Church Bells & Carillons

The charm of a single church bell goes without saying. A traditional call-to-worship, a call-to-class, an hour strike, or a somber funeral toll speaks volumes. The proper single bell for your organization depends on the structural limitations of your building and your budget.

The art of creating a cast bronze bell is steeped in centuries-old history and ritual. The bellfounders often crafted the bell in the courtyard of the local church where it was to be placed.

Historically, the bellfounder traveled to the church and dug a pit in the ground in front of the church at the base of the tower. In the pit, he created the bell mold and prepared it for the casting. While this was happening, he built a very hot fire to melt the bronze, typically using oak wood.

Once the bronze was molten, the founder would make his pour into the bell mold. Once the bell was cast, it would be carefully raised from the pit, and the mold broken off. Any remaining particles of clay were scrubbed and polished from the bell before hoisting it into the tower.

Definitions
A peal is a set of two to eight bronze bells, used primarily for liturgical bell rings (as opposed to playing musical passages). A peal builds upon a single bell by providing clock chimes, as well as a platform for liturgical and celebratory ringing of bells. The unique selection of bell notes in a peal allows your organization to develop its own voice in the community.

A chime of bells is a set of eight to 22 bronze bells. As a peal builds upon the functions of a single bell, a chime builds upon a peal by increasing the number of bells to the point that playing musical passages becomes practical.

A carillon of bells is 23 or more cast bronze, musically tuned bells chromatically arranged. A carillon offers the most flexibility in playing music, and its musical limitations are defined only by the number of bells it contains.

The Importance of Tuning
A bell is unlike many other instruments because it actually produces multiple notes, called partials. Tuning a bell is a time consuming process that requires the bellfounder to be proficient with both a simple tuning fork and high-end digital tuning equipment. Using a lathe, metal is shaved from inside the bell at various points until the proper tuning is achieved. The bellfounder must tune the five lowest partials, at minimum, to the standard of A3=440 vibrations per second. From the lowest partial to the highest, the notes are:

* The Hum, (an octave below the prime or “strike” note)
* The Prime, (an octave above the Hum)
* The Minor Third, (of the Prime)
* The Fifth, (of the Prime)
* The Octave, (of the Prime)

While the Prime tone is the most important note of the bell, the hum tone, the minor third and the octave must be tuned with the same accuracy. Of particular interest is the minor third, which is unusual in a musical instrument.

Ringing Carillon Bells
There are two ways to create music on carillon bells. The ideal way is by a carillonneur performing live on a traditional keyboard console, called a “clavier,” (not an electric or midi keyboard!), but a large keyboard console with an action more akin to a tracker organ.

The carillonneur plays broomstick-like keys, (batons), with a loosely open fist and foot pedals which ring the heavier bells, giving the musician more control and an ability to dynamically control the bells.

Modern techniques for playing carillon bells are based on electronic bell-ringing equipment, including bell strikers, an automatic bell control system, and midi-keyboards or an organ console. Advantages of contemporary electric options include increased frequency of use (many people can easily be trained to operate), and cost savings over more traditional methods.

Carillons can also be flexibly configured to use both traditional and electronic methods, and can also be combined with clock chimes and hour strikes.

This article is courtesy of Christoph Paccard Bellfoundries, www.christophpaccard.com.

Product Roundup

Schulmerich
Since 1935, Schulmerich has set the standard for excellence. Attention to detail, quality, reliability and customer service continues to remain their primary focus at Schulmerich. Their product line includes:
* State-of-the-art Generation 4 Electronic Carillons
* Premier set of seven octaves of handbells
* Innovative five octaves of MelodyChime Instruments
* Revolutionary four octave MelodyWave Instruments
Schulmerich is the name behind the instrument that you can trust.
www.SchulmerichBells.com

Verdin Chamber Carillon
The Verdin Chamber Carillon system delivers a simple, easy carillon to operate and embodies all of the features you look for in a digital bell carillon. This system:
* Is comprised of the real sounds of cast bells, digitally sampled and stored on permanent flash memory
* Has no moving parts to wear out
* Comes complete with more than 1,200 musical selections that are installed permanently onto the carillon’s memory for automatic play
Seven instant program buttons allow you to select a funeral toll, celebratory peal, or assemble program medleys of up to 15 songs for manual execution.
www.verdin.com

CompuChime
CompuChime is an inexpensive computer-based church bell carillon. The bell sounds and music are generated from true cast bells, providing the most authentic sound possible. Users can:
* Create music and bells for a specific time and day using the bell time scheduler
* Use the remote control for instant access to wedding bells, funeral tolls, call to worship or any other bell/carillon
* Deliver music and bell sounds to an audience up to one mile away with 55db sound level, 1000-watt amplifier and two-way bell speaker
The atomic clock synchronizer keeps the bell strike time announcements accurate to within one minute in 10 years.
www.compuchime.com

Maas-Rowe
Whether it is a single, plaintive church bell or the splendor of “America the Beautiful” played on a full carillon, the wonderful music of bells stirs emotion in every heart. The Maas-Rowe Digital Chronobell III with Compact Disc Carillon produces clear and inspiring bell rings and bell music, ringing from a church’s tower or rooftop. The Maas-Rowe Carillon features:
* Beauty
* Clear sound
* Engraved plaque for lasting memorial gift
www.maasrowe.com

Blagovest Bells
Blagovest Bells imports for churches premier bronze chimes or Zvons from Russia. A Zvon is a set of tower bells hung dead with clapper ropes for rigged Russian-style rhythmic ringing, not tuned into a musical scale. Bells for Zvons are cast-bronze and equipped with cast-iron clappers. Blagovest features:
* Fast delivery (usually about four months)
* 100-year guarantee
* Competitive prices
The company provides full services related to chimes, including installation, consulting and bell ringing education.
www.russsianbells.com