Canon Simpson in his first paper On Bell Tones discusses the bells at Lower Beeding. His conclusions about the way continental founders tuned their bells proves not to be correct […]
Read More… from Simpson, Van Aerschodt, Lower Beeding and Kilburn
Category: Classic papers
Partial groups in the bell sound
This paper by André Lehr is one of the two key papers investigating the modes of vibration of bells. This 1986 paper gives the practical bellfounder’s view of modes of vibration, and includes analysis of a number of bells including some specially cast for the investigation. […]
Perrin, Charnley and DePont
The full reference for this paper is: Perrin R., Charnley T., DePont J., “Normal Modes of the Modern EnglishChurch Bell”, Journal of Sound and Vibration 90(1), pp29-49 (1983) It is reprinted in Rossing’s ‘Acoustics of Bells’. The work is certainly the most comprehensive investigation into the modes of vibration of a bell. Over a period […]
Terhardt and Seewan 1984
This paper was originally published as “Auditive und objective Bestimmung der Schlagtonhöhe von Historischen Kirchenglocken” in Acustica 1984 Vol. 54 pp. 129-144. I translated it from the original German into English in autumn 2003. It is published here with the kind permission of Prof. Ernst Terhardt. One of the objectives of work described in the […]
Lehr’s paper on the theory of bell tuning
This paper, published in translation in Rossing’s book Acoustics of Bells is of interest for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it explains the physical processes involved in bell tuning and in particular where on the inside of the bell the tuner removes metal to tune particular partials. This information is derived from actual measurements on bells. […]
Clinton Meneely’s 1935 speech
Clinton Meneely was the proprietor of a bellfoundry in Troy, in New York state in the US. There was a second Meneely foundry run by a relative of Clinton’s close by in Watervliet, West Troy. I am grateful to David Cawley for the following information: “It’s significant that it was Clinton Meneely (Troy Bell Foundry […]
Coventry bells, and how they were lost
Coventry Cathedral has a fine peal of twelve bells (plus two semitones) cast by Gillett and Johnston in 1927 but not hung for ringing until 1986 because of structural problems with the tower. Coventry Cathedral was completely destroyed in an air raid on the night of 14/15 November 1940, apart from the tower, but the […]
Simpson’s second paper
Unlike Simpson’s first article, this article only has two figures – a most florid title ON BELL TONES incorporating a deluge of bells and several cherubs (omitted), and a figure showing the profile of a bell and tuning points, incorporated below. The text of the paper is reproduced in its entirety. The Pall Mall Magazine […]
Simpson’s first paper
This paper, as published in The Pall Mall Magazine, was quite a handsome affair, and included a number of pictures which have not been included below. They were: A Bell by Messrs. Taylor, of Loughborough; St Mary’s Church, Stoke-by-Wayland (sic); Stoke-by-Wayland (sic) Church, Suffolk; Church of SS. Peter and Paul, Lavenham; Peal cast at Louvain […]
On Bells, Lord Rayleigh, 1890
This article provides a fascinating insight into an early scientific investigations into bell vibrations and sound. In it Rayleigh explains the phenomenon of doublets, though they are not named as such; shows that the strike note of a church bell is an octave below the nominal; and investigates the vibration modes of the five lowest […]