Yesterday’s post featured a sample of church bells from across continental Europe. In many cases, these bells have been ringing out for centuries and are part of the ambiance of the city. In England’s “green and pleasant land” of orderly fields, hedge rows and quaint cathedral towns it isn’t surprising that a structured, rule-oriented style of bell ringing developed.
Change ringing, a series of mathematical patterns of tuned bells, was developed in the 17th century. Learn about how chain ringing is done here. Here is an additional clip about the mathematics of bell ringing.
[typography font=”Cantarell” size=”28″ size_format=”px”]Change Ringing Up Close[/typography]
Here is an example of change ringing from Liverpool. You can hear the bells pealing in a scale and then moving into a variety of patterns. The timing and precision required is impressive:
[typography font=”Cantarell” size=”28″ size_format=”px”]Westminster Abbey[/typography]
Here is what the bells and organ sounded like at Westminster Abbey on the day of the Royal Wedding in 2011:
[typography font=”Cantarell” size=”28″ size_format=”px”]St. Paul’s Cathedral[/typography]
Here are the bells of Sir Christopher Wren’s St. Paul’s Cathedral:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_IB6EBhX8g
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