Risc World 3/Risc World 3.iso/SOFTWARE/ISSUE2/BELLS/CALLCHANGE/!CallChnge/Docs/Intro

Text File | 2002-04-14 | 4KB | 69 lines

        An introduction to bell ringing.

Bells hung for change ringing are mounted on a headstock supported in
bearings. A rope and wheel attached to the headstock allows the ringer to
swing the bell using a rope wrapped around the wheel.

Before change ringing can begin the ringer pulls on the rope in time with
the natural swing of the bell, increasing its amplitude until eventually the
bell rises to and just passes the mouth up position. A device known as a
'stay' allows the bell to rest in the 'Up' position. Once the bell has been
rung up, each successive pull of the rope turns the bell a full circle and
the clapper hits it; first turning in one direction, then in the opposite
direction with the next pull . These two pulls of the rope are called
'handstroke' and 'backstroke' respectively, the two together being known as
a 'whole pull'. See the diagrams in the Draw file 'Docs.Strokes'. Notice
that the clapper rests against the rim on the opposite side of the bell at
the top of the two strokes.


The person with the first (Treble) bell starts the ringing by calling 'Look
To' to get all the ringers to hold their ropes in preparation, then
'Treble's Going' and finally 'Treble's Gone' when the first bell starts to
turn. 'Stand' is called to stop the ringing; the ringers all allow their
bells to pass the stationary point of the swing and rest gently on the stay.

'Rounds' is the name given to ringing the bells in order from the highest
to the lowest note, and is how all ringing begins and usually ends.

For six bells this is written out as the line of numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6


                 An Introduction to Call Changes

Church bells have been rung in England for almost 1000 years to remind
parishioners that it was time to get ready to come to the church service.
Originally churches had just one bell, probably rung by the priest who
conducted the service. In time more bells were bought and rung. About 400
years ago the idea of changing the order of the bells was suggested, so a
conductor called the 'changes' to tell the ringers which bells to swap.
Later, 'methods' were developed where the order of the bells is changed
according to a pattern memorised by the ringers. 'Call Changes' are often
the first thing a beginner learns after 'rounds'; they are still rung in
most church towers from time to time.

Bells are tuned to a musical scale; some sequences sound more pleasing than
others. The more popular ones have names, a few of these are suggested in
the file 'TryThese'.

In 'Call Changes' the two bells which are going to swap their order do so
when they are both about to start at 'handstroke'; hence a sequence
always sounds twice, the 'handstroke' then the 'backstroke' in the same
order and will continue with the same sequence in pairs until a new change
is 'called'. When !CallChnge starts ringing it will ring one complete round
before allowing any changes.  Try looking at the animation by clicking on
the 'Look to' button in the 'Call Change' window and watch the ringers hands
with a 'Mexican Wave' effect as they ring the hand and backstrokes. Ringing
stops at the end of a backstroke after you have clicked over the word
'stand'.

Bells are heavy, often very heavy; a ringer can only make a small alteration
to the swing of a bell when it is in motion. However, because the bell can
be held at the stationary point it is possible for the bells to change their
striking order, but each bell can only move by one position in the order. The
convention for 'Call Changes' is that the one of the ringers, known as the
'Caller' calls out the instruction to change the order near the beginning of
a handstroke; during that stroke and the next backstroke the other ringers
prepare for the new order which happens when the next handstroke is rung.