Bell (instrument)
A
bell is a simple
sound-making device. The bell is a
percussion instrument and an
idiophone. Its form is usually an open-ended hollow drum which resonates upon being struck. The striking implement can be a tongue suspended within the bell, known as a
clapper, a small, free sphere enclosed within the body of the bell, or a separate mallet.
Bells are usually made of metal, but small bells can also be made from
ceramic or
glass. Bells can be of all sizes: from tiny dress accessories to church bells literally weighing tons.
In the
Western world, its most classical form is a
church bell or town bell, which is hung within a tower and sounded by having the entire bell swung by ropes, whereupon an internal hinged tongue strikes the body of the bell (called a free-swinging bell). A set of bells, hung in a circle for
change ringing, is known as a
ring of bells.
In the
Eastern world, the traditional forms of bells are temple and palace bells, small ones being rung by a sharp rap with a stick, and very large ones rung by a blow from the outside by a large swinging beam. This last technique is employed world-wide for some of the largest tower-borne bells, because swinging the bell itself could damage the tower.
In the
Roman Catholic Church and among some High
Anglicans, small hand-held bells, called
Sanctus or
sacring bells, are often rung by a server at Mass when the priest holds high up first the host, and then the chalice immediately after he has said the words of consecration over them (the moment known as the
Elevation). This serves to indicate to the congregation that the bread and wine have just been transformed into the body and blood of Christ (see
transubstantiation), or, in the less rigorous Anglican teaching, that Christ is now really present in the elements, and that what the priest is holding up for them to look at is Christ himself.
Buddhist bells
Japanese Buddhist bells are used in religious ceremonies.
Suzu bells, meaning "cool and refreshing," are the smallest bells and contain metal pellets. The next largest bell is the
Kane bell. The largest bell is the
furin, or wind bell, which is a form of
wind chime. See also
Tibetan tingsha bells.
Some bells are used as
musical instruments, such as
carillons, (clock)
chimes, or ensembles of bell-players, called
bell choirs, using hand-held bells of varying tones. A "ring of bells" is a set of 4 to twelve bells or more used in
change ringing, a particular method of ringing bells in patterns. A "peal" in changing ringing may have bells playing for several hours, playing 5,000 or more patterns without a break or repetition.
Ancient Chinese bells
The ancient Chinese had bronze bells called
zhong (鐘) which were used as musical instruments. Some of these bells were dated from 2000 to 3600 years old. These bells can each produce
two tones. These bells usually have inscriptions on them from which scholars used as references for studying ancient Chinese writings (also known as
Bronzeware script). Another related ancient Chinese musical instrument is called qing (
磬 pinyin qing4) but it was made of stone instead of metal.
The playing of bells is known as
bellringing, and such a bell produces a very loud, clear tone. If the bell is mounted as cast, it is called a "maiden bell" while "tuned bells" are worked after casting to produce a precise note. The traditional metal for these bells is a
bronze of about 20%
tin. Known as
bell metal, this alloy is also the
traditional alloy for the finest Turkish and Chinese
cymbals. Other materials sometimes used for large bells include
brass and
iron. The process of casting bells is called
bellmaking.
Bells are also associated with
clocks, indicating the hour by ringing. Indeed, the word
clock comes from the
Latin word
cloca, meaning bell. Clock towers or bell towers can be heard over long distances which was especially important in the time when clocks were too expensive for widespread use.
In the case of clock towers and grandfather clocks, a particular sequence of tones may be played to represent the hour. One common pattern is called the "
Westminster Quarters," a sixteen-note pattern named after the
Palace of Westminster which popularized it as the measure used by
Big Ben.
|
Mingun Bell weighs 55,555 viss, or 90 tonnes. |
*
Big Ben is the hour bell of the Great Clock in St. Stephen's Tower at the
Palace of Westminster, the home of the Houses of
Parliament in the
United Kingdom.
*The Great Bell of Dhammazedi may have been the largest bell ever made. It was lost in a river in
Myanmar after being removed from a temple by the Portuguese in
1608. It is reported to have been about 300 tonnes in weight.
*The largest bell still in existence may be the Great Mingun Bell, located in
Mingun,
Myanmar. It weighs 90 tonnes (200,000 lb).
*
Great Tom is the bell that hangs in "Tom Tower" (designed by
Christopher Wren) of
Christ Church,
Oxford. It was cast in
1680, and weighs over six tons. Great Tom is still rung 101 times at 21:05 every night to signify the 101 original scholars of the college.
*The
Liberty Bell is an
American bell of great historic significance, located in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. It previously hung in
Independence Hall and was rung on
July 4,
1776 to mark American independence.
*
Sigismund is a bell in the
Wawel Cathedral in
Kraków,
Poland, cast in
1520. It is rung only on very significant national occasions, the most recent of which was the death of
Pope John Paul II.
*The
Tsar-Kolokol III bell by the
Motorin Bellfounders would have been larger than even the Great Mingun Bell at more than 200 tons, but it was never rung and broke in
1737. It is on display in
Moscow, Russia inside the
Kremlin.
*The largest swinging bell is the
World Peace Bell in
Newport, Kentucky,
United States, cast by
Paccard of
France. The bell itself weighs 66,000 lb while with clapper and supports the total weight which swings when the bell is tolled is 89,390 lb.
*
Pummerin in
Vienna's
Stephansdom is the most famous bell in
Austria and the fifth largest in the world.
*The St. Petersglocke, in the
local dialect of
Cologne also called "Decke Pitter" (fat Peter), is a Bell in
Germany's
Cologne Cathedral. It weighs 24 tons and was cast in 1922. At this time, it was the largest free-swinging bell in the world. It swings around the top, while the
World Peace Bell swings around the
Center of Gravity, which is more like turning than like swinging. So, depending on the point of view, the St. Petersglocke may be up to now the largest free-swinging bell in the world. And, because of the
Doppler Effect, a bell which swings around the top has a better sound than a bell which swings around the gravity point.
A variant on the bell is the
tubular bell, several of these metal tubes which are struck manually with hammers, form an instrument named
tubular bells or
chimes. In the case of wind or aeolian chimes, the tubes are blown against one another by the wind.
*
Campanology*
Cowbell*
Ship's bells*
John Taylor Bellfounders*
Whitechapel Bell Foundry*
Franciscus Illenfeld*
Bellhop*
Bells and their Music (online book)
*
Bells symbolizing Peace and Freedom*
European research project: Maintenance and protection of bells*
Computer-designed harmonic bells*
Contemporary Dutch Bell-Founding Art history, frequency measurement, tuning,...
* http://www.glocke.com, information about the Perner bellfoundry in Passau, casting of broncebells, and ringing equipment, recent projects, sounds of the cathedral in Passau
*
Kruszewski Brothers Bell Foundry, Wegrow, Poland Website
*
Ancient Chinese bells Pictures, sound samples, acoustics, and musical tuning of the famous bell ensemble of Zeng from 433 B.C.
*
Chimes & knells ringed in traditional music from county of Nice, France
