The sound of genuine cast bronze bells has been a feature of daily life in our world for the past millennium. Even though imitation bells have been developed and used in the last half century, still many people rightly feel that there is greater value in having the real thing. Genuine cast bronze bells will still be ringing centuries from now.

Single Bells
Single bells are used in churches, as a call to worship, a call to prayer (such as the Angelus), for tolling, and to celebrate joyous occasions, such as marriage.

The tone of a larger bell is deeper and more sonorous than a smaller bell, and a larger bell will swing at a slower rate. Bells are specified by their diameter, weight, and musical tone.

Single bells are generally hung stationary for use as a time strike, while single church bells are most often hung in swinging mountings; these will often be furnished with an external tolling hammer, to permit individual strikes. The bell will generally be used as a swinging bell for call to worship and for weddings and other joyous occasions; the tolling hammer will be used for the funeral toll, for traditional bell signals, such as the first part of the Angelus, and for the hour strike if desired.

Both stationary and swinging single bells can be manually rung, by means of ropes, or they may be fitted with electric striking or swinging equipment, for remote and automatic operation. If a bell is to be used in conjunction with a traditional mechanical tower clock, it can be fitted with a gravity striking hammer.

Stationary single bells with electric striker can be equipped with a pulsing device to simulate the tempo of ringing of a swinging bell of the same size; this effect can be used as a call to worship, for instance, where a swinging bell is not practical. However, the sound of an actual swinging bell will always be more lively and interesting, because of the Doppler effect of the actual moving bell, which causes a characteristic and pleasing undulation of pitch.

Chimes
A chime, as understood in North America, is a set of 8 to 22 stationary bells upon which simple music can be played, such as hymn tunes. Generally, one needs 11 bells to have sufficient variety of possible melodies; around 70% of commonly used hymn tunes may be correctly played on such a set, which will consist of nine diatonic tones in the major key of the largest bell (often termed the tenor), plus two semitones. A 14 note set extends the diatonic range by three more notes and extends the musical capability to close to 90% of hymn tunes found in most hymnals. Also, 14 notes will permit the playing of quite a variety of suitable classical and folk music as well.

Chimes of 18 to 20 notes are very comprehensive, and besides allowing the playing of virtually all hymn and other tunes that may be desired, also allow more use of harmony, and expand the scope of suitable music, to that approaching a small carillon.

In a church, the tenor bell of a chime is often placed in swinging mountings, for use as a regular church bell for call to worship; in that case, an outside hammer will be used for playing that bell with the others in chime music.

A chime may be played from a traditional chimestand, a sturdy wood frame with large levers for each bell, generally aligned in a single row, and grasped and depressed with the hand to play the notes. Each of these levers will be physically connected by a simple cable and pulley arrangement to the clapper of its bell in the tower bell chamber above.

Especially when the chime grows to 14 or more bells, it is desirable to play from a small carillon-type keyboard, with or without pedals. Often called a baton keyboard, this has smaller keys with rounded ends which the player strikes or depresses with a loosely clenched fist; they are arranged in a similar configuration to the keys of a piano, with the semitone (sharp/flat) keys raised and set back, in groups of two and three, similar to the piano's "black" keys. In a carillon-type keyboard, the spatial separation allows the identification of the notes easily by the player's peripheral vision, so making the keys actually white and black is not necessary.

In larger chimes, the inclusion of a few pedals to duplicate the operation of the heaviest several bells, as is done in the carillon, can be a convenience for the player. Where a carillon-type keyboard is used to play a chime, generally a carillon-type action will be used, such as a radial action, using individual quadrants, which connect the vertical connecting wires from the keyboard with the bell clapper connections in the bell chamber. Again, this is a completely direct, mechanical link between the player and the bell clapper, providing almost infinite expression controlled directly through the touch on the keys.

It must be understood that with accurate tuning, it is always possible to start with a small chime and to add bells later on to increase its musical scope. A church may start with, say, an 11-bell chime of small bells, and progress, if space permits, to a large and comprehensive carillon over a period of years.

In addition to playing the bells through an expressive manual keyboard, it is possible to play a chime using electrically operated hammers, which will permit, for instance, remote playing of some or all of the bells from a link to a church's organ console, or a remotely located piano-type keyboard.

It is important to note, that chimes do not have to be composed of extremely large bells to be very effective musically. Churches with small towers, or even with no tower at all, may have a highly useful and effective instrument of real bells for not a great deal more than many have given to buy complex carillon systems in the past. And these genuine carillon bells will never be obsolete, and can never get "out of tune." This is but one reason that a chime of real bells is the ideal memorial gift. It is a living memorial that will be not only a valued traditional musical resource of the church, but also a cultural asset to the greater community.

Carillons
A carillon is a set of 23 or more accurately tuned bells and normally played from a manual (baton) keyboard and action for control of expression through variation of touch. The 23 bells of this basic definition would cover two musical octaves with all semitones (chromatic) except for the omission of the lowest two (at the keyboard, the lowest C# and D#). While a two-octave instrument is very useful in the playing of hymns and much appropriate music can be arranged for it, much more music today is being published for carillons of wider range. A carillon of three octaves (36 bells including the second bass semitone) will permit playing of quite a lot of repertoire not possible on the two octave instrument; to play 90% or a bit more of the published literature requires an instrument of four octaves, 48 bells.

The choice of the bourdon bell will largely determine the space required in the tower, the load-bearing requirements for the tower, and the cost of the instrument. Often, a long-range plan for a larger instrument can be realized over time. Previous good planning will make the later addition of larger and smaller bells practical, and economical, in terms of limiting costs of modification.

Many first encountering a carillon ask the carillonneur "but how do you practice?" In only a few places is it possible to practice upon the actual instrument. The answer is in provision of a practice keyboard, which is an instrument being an exact duplicate of the tower (playing) keyboard, but which is fitted with a hammer action playing accurately tuned tone bars.

As with chimes, carillons can be equipped with electric or electro-pneumatic operation of some or all of the bells, allowing a widened usefulness in the life of the church. Time striking, ringing for services, playing of hymns or other appropriate music can be programmed any time of the day without requiring a carillonneur to be present. It is possible to have remote playing of some or all of the bells from a remote, piano-type keyboard within the building, or from one of the manuals of a church organ.

Richard Watson is a partner in Meeks, Watson & Company, www.mwbells.com.