The bell is one of the oldest, and certainly is the loudest of, musical instruments. The sound of a bell has the power to charm, to amaze, to warn, to frighten, and to lift the spirit. Bells are ubiquitous even in our electronic age. And yet the way in which a bell produces its sound is complex, and even such a simple question as which note a bell sounds can have surprising and unexpected answers.
This website describes investigations over many year into the sound and tuning of bells. In the early stages of research I developed a software package (Wavanal) which allows easy investigation into bell acoustics. The software is free and can be downloaded here.
In April 2008 I was awarded a PhD by The Open University based on research into the musical acoustics of bells, and in particular the note we hear when a bell is rung. The full text of the thesis and introductory articles are available on this site.
Since completing the PhD the research has continued. I have a growing collection of over 11,600 bell recordings with dates spanning 9 centuries, hundreds of founders and many countries which I use for ongoing investigations. Regular updates to this site document recent investigations.
For an introduction, including lots of bell sounds to listen to, click here.
What’s new?
- The Van Aerschodts of LouvainEnglish translation of a paper written by Paul-FĂ©lix Vernimmen on the family history of the Van Aerschodts. […]
- The musical quality of van Aerschodt bellsThe partial frequencies and tuning characteristics of van Aerschodt bells, compared with bells from Rudhall and Mears. […]
- the van AerschodtsThe van Aerschodt family of Leuven, Belgium were one of the most significant founders of bells in the low countries in the latter part of the 19th century. […]
- Modes of vibration of a tubular bellResults of an experiment to show the vibration patterns in a tubular bell. […]
- Hemispherical bellsInvestigation into the strike pitch and partial frequencies of hemispherical bells, including a detailed analysis of modes of vibration, and pitch shift due to variation in thickness. […]