I composed the Canticle as a song of farewell to my teacher, friend and colleague, Halsey Stevens, following his death in 1989. This quiet, brief work (under four minutes) was premiered in its version for solo clarinet by Al Rice and in its vibraphone version by Erik Forrester. The Canticle is bipartite, with the second half a set of four compressed variations of opening material, each variation delineated by chords suggesting tolling bells.