converted to a shrine
. The track features also strong gospel
influences - a hint at the descendants of the African slaves in North America
and the culture and music they will establish in the future. The main aspect of the track is human's ability to exploit one another.
by name - Pietro Polani
, Enrico Dandolo
and Francesco Donato
. "The Doge's Palace" refers to Europe in the middle of the second millennium, where unions of cities, regions and/or countries, organised mostly for commercial reasons (for example Hansa
), played an important part in establishing various forms of social organization, and which paved the way to the emergence of modern countries
and relations between them
.
in Europe, movement which evoked spontaneous emotions and feelings, making them the main source of humans' perceiving of the world, instead of rationalism. Musically referring to the music of the Romantic period, namely works of Berlioz, it refers to Lake Constance
on Swiss-German border, reminding that the sheer beauty of nature was a great inspiration for Romantic artists. The track refers to human ability to create art
.
, the time of prohibition
in the USA and the rise of modern organized crime
. Its dark, synthetic, "underground" mood was based on the gangster
movies from the 1930s
and 1940s
.
's famous speeches, and refers to the beginning of World War II
. To experience what possibly Churchill felt during the days of Operation Sea Lion, Mike Oldfield visited his war room, Blenheim Palace
. The track refers to the grimy phenomenon of war
.
at the time of writing her diary. The track refers to the end of World War II, the beginning of Cold War
and the beginning of the age of television
and digital media
.
, translating to "There is light at the end of the tunnel", refers to the end of apartheid in South Africa
and also the turn of the millenniums - a look into new, unknown, but hopeful future.
traditional dance, being some sort of resume of the two thousand years as well as a look into the future. The track has a strong electronica/disco feeling as it was co-arranged by an Ibiza
performer (where Oldfield lived for some time), DJ Pippi.
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
, released in 1999 (see 1999 in music
1999 in music
-Events:*January 7**After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.**Paul McCartney attends the first of his stepdaughter Heather's first housewares collection in Georgia....
). The theme of the album is a reflection of different periods of human history. The album borrows its name from the dawning of the 3rd millennium
3rd millennium
In contemporary history, the third millennium is a period of time that commenced on January 1, 2001, and will end on December 31, 3000, of the Gregorian calendar. This is the third period of one thousand years in the Anno Domini...
and Oldfield's Tubular Bells
Tubular Bells
Tubular Bells is the debut record album of English musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1973. It was the first album released by Virgin Records and an early cornerstone of the company's success...
series of albums. It was the main work performed at Oldfield's concert for Berlin's new year celebrations on 31 December 1999.
Recording and release
Oldfield recorded the majority of the album at his home studio, Roughwood Studios, Berkshire, and then recorded the orchestrations in just one day at Abbey Road StudiosAbbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with the London Session Orchestra.
It was Oldfield's third album within one year, after Tubular Bells III
Tubular Bells III
Tubular Bells III is the 18th album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1998. A sequel to Oldfield's 1973 Tubular Bells and his 1992 Tubular Bells II albums, it was released on the 25th anniversary of the first Tubular Bells album....
in late 1998 and Guitars
Guitars (Mike Oldfield album)
Guitars is a record album written and performed by Mike Oldfield, released in 1999 . The concept of the album was to only perform it using guitar-like instruments.- Background :...
earlier in 1999. It was also the first Mike Oldfield album available on the MiniDisc
MiniDisc
The disc is permanently housed in a cartridge with a sliding door, similar to the casing of a 3.5" floppy disk. This shutter is opened automatically by a mechanism upon insertion. The audio discs can either be recordable or premastered. Recordable MiniDiscs use a magneto-optical system to record...
format.
Millennium concert
A free live performance of the latter half of the album plus some older tracks was given in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
1999, with an estimated audience of 500,000 people. This concert was released on a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
(and later CD) with the title The Art in Heaven Concert
The Art in Heaven Concert
The Art in Heaven Concert is a Mike Oldfield concert video taken from 2000 New Year's night concert at the Victory Column in Berlin, Germany, which is currently available on both CD and DVD.In a press conference in July 1999 in Langeland, Oldfield revealed that some ideas for the venue...
.
Album analysis
The main theme of The Millennium Bell is the view on the first two thousand year after the birth of Jesus of Nazareth through series of single episodes describing important moments in history, as well as different aspects of humanity. The album is eclectic in style, ranging from majestic choruses and soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
-esque orchestral passages through New Age sonic textures and ethnic sounds to strong pulse of electronic percussion.
"Peace on Earth"
The opening track, "Peace on Earth", is essentially a Christmas carolChristmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
, referring to the newborn Jesus Christ, the bringer of peace on Earth. The main aspect of this track is hope.
"Pacha Mama"
Mixing electronic and ethnic sounds, namely the ethnic percussion, "Pacha Mama" was based on the music of Incas - Mike Oldfield paid a visit to PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
- and, in a broader sense, refers to Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
(both in North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
) in pre-Columbian era
Pre-Columbian era
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
, before another important year in human history - the year 1492.
"Santa Maria"
"Santa Maria" - taking its name from Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
' flagship, Santa Maria
Santa María (ship)
La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción , was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa.-History:...
- is about the age of exploration; it depicts the discovery of America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
by the Europeans. The most important part of this track is the quasi-sacral choir vocal, reminding of the religious background behind the journey.
"Sunlight Shining Through Clouds"
The verse from "Sunlight Shining Through Clouds" was written by Anglican clergyman John NewtonJohn Newton
John Henry Newton was a British sailor and Anglican clergyman. Starting his career on the sea at a young age, he became involved with the slave trade for a few years. After experiencing a religious conversion, he became a minister, hymn-writer, and later a prominent supporter of the abolition of...
, the author of Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
who for some time was a captain of the slave ship The Duke of Argyle, and later a strong advocate for the abolition of the slave trade. The track, featuring strong African themes, refers to slave trade. Mike Oldfield visited Goree Island, an island on Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ian coast famed for its slave trading port, now converted to a shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
. The track features also strong gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
influences - a hint at the descendants of the African slaves in North America
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and the culture and music they will establish in the future. The main aspect of the track is human's ability to exploit one another.
"The Doge's Palace"
Driven by the electronic percussion's relentless pulse combined with male operatic vocals and violins, "The Doge's Palace" makes a leap to Europe, to the Venetian Republic, a powerful trade power. The track refers three Venetian dogesDoge of Venice
The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
by name - Pietro Polani
Pietro Polani
Pietro Polani was the 36th Doge of Venice. He reigned from 1130 to 1148.Polani was elected Doge over the protests of the Dandolo and Bado families because of his first marriage to Adelasa Michele, who was the daughter of his predecessor Domenico Michele...
, Enrico Dandolo
Enrico Dandolo
Enrico Dandolo — anglicised as Henry Dandolo and Latinized as Henricus Dandulus — was the 41st Doge of Venice from 1195 until his death...
and Francesco Donato
Francesco Donato
Francesco Donato was the Doge of Venice from 1545 to 1553.-References:...
. "The Doge's Palace" refers to Europe in the middle of the second millennium, where unions of cities, regions and/or countries, organised mostly for commercial reasons (for example Hansa
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
), played an important part in establishing various forms of social organization, and which paved the way to the emergence of modern countries
Nation-state
The nation state is a state that self-identifies as deriving its political legitimacy from serving as a sovereign entity for a nation as a sovereign territorial unit. The state is a political and geopolitical entity; the nation is a cultural and/or ethnic entity...
and relations between them
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
.
"Lake Constance"
"Lake Constance", the first fully orchestral track on the album, refers to the age of RomanticismRomanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
in Europe, movement which evoked spontaneous emotions and feelings, making them the main source of humans' perceiving of the world, instead of rationalism. Musically referring to the music of the Romantic period, namely works of Berlioz, it refers to Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
on Swiss-German border, reminding that the sheer beauty of nature was a great inspiration for Romantic artists. The track refers to human ability to create art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
.
"Mastermind"
"Mastermind" leaps forward to 1920s1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
, the time of prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in the USA and the rise of modern organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
. Its dark, synthetic, "underground" mood was based on the gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
movies from the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
and 1940s
1940s
File:1940s decade montage.png|Above title bar: events which happened during World War II : From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day"; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Holocaust occurred during the war as Nazi Germany...
.
"Broad Sunlit Uplands"
Another fully orchestral piece, "Broad Sunlit Uplands" takes its name from one of Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's famous speeches, and refers to the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. To experience what possibly Churchill felt during the days of Operation Sea Lion, Mike Oldfield visited his war room, Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, residence of the dukes of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between...
. The track refers to the grimy phenomenon of war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
.
"Liberation"
The spoken word on "Liberation" is an excerpt from The Diary of Anne Frank, spoken by Mike Oldfield's daughter, Greta. Greta Hegerland-Oldfield was at the time of recording roughly the same age as Anne FrankAnne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
at the time of writing her diary. The track refers to the end of World War II, the beginning of Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the beginning of the age of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and digital media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
.
"Amber Light"
"Amber Light", with some words in XhosaXhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
, translating to "There is light at the end of the tunnel", refers to the end of apartheid in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and also the turn of the millenniums - a look into new, unknown, but hopeful future.
"The Millennium Bell"
The album concludes with the title track, musically referring to all the other tracks in the album as well as the CossackCossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
traditional dance, being some sort of resume of the two thousand years as well as a look into the future. The track has a strong electronica/disco feeling as it was co-arranged by an Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
performer (where Oldfield lived for some time), DJ Pippi.
Track listing
- "Peace on Earth" – 4:10
- "Pacha Mama" – 4:05
- "Santa Maria" – 2:44
- "Sunlight Shining Through Cloud" – 4:33
- "The Doge's Palace" – 3:07
- "Lake Constance" – 5:16
- "Mastermind" – 3:03
- "Broad Sunlit Uplands" – 4:03
- "Liberation" – 2:38
- "Amber Light" – 3:42
- "The Millennium Bell" – 7:37
Personnel
- Mike Oldfield – Producer, performer and writer
- Ben Darlow – Engineer
- Robyn Smith – Conductor, Arranger
- London Session Orchestra
- The London Händel Choir
- The Grant Gospel Choir
- Nicola Emmanuel – Vocals
- David Serame – Vocals
- Miriam StockleyMiriam StockleyMiriam Stockley is a British singer. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and her work is influenced by the African music in her home country. Her unique vocalese style gained international acclaim when Karl Jenkins' launched the "Adiemus" project with "Songs of Sanctuary", featuring...
– Vocals - Camilla Darlow – Vocals
- Andrew Johnson – Vocals
- Gota YashikiGota YashikiGota Yashiki is both an independent acid jazz artist and drum player, as a member of the band Simply Red. He was born in Kyoto, Japan, on 26 February 1962, where at a young age he learned how to play traditional Japanese drums. This interest in drumming propelled him into the music scene, and he...
– Drums - Martay – Vocals
- Pepsi – Vocals
- Greta Hegerland-Oldfield - Narration
- DJ Pippi - Arrangement