Paganini's Violin Concerto No.2, Op.7 has a part for a "Campanello (Little Bell in F#)" in the 3rd movement, which is also the movement's namesake - "La Campanella". In a bit of research I've done, the instrument is described just as a "little bell" or sometimes as a "handbell". The Wikipedia page for Handbell discusses different types of handbells and different playing techniques. I also find it odd there is no mention there of its use in such a famous piece.
Furthermore, the IMSLP part shows the instrument plays only a C note, while it's listed as an instrument in F#.
My questions are:
- What is the bell Paganini instructed?
- What is the way the bell is used to produce the sound?
- Does "bell in F#" mean it's a transposing instrument (like trumpet in Bb)? I thought it means it produces the tone F#, but the sheet music says C. Is it just its notation?