Bells upmanship :-) I have been to 7 of the churches but cannot remember specifically hearing any of the bells although I remember being driven crazy by the bells early in the morning in Florence. The Russian ones, where I have not been, are the most intriguing.
I don't know about the rest of the world, but bell ringing is comparatively rare here in the States. The churches that have full rings and crews to ring changes are maybe a dozen. What passes for bells here is commonly a tape hooked up to a loudspeaker in the tower, usually of some old hymn tune played on chimes. Churches that actually have bells usually have one, two, or three. Our parish has one, probably the oldest thing we have that is continuously used.
Other things that defeats bells in this country are distance and traffic noise. Most of our cities are built for automobiles and very spread out. The sound of bells carries far, but only so far. In New York, it is remarkable how the all-pervasive and constant noise of traffic mutes the effect of church bells.
4 comments:
Beautiful noise!
I have been to 5 of those churches, many happy memories.
Thanks for this and Easter joy to you in abundance.
beats me, I've only been to 3 of them.
Bells upmanship :-) I have been to 7 of the churches but cannot remember specifically hearing any of the bells although I remember being driven crazy by the bells early in the morning in Florence. The Russian ones, where I have not been, are the most intriguing.
I don't know about the rest of the world, but bell ringing is comparatively rare here in the States. The churches that have full rings and crews to ring changes are maybe a dozen. What passes for bells here is commonly a tape hooked up to a loudspeaker in the tower, usually of some old hymn tune played on chimes. Churches that actually have bells usually have one, two, or three. Our parish has one, probably the oldest thing we have that is continuously used.
Other things that defeats bells in this country are distance and traffic noise. Most of our cities are built for automobiles and very spread out. The sound of bells carries far, but only so far. In New York, it is remarkable how the all-pervasive and constant noise of traffic mutes the effect of church bells.
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