Great Tom Is Cast

About this arrangement

A bell round from Oxford, about the great bell of Christ Church, in three parts of two bars; the repeat sign means play it all twice. Part 1 rises from G to C and D. Part 2 swings between E, C, F and D, then counts the bells: “one, two” is a dotted crotchet and a quaver, and “three, four” are quick quavers (eighth notes). Part 3 comes down to middle C for “last”, the big bell. The hand moves for each part. The left hand plays a bass note and chords, changing on every beat in bars 1, 3 and 5.

Practice tip: Play it like a bell: firm, steady and not too fast. As a round, a second player starts at bar 1 when the first reaches bar 3, and a third at bar 5.

The words

Great Tom is cast, and Christ Church bells ring one, two, three, four, five, six, and Tom comes last.

A short history

Great Tom is the big bell in Tom Tower at Christ Church, Oxford. It was recast several times in the seventeenth century, the last time in 1680, and hung in the tower that Christopher Wren built over the college gateway in 1681 and 1682. It still strikes 101 times every evening at five past nine, the signal that once meant the college gates were closing.

The round is credited to the English composer Matthew White and was in print by 1667. Its words count the smaller bells, “one, two, three, four, five, six”, before the great bell, Tom, comes last.

It is a round in three parts: each voice starts two bars after the one before, and all three fit together, so the bells keep ringing for as long as the singers like.

Quick facts

Tune

Matthew White, printed 1667

Key

C major

Time signature

4/4

Length

6 bars, played twice

Tempo

Like a big bell, crotchet = 92

Difficulty

Level 5: A wider range (piece 153 of 201)

Type

Round

Hands

Both: melody in the right hand, chords in the left

Copyright

Public domain tune; arrangement by Digital Greenhouse, free for personal and classroom use

Questions and answers