Peal (bell ringing)

“ In this Peal there is a whole hunt, a half hunt, and three extream Bells; the whole hunt in a direct course does hunt up and down, and lies twice before, and twice behind all the way; every other bell leads twice together throughout the Peal. ”

“ In Ringing tenor, treble, and second, there's a single bob the first time the whole Hunt comes before the bells.
In all Peals of Grandsire bob, where the first change is either a bob, or a dodge between the four hindmost bells, or else a double change between the four bells in the midst, it must be made at the back-stroke of the bells, otherwise the Peal would cut compass all the way, that is, every bell would come to lead at the back-stroke. ”

“ Any bell may hunt at pleasure, and it may move either up or down at the beginning of the peal. If the 1st or 3d do hunt down, or the 2d or 4th up at the beginning, the first change must be single, and made of the back-stroke (if ’tis rung at half-pulls) to prevent cutting compass; but if either of those bells do hunt the contrary way, then the first change must be double.
Old Doubles and Singles. 1 and 2. One change is double, the next single, and so by turns. The treble hath a direct hunting course, as in plain changes. ”

“ Every bell hunts in a perfect course, until the whole Hunt leads, and then the single is to be made, at which time the bell in seconds place lies there twice (unless the extream is made in second and thirds place) and every single change is made in third and fourths places, except the extreams which are (in this Peal) made by the same rule and after the same manner, as I shewed before in the Six-score call'd Doubles and Singles on five bells. ”

“ So in like manner when he hears a peal of five bells strike after one another at the fore-stroke, and again at back-stroke, he may imagine that at the very instant of their striking their notes appear to his apprehension in the shape of the five figures, and that they strike in a row, thus, 1 2 3 4 5, as if each Bell were a Gun, and had shot out its note in the shape of a figure. There being necessity that the young Practitioner must either imagine each note to be a real figure, or else a representative: for as the ear is to be his guide to direct when to make each change ”

“ The terms chiming, tolling, and peal-ringing, though now generally understood, do not intelligibly apply to the few regulations about bells which occur in the canons.
I believe that chiming is the proper method of summoning the congregation to the services of the church: and tolling certainly appears to be the most appropriate use of the bell at funerals. ”

“ As many as 16,000 changes, occupying from nine to ten hours, have been rung upon church bells. But the great physical strain upon the ringers—to say nothing of the effect upon those who are within hearing—makes such performances exceptional. The word “peal” is often, though incorrectly, used (1) for a set of church bells (“a peal of six,” “a peal of eight”) , for which the correct term is “a ring” of bells; (2) for any shorter performance than a full peal (e.g. “wedding-peal,” “muffled peal,” &c.) , called in ringing language a “touch.” ”

“ Mr. Editor,—The following question was put to me by a clergyman and a scholar, who, like myself, takes an interest in the subject of Bells. At first sight I fancied that a satisfactory answer could easily be given: but I found that I was mistaken, and I shall be very glad if any of your correspondents will favour me with a solution of the difficulty.
Can you define what is a Peal? Of course we know what is meant by a Peal of Bells, and to ring a Peal; but I want it defined as to duration, mode of ringing it, &c. &c. None of the old writers explain what they mean by ringing a Peal. ”

“ To ring, and to ring changes, on either church or musical hand bells, are three very different subjects. In order to ring changes, however, it is absolutely necessary to have a good knowledge of ringing, or the means adopted to make the bells sound in their proper time and place, whether it be in the church tower, on the large swinging bells with ropes, or in the parlour or drawing-room, upon the musical bells, held in the hand or hands. ”

“ But not only is there a general lack of knowledge upon ringing church bells on the part of the majority, even in this bell ringing isle—it can well be added that, as to change ringing, the really scientific, very useful, and interesting part of ringing is “dog Latin” or “double Dutch” to ninety-nine persons out of every hundred, or even more, the general impression being that it is all very easy, and only to pull—that anyone can do all that is to be done in a very short time ”

“ The difference between ringing the tenor (or any bell for prayers) , and ringing it as a knell, is, that in the latter case the bell is set at every pull or stroke, which causes a solemnity in the sound very different from that produced by the very reverse mode of ringing it. Oh! what language there is in bells. In ringing, the bell is swung round; in tolling, it is swung merely sufficiently for the clapper to strike the side. Chiming is when more bells than one are tolled in harmony ”

“ To ring-in rounds, it matters little which bell is taken to perform upon, as each takes its place in proper turn, whether it be first, middle, last, or any other position, which will be very well understood if the new ringer has practised, as he should do, rounds upon hand bells. ”

“ It appears to us quite worth the consideration of the clergy whether the practice of hand-bell ringing would not do much to keep their corps of church ringers together and provide an antidote to the public-house. We find that a medium set of eight hand-bells, forming an octave, can be obtained for from four to five pounds; and the steps of the art present no considerable difficulty, even to rustic intellects. Many a young country curate would find it a pleasant thing to take the post of leader, and call his choir together for hebdomadal practices. ”

“ The ringing of changes is performed, partly by the ear, and partly by the eye; the ear informs when to make a change, the eye directs the pull in the making of it, but then again the ear guides the striking of the note true in its place according to time. So that the ear and eye have each of them its proper object in the ringing of changes, and therefore ought at the same time to be absolutely free from all others whatsoever, the notes of the bells being the object of the ear, and the bell-ropes the object of the eye. ”

“ But my bell-ringing practice was shortened by a singular accident, which not only stopped my performance, but made even the sound of a bell terrible to my ears.
One Sunday, I went with another into the belfry to ring for noon prayers, but the second stroke we had pulled showed us that the clapper of the bell [Pg 88] we were at was muffled. Some one had been buried that morning, and it had been prepared, of course, to ring a mournful note. We did not know of this, but the remedy was easy. "Jack," said my companion, "step up to the loft, and cut off the hat;" ”

“ This and the beautiful science of bell-ringing consequent on it are peculiar to ourselves. The method of sounding the bells here understood is by a hammer acting on the rim, or by pulling the clapper, as is used with us for chimes, and where the bell frame is weak. This accounts for the much larger bells which are found abroad, and which were never meant to be poised and swung. Owing to the above difference between the Continental and English methods of bell-ringing, it is not easy to express the difference between simpulsare, compulsare, and depulsare. ”

“ Change ringing on bells, then, is to be accomplished just as all other arts or studies, not by seeking to take the monitor’s place at first, but by taking the lowest place on the lowest form, and by giving attention to every lesson or hint that can be gathered from others, commencing as with the alphabet, and then proceeding to spell or to compose. ”

“ George, Devon, who from quite a young man has entered deeply and fully into all matters of interest relative to Church Bells and Ringing, and who now supervises that bell-ringing page in the interesting weekly paper called Church Bells, where from time to time much is given which is interesting to all who may wish to become ringers in practice or performance, with good and reliable information as the groundwork upon which they desire to ultimately place their edifice of knowledge of the subject in question. ”

“ Of this the ringing in the ears, as well as the itching in the nose, must be held to be an example. The well-known ringing in the ears does come with extraordinary suddenness, as we have all experienced, and when it comes makes the most staid philosopher look foolish and out of sorts for the moment. Its connection with death is perhaps to be traced to the passing bell of early and mediæval times, and to the tolling of bells at funerals even in our own day. ”

“ Ring, bell!
A little baby comes on earth to dwell. Ring, bell!
Sound, bell! Sound! Swell!
Ring for joy and wish her well!
[p184]
May her life tell
No tale of ill-spell!
Ring, bell! Joy, bell! Love, bell! Ring!
* * * * *
‘But I don’t see,’ said King Bellamant, when he had told Queen Belinda all about it, ‘how it was that I came to hear them. The Enchanter of the Ringing Well said that only lovers could hear what the bells had to say, and then only when they were together.’
‘You silly dear boy,’ said Queen Belinda, cuddling the baby princess close under her chin, ‘we are lovers, aren’t we? ”

“ And for this there can be no better plan than to note upon paper the changes which may be made with from 2 to 4 bells, assuming that one, which may be represented by a cross, star, or other mark, is the bell which the student takes to move, vary, or change. Whether he takes the position of 1, 2, or any other number, No. 1, in a ring of church bells, is always that with the highest note, and in this way it will be plain, first, to presume that there are 2 bells, and the reader takes the second, upon which there are, as he knows already as shown, but two changes ”

“ Lest any of our readers, however, should not understand what chiming is, it consists of swinging the bell to and fro by the rope, so that it moves like the pendulum of a clock, and comes in contact with the clapper, which remains nearly stationary inside, owing to its weight and the loose manner of suspending it. ”

“ The women are equally fastidious with the men, but have in addition a most singular ornament called the “pelele.” This is a ring that is not fixed into the ear or nose, but into the upper lip, and gives to the wearer an appearance that is most repulsive to an European. The artist has illustrated its form and effect, in an engraving on page 357. The pelele is a ring made of ivory, metal, or bamboo, nearly an inch in thickness, and variable in diameter, sometimes measuring two inches across. ”

“ Tap it strongly above the rim where the clapper strikes, and the quint, the tierce, and the octave will now sound simultaneously, yielding the consonant or key-note of the bell.
If the tierce is too sharp the bell's note (i.e., the consonant) wavers between a tone and a half-tone above it; if the tierce is flat the note wavers between a tone and a half-tone below it; in either case the bell is said to be “false.” A sharp tierce can be flattened by filing away the inside of the bell just where the tierce is struck; but if the bell when cast is found to have a flat tierce there is no remedy. ”

“ Dost thou not hear the silver bell,
Thro' yonder lime-trees ringing?
'Tis my lady's light gazelle;
To me her love thoughts bringing,—
All the while that silver bell
Around his dark neck ringing. ”

“ That the Bells should be rung in peal, for a quarter of an hour and no more, after every Marriage.
d. That the great Bell should be tolled, according to the Canon, (for a quarter of an hour) when any is passing out of this life, or appears to be dying. ”

“ To tune a series of bells properly, the fundamental tone of each bell must be brought into true octave with its nominal, and the whole series of bells, thus rectified, put into tune with each other. The “hum-note” of each, which is the tone of the whole mass of metal, should also be in tune with the others. If flatter than the nominal, it cannot be sharpened ”

“ When we whistle we transform the lips into a reed and the mouth into a pipe. The tension of the lips and the shape of the mouth cavity decide the note. The lips are also used as a reed for blowing the flute, piccolo, and all the brass band instruments of the cornet order. In blowing a coach-horn the various harmonics of the fundamental note are brought out by altering the lip tension and the wind pressure. ”

“ It is because the different positions of the mouth resound to different overtones. While some vowel is sung we hold different resonators to the ear until we find the overtones. They must be the cause of the vowelizing of the tone sung. To prove it we take a tuning-fork vibrating the note of that vowel's overtone as found by the resonator, and, holding it in front of the mouth, we shape the mouth until it resounds to the tuning-fork. Keeping the mouth in this position, we sound the vocal chords, and the result is the vowel, thus proving that that particular overtone is its stamp. ”

“ There are two distinct registers which should be judiciously alternated by the speaker. These are the "chest" register, in which the vocal cords vibrate their whole length, and [Pg 114] the quality of tone derives most of its character from the chest cavity; and the "head" register, in which the vocal cords vibrate only in part, and the quality of tone is reenforced by the resonators of the face, mouth, and head. The first of these registers is sometimes called the "orotund" voice from its quality of roundness, and is employed principally in language of reverence, sublimity, and grandeur. ”