The opening section begins with a lyric but disjunct melody. A faster figuration appears briefly, made up of a 12-tone row (a passage in which all twelve notes of the chromatic scale are used before any are repeated). The tone row reappears later in various forms (forward and backward, or a mixture of both). A transition of slow chords (which coincidentally spell out the letters B-A-C-H in German note nomenclature) accelerates up to a rapid figuration (often, but not always, built out of the tone row in various ways). Another melodic theme is introduced (in slower notes) in the pedals. This gives way to a pattern of two heavy chords, which become a repeated pattern (ostinato). Over this, some faster patterns appear, leading into a rapid presentation of the same theme heard in the pedals in the previous section. The effect of this section is deliberately reminiscent of the powerful sonorities of a Russian zvon, a set of bells rung in certain rhythmic patterns by a team of people pulling ropes connected to the clappers. (In particular, this passage recalls the more tonal renditions of zvon effects in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov.) The figuration descends to a bold chord in the bass range. A short transitional passage, with the tone row appearing in fragmented form, leads to a combination of the chordal ostinato of the zvon section with the tone row. A variant of the whole zvon section of the piece follows, leading finally to a longer statement of the lyric melody which opened the piece.

Fantasy No. 2 was given its première performance on May 8, 2004, at Ball State University.

Incidentally, my first Fantasy for carillon is the opening movement of a Suite for carillon (Op. 12), completed in 1985, to date unpublished.

—John Gouwens