In the Peace Gardens in the middle of Sheffield, across from the town hall, hangs a steel bell cast in 1955 by Bochumer Verein, presented to the people of Sheffield in 1986. Those who have read the description of German steel bells will not be surprised to know that the bell is broadly true-harmonic. To stop it being rung, the clapper has been fixed in place by welding four rods internally between the clapper stem and the waist of the bell. As a result of this act of unfortunate vandalism there must be some uncertainty about the measurement of the partials. It would have been better to remove the clapper.
Here is the sound of the bell, and here are its partials:
| Hum | cents | Prime | cents | Tierce | cents | Quint | cents | Nominal | Superquint | cents | Octave Nominal | cents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 231.5 | -2384 | 457 | -1207 | 555 | -870 | 630 | -651 | 917.5 | 1376.5 | 702 | 1918.5 | 1277 |
The hum is a fraction sharp of true-harmonic and the quint is rather flat, but the rods welded inside may be affecting these partials. A late-night visit to the Peace Gardens with an angle-grinder might allow us to hear the bell as it was meant to be!