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| Musical Musings: Christmas | Page 2 |
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Ding Dong Merrily on HighPart II: Carillon and HandbellsA carillon is a series of at least 23 tuned bells (less than 23 bells are called a "chime"), mounted externally and generally playable from a large keyboard. There are over 300 carillons in use today, and more of them (about 120) are located in the United States than in any other country. The largest American carillon by weight is at Riverside Church in New York City. It contains 74 bells, one of which is a twenty ton bourdon, the largest tuned bell in the world. Russia claims the largest non-tuned bell, "The Great Bell of Moscow" or "The Kremlin Bell," which, cast in the early 18th century, weighs over two hundred tons. The 76-bell ring at Kirk-in-the-Hills, Bloomfield, Michigan, is the widest-ranged carillon in the country. The beautiful carillon and set of ten "peal bells" at Washington Cathedral were cast at the Whitechapel Foundry in England, the "birthplace" of Big Ben and our own Liberty Bell.Bells were brought into the church several centuries after Paulinus first hung his steeple bell. Saint Martin of Tours reported in 560 AD of an instrument called the cymbala being used in the Western Church. The cymbala (from the Greek word kumbalon, cups) were small, cup-shaped bells that were suspended in a row and struck with hammers. Depictions can be found in early illustrations. These bells were used to set the pitch for the chanting of psalms and to indicate cadence points. The bells were eventually equipped with handles, allowing them to be used in procession, and thus handbells were invented in the Medieval Church. Handbells have seen a resurgence of use in the modern Church. These bells are of two types, either English or Flemish in design. English-style handbells produce a strong fundamental tone and blend well with each other in chords and harmonies based on thirds and sixths. Flemish-style handbells produce a quite colorful tone which is rich in overtones, especially the minor third. Because of this, they sound best only when rung alone or in chords comprised of octaves, fourths and fifths. Major handbell foundries are located in England, Holland and the United States. In this country, our two bell foundries, Schulmerich and Malmark, are both located in Pennsylvania. Throughout much of its history, the bell, like the organ, has been associated with the Church. The two seem somehow ideally suited for worship, supported by a strong tradition and the "heavenly" connotations that we add.
Ring out, ye crystal spheres! from On the Morning of Christ's Nativity by John Milton |
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