HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-07-29, Page 13DASHW
Second Section -
my 29, 1998
Witir:Lkt
Reviving the art of changeringing at Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church
From whom the
bell tolls. Above
from left, tower'
captain. Kevin
Love, Jenr)ifer
Walker, Rachel
Walkerand bell
ringer Wayne
Cowell show how
to pull the bells
ropes. The girls
were visitors to the
tour.
At left, Love
stands in front of "
the organ that assists the ringer's
in chimingthe
bells.
What a bell. Love shows off one of the tower's largest bells
that weighs 2,019 lbs.
By Katherine, Harding
T-AReaorter
EXETER -. For over.a hundred years Exeter residents have
been hearing the ringing of the Trivitt Memorial Anglican
Church bells. •
The 10. bells that range in size from: 200 lbs. to 2,019 lbs.
were cast by the McShane -. Bell Foundry of Baltimore; ,
Maryland and are the oldest ring of bells made in. North
America and the oldest ring alias in English Canada. .
The tower and bells were financed -by philanthropist
Thomas Trivitt, who also -paid for the building of the church
in 1888.
From 1890 when' the bells were installed to 1.914, the
church had an active bellringers' guild. There Was' so much -
ringing that church records •showthat by 1900; the bell ropes
had become. worn out. and new ones had:to ordered in time -
for Easter. .
However, the skilled art of practicing.change-ringing at the
Exeter church was "lost" when . the ebellringers' guild
disbanded in 1914 because of the First World War., -
"Unfortunately the art of ringing to changes was lost on the
battle fields," says church
member and present tower
captain Kevin Love. "After
the war there_ just wasn't
enough skilled ringers:to do
change -ringing."
Love is working to change
-that and has been practicing
every Saturday afternoon
with 11 other ringers.
"We are all at different
stages of skills," says Leve.
He points out that their crew
ranges from beginners to -a
member that has - been,
.
trained at the Washington
Nationai Cathedral.
Love was first introduced -
to chiming by the late Dr.
John Goddard and he hopes
to•pass along the knowledge
lie has learned to others;
"We are always training
people," said Love. "You
can never' have enough
ringers." - -
"The current band of
ringers is ecumenical, with
membership. explicitedly
open to all who are called,
by God to- glorify Him
through bellringing as an act
of religious worship,;' says -Love.
At Saturday practices the ringers practice
hymns that.are going to be played at Sunday's service. :
"It is kind of a sneak preview for Exeter of 'what you are
going to hear in church that week," jokes Love.
Love says that there are different ways'of getting around
only using 10 notes but -admits there are some songs that
are impossible to chime. .
"1 can't even do Silent -Night if 1 cheated.becausc there
are .too many accidentals," hesaid with a grin. -
Ringing a bell is the. art_of making music by swinging the
bell. The church's six largest bells equipped to be rung -are
fastened to awooden wheel. By pulling on a rope attached
to the wheel the bell.. is swung back and forth until it is
completely upside down. •-
The hell. is then rung by rotating it through a complete
circle. This allows the ringer to control exactly when the
bell will sound by holding it upside down for a longer or
shorter time,
Love explains a bell . takes about two seconds to rotate -
throtigh a complete circle. This means it is impossible to
play tunes on swinging bells.
Therefore in order to change-ring,ringers have to ring the •
bells_ in precise order, starting with a descending: scale.
Then the bells change places with each other in -the order of
,ringing according to precisely defined .patterns of ringing..
Unlike chiming where one
musician can chime all.- 10
bells, ringing requires One .
musician per bell that is going
to be swung. .
A set of bells hung for full= .
circle ringing. is known as a
ring of bells. -
THE TRIVITT
CHURCH'S BELL
RESTORATION PROJECT
- "We' spend as -much time
making music as . we do
repairing the bells," said Love
regarding the work, it takes to
maintain the bell tower.
"There are only eight rings
of bell - .in Canada .mainly
because of the expense," said -
Love. "Everyohe else just -
chimes." -
The Trivitt church bells are
in desperate- need of repair
and Love estimates it could
cost $200,000.
On January 18; 199,8 W hell
restoration project was
- unanimously-approvcd.by the
entire congregation at its
annual general meeting (the
, Trivitt church Main St.. has
shared its facility since 1,973 •
with the Precious Blood Mission). "
• This project involves tuning the bells,.rehanging them in
modern equipment, and making some improvements to the
tower to in Tease the distance at which the bells can he •
chiming
the
CHANGE -RINGING AND CHIMING.
- WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Love -explains. that chiming i bell is the art of making
music by moving a clapper to strike a stationary bell. The
church has an Ellacombe chiming apparatus which has 10
oak levers mounted in a frame. A. wire is attached to each
lever. The other end of this wire is attached to the chiming
clapper inside each bell.
By pulling the levers, one musician can chime: all ten hells
at once which enables hymns to be played. Because the
tower has 10 bells that means that the musician has 10 notes
to work with.
heard.
Love says the church has applied for Millennium funding
to help offset the cost.
Recently the British beilhanging and' restoration firm cif
Eayre & Smith Ltd. visited the church to survey the tower
and bells. '
DO YOU WANT TO LEARN TO RIM;?
•
Beginners are always welcome. A tour of the chttch and
bell tower is offered to` the public each Saturday at 12:20
Practice begins at 1 p.m. For more information about •
becoming -a bell ringer or the bell restoration :project,
telephone Ron Amerongen at 235-0401.
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