Aeolian Pipe Organ roll no. 1268, "Bells Of Rheims", performed by Edwin
H. Lemare, is a very atmospheric piece of organ music, making much use
of the chimes.  Supposedly it was composed in 1915, which makes sense
as the Cathedral at Rheims, a gothic masterpiece, was all but destroyed
by bombardment and a subsequent fire in 1914, to international outrage.

The roll was not released until 1925, according to Rollin Smith.  There
is a great recording of the roll played on Bob Taylor's Aeolian Pipe
Organ on his web site:

http://www.aeolianorgan.com/aeolian/Podcast_4/Entries/2007/3/11_Bells_of_Rheims,_roll_1268.html 

I have a hankering to learn this piece, as something out of the usual
to play in recitals.  In trying to get hold of the sheet music, however,
I have discovered that this piece seems to have no presence whatsoever
other than the Aeolian roll.  It doesn't have an opus number, like most
of Lemare's other works, and does not appear in any lists of his works
that I can find.

One idea which occurred to me is that it might have been composed in
connection with the British short silent film of the same name which
came out in 1914, though this is just conjecture on my part.  Could
this piece be another Aeolian Commission?

Does anyone have any other information regarding this piece of music?
Has anyone ever seen a sheet music copy of it?

Rowland Lee

 [ The producer tells the artist, "You finished ahead of schedule;
 [ have you any other pieces you'd like to record before the studio
 [ closes?"  Perhaps that's why Lemare's composition exists only as
 [ a music recording, not as a published score.
 [
 [ At https://wikitravel.org/en/Reims -- Reims (sometimes spelled
 [ "Rheims" in English), a city in northern France, is perhaps best
 [ known for its cathedral, where generations of French kings were
 [ crowned.
 [
 [ -- Robbie