Long-waisted bells – The Sound of Bells

For an explanation of the term ‘long waisted’ see the pictures of bells below. In the UK, bells with this shape are typically from the 12th or 13th centuries or earlier. Their partials have a different relationship to those of bells with normal, more recent shape. Prompted by a visit to St Botolph’s, Hardham, Sussex where the older bell may be pre-conquest, I have investigated the partials of a number of long-waisted bells. The insights gained may help others analysing recordings of such bells.

Since beginning this work I have devised a technique documented here for identifying partials in bells, by determining the nodal patterns round the rim and up the waist. The technique has been applied to seven of the bells listed here and gives confidence that the partial identification for these bells is correct. In a number of photos below, the markings for partial identification can be seen.

Here are recordings of some of the bells investigated – details are below:

The long-waisted bells are as follows:

The partial frequencies of these bells in cycles per second are as follows:

Bell	Hum	cents	Prime	cents	Tierce	cents	Quint	cents	Nom’l	S’quint	cents	O’nom.	cents
Auckland	310.5	-2721	670.0	-1390	835.0	-1008	985.5	-722	1495.0	2277.0	728	3156.0	1294
Avington	387.0	-2824	864.5	-1432	998.5	-1183			1977.0	2986.0	714	4122.0	1272
Coombes	496.0	-2684	952.5	-1555	1193.5	-1164	1373.0	-922	2338.0	3471.0	684	4733.0	1221
Dulas +	443.2	-2778	943.2	-1470	1281.1	-940	1890.9	-266	2204.9	3303.4	700	4515.2	1241
Gwernesney (north)	393.0	-2739	856.0	-1391	1122.5	-922			1911.5	2897.0	720	4009.5	1283
Gwernesney (south)	410.0	-2677	912.5	-1292	1101.5	-967			1925.0	2866.4	689	3930.0	1236
Hardham	496.5	-2765	914.5	-1708	1408.5	-960	2169.0	-213	2452.5	3697.5	711	5075.0	1259
Harescombe	420.0	-2727	757.5	-1706	1174.0	-947			2029.5	2985.0	668	4041.5	1193
Heacham +	343.2	-2665	732.0	-1354	921.8	-954	989.2	-832	1599.8	2395.2	699	3307.8	1258
Hognaston +	453.5	-2738	962.5	-1435	1304.1	-910			2205.3	3323.1	710	4503.4	1236
Leighton Buzzard	460.5	-2653	898.5	-1496	1224.0	-961			2132.0	3191.5	698	4345.5	1233
Llanelieu	402.0	-2632	883.0	-1270	1060.0	-954	1729.5	-106	1839.0	2773.5	711	3841.5	1275
Myndtown	500.0	-2717	1082.0	-1381	1395.0	-941	1714.5	-584	2402.5	3612.5	706	4966.0	1257
Pipe Ridware 1225 +	430.9	-2754	788.3	-1708	1222.0	-949	1038.1	-1231	2114.0	3256.2	748	4421.0	1277
Pipe Ridware 1285 +*	436.5	-2311	699.5	-1494	980.7	-909	1222.1	-528	1658.0	2475.8	694	3404.4	1246
Ribbesford	353.0	-2746	789.0	-1354	897.5	-1131	1027.5	-896	1724.5	2608.0	716	3795.0	1366
Warminghurst	405.0	-2732	841.5	-1466	1133	-951	1801.7	-148	1962.3	3078.0	779	4204.0	1319
Werrington +*	424.0	-2371	657.8	-1611	977.5	-925			1668.2	2496.0	698	3423.1	1244
Whaley Hall +*	607.0	-2362	1042.5	-1426	1391.5	-926	1648.0	-633	2375.5	3577.0	709	4929.0	1264
Sneaton +	471.5	-2449	751.0	-1643	1050.0	-1063	1299.5	-694	1940.0	2853.5	668	3943.5	1228

The intervals in cents of all the partials in this table are given relative to the nominal of the bell.

The partials in bells marked + were identified by their nodal patterns.
In the bells marked *, although the bell appears long-waisted, the detailed profile of the bell means the partial intervals are not very different from those of a bell with modern shape. These bells can be considered to be transitional in shape between long-waisted and modern.

The recording for Ribbesford is poor and the identification of the partials a little uncertain. Some partial frequencies for the Harescombe bell are given on page 360 of Church Bells of Gloucestershire but I do not think they are correct.

A bell with a modern profile would have hum, prime and tierce intervals to the nominal broadly as hum: -2400 cents, prime: -1200 cents and tierce: -900 cents. So the effect of the long waist is to significantly lower these partials relative to the nominal. The superquint and octave nominal, on the other hand, are not exceptional. The interval of the superquint and octave nominal relative to the nominal is dominated by the shape and thickness of the rim or soundbow. As these bells have a thickened soundbow, the upper partials have the normal relationship with the nominal. This relationship was used when analysing these bells to confirm that the nominal was identified correctly.

As a practical guide to the difficulty in assigning names to the partials of bells like these, here are spectra of two bells:

The partials are named in each case with their initial letter. The partials of the Dulas bell were determined by their nodal patterns, so there is a good degree of confidence they are correct. There are stronger partials just above the superquint and octave nominal, but the partials selected for these are the lowest frequency with the correct nodal patterns around the rim and up the waist.

In the spectrum of the Leighton Buzzard bell, it would be tempting to assign the second partial above the tierce as the nominal. However this gives no reasonable candidates for the superquint, octave nominal and higher frequency rim partials. With the nominal chosen, the intervals of nominal, superquint and octave nominal is conventional which is plausible given the well-developed soundbows in these bells. The wide intervals from hum, prime and tierce to the nominal match the Dulas intervals, where the partials have been identified by their nodal patterns. There are four partials between the tierce and the partial selected as nominal. In a bell of normal profile, three of these partials would be higher in frequency and appear between nominal and superquint. In these bells, it is plausible that the long waist has lowered the frequency of the partials.

Because these bells are small with high frequency partials, the pitch is set by the hum, not the nominal, so it is not possible to use an estimation of pitch (as was done for tubular bells) to identify the nominal.

Assigning a partial as the quint in any of these bells is speculative. Even when the nodal patterns are known it is sometimes not obvious which partial is the quint.

It was illuminating to compare the partial frequencies of these bells. Bells like these have been difficult to analyse, but once the common pattern of the lower partials became clear, and seven of the bells had the nodal patterns of their partials established, it became much easier to assign the partials for each.

Acknowledgements

George Dawson and Chris Pickford helped with this investigation in a number of ways: by providing a comprehensive list of old bells in the UK, by providing recordings and photographs, and in creating opportunities for me to experiment on long-waisted bells. Matthew Higby and Ben Kipling helped with access to the Dulas bell, and Father Jamie MacLeod with access to the Whaley Hall bell.

References

Bliss M & Sharpe F, Church Bells of Gloucestershire, Alan Sutton 1986

Eisel J, Church Bells of Breconshire, Logaston Press, 2002

Elphick GP, Sussex Bells and Belfries, Phillimore, 1970

	Auckland Castle, dated 1180, diameter 0.71m. Photo courtesy of Taylor’s Bellfoundry. Recording provided by George Dawson.		Avington, Berkshire, date around 1220, diameter 0.48m. Photo and recording from youtube video by Jake Reid.
	Coombes, Sussex, date around 1150, diameter 0.40m. Section taken from Elphick’s Church Bells of Sussex page 6. Recording by me.		Dulas, Herefordshire (now at Matthew Higby’s works), date around 1225, diameter 0.43m. Photo and recording by me.
	Gwernesney, Monmouthshire, north turret, date around 1200, diameter 0.438m. Photo and recording by Chris Pickford.		Gwernesney, Monmouthshire, south turret, date around 1200, diameter 0.445m. Photo and recording by Chris Pickford.
	Hardham, dated by George Elphick to 1050, diameter 0.41m. Section taken from Elphick’s Church Bells of Sussex page 6. Recording by me.		Harescombe, Gloucestershire, dated circa 1199, weight 50kg, diameter 0.45m. Photograph taken from page 359 of Bliss and Sharpe’s Church Bells of Gloucestershire. Youtube recording by Ringer Mikey.
	Heacham, Norfolk, date circa 1150, diameter 0.51m. Photograph and recording by me.		Hognaston, Derbyshire, date unknown, diameter 0.38m. Photograph and recording by me.
	Leighton Buzzard sanctus, date around 1250, weight around 80kg, diameter 0.48m. Youtube recording by George Vant.		Llanelieu, Powys, date around 1300, diameter 0.43m. Photograph page 60 of John Eisel’s Church Bells of Breconshire, recording from Andrew Deamer. There is also an older bell in this church, but I do not have a recording of it.
	Myndtown, Shropshire, date around 1150, diameter 0.37m. Recording provided by George Dawson.		Pipe Ridware, Staffordshire, date around 1225, diameter 0.50m. Photograph and recording by me.
	Pipe Ridware, Staffordshire, date around 1285, diameter 0.53m. Photograph and recording by me.		Ribbesford, Worcestershire, date around 1150, diameter circa 0.5m (the bell is not circular). Recording and picture from Chris Pickford. The picture is upside down, the bell was ‘up’ when it was taken.
	Sneaton, North Yorkshire, date around 1300, diameter 0.40m. Photograph and recording by me.		Warminghurst, Sussex, date around 1200, diameter 0.46m. Section taken from Elphick’s Church Bells of Sussex page 6. Recording by me.
	Werrington, Cambridgeshire (now in Taylor’s museum), date around 1275, diameter 0.56m. Photograph and recording by me.		Whaley Hall, Derbyshire (was the Saffron Walden sanctus), date around 1250, diameter 0.33m. Photograph and recording by me.