SOUNDS OF INDIVIDUAL BELLS:
BELL RINGS:
BUY BELLS
Bells "Universal"
SOUNDS OF INDIVIDUAL BELLS:
BELL RINGS:
BUY BELLS
Bells "Pyatkov and Co"
SOUNDS OF INDIVIDUAL BELLS:
BELL RINGING:
BUY BELLS
Orthodox church bells
- Blagovest- one of the most ancient bells of the Orthodox Church and is called so because it carries the Good, joyful news of the beginning of Divine services. This ringing also announces the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist at the Liturgy and the reading of the Gospel in other services. Blagovest can sound both independently and as part of other chimes.
- Bust - funeral (funeral, wire) ringing. It expresses sadness and sorrow for the deceased and consists of two parts: directly canonical (as such enumeration) and free (ringing).
- Chime- more complex than blagovest and enumeration. It also consists of two parts: canonical (i.e., the chime itself) and free (chime). Classically, a chime is a ringing of each bell in turn (one or several times each), starting from the largest to the smallest (sometimes with a full blow), and this is repeated many times.
- double chime- a small ringing of all the bells. Consists of two parts. There should be a short pause between parts. The double ringing is performed during the All-Night Vigil (before Matins) and expresses the joy of the Nativity of Christ.
- trezvon- the most complex in comparison with other canonical chimes, but it is also the most musically striking expression of bell ringing, since the trezvon is not limited by church charters in its form and therefore is different both in the composition of the bells used, and has a diverse form of performance, rhythm, texture and instrumentation.
- everyday ringing- this is the same chime, but less solemn, less bright. The everyday ringing during Great Lent deserves special attention, when abstinence and repentance are needed. The largest bells are not used during ringing. If there is only one gospel bell in the temple, then it is used both in festive and everyday ringing.
- Ringing for the All-Night Vigil- consists of three bells: blagovest, trezvon and dvuzvon. Before the start of the service, a blagovest and a chime sound. At the beginning of the reading of the Six Psalms, a double chime sounds. Before reading the Gospel, a chime should sound. At the beginning of the singing "My soul magnifies the Lord ..." there is a gospel, consisting of 9 strokes. After the service during the great holidays, or if the bishop served, a chime is required.
| Counter ringing |
The bells were adopted for Orthodox worship many centuries ago. With the development of bell casting and the ubiquity of church bells, bell ringing became one of the most characteristic elements of Russian Orthodox worship. Since the time of the princes, from Ancient Rus', the most fateful events in the history of our Fatherland, our Church have been marked precisely by the ringing of bells. The ringing of bells accompanied every person all his life, this world of bell sounds was as natural for everyone as, for example, sunlight or a breath of wind. Church bells and church bells are a great spiritual shrine, bell traditions should be carefully preserved for posterity. The article discusses the methodological aspects of studying the acoustics of bell ringing and the possibility of their inclusion in the system of modern music education.
Bells on the belfry of the bell tower of the Intercession Church in Barnaul. Photo by Alexander Zimirev
Prerequisites for the birth of the scientific study of bell ringing
The sound of a bell cannot be described by a single note. Even two or three notes is not always possible. The human ear easily catches that the bell sounds in a particularly complex way: not at all like other ringing objects and instruments sound. At the same time, it cannot be said that our predecessors did not imagine bell harmony at all. Recall, at least, the harmonic system symphony orchestra when orchestral instruments depicted bells in the operas of Glinka, Mussorgsky. Tense sound combinations, dissonances, some sighs and bursts: all this very accurately depicts exactly the characteristic bell sound. If the bells sounded simply, then each bell would be associated with a certain specific tone, the height and duration of this sound would be described by a certain note. But the bells always give a consonance that does not completely obey the rules of classical musical harmony, this is a tart combination of sounds and helps the listener to renounce the sounds of familiar everyday music.
On the other hand, the sound of a bell can always be distinguished, for example, from the sound of an orchestral gong. And this difference will lie in the fact that the ringing of a bell is not at all a chaotic set of sounds and overtones. The most beautiful bells at all times were valued precisely for their harmonious sound. Surprisingly accurate harmonies in Rostov the Great literally make everyone who listens to these chimes near the famous belfry literally freeze with delight.
It would seem that a contradiction arises: the sound of the bell does not fit into the usual musical framework, and at the same time, the out of tune of the bell is not at all a sign of a good or traditional bell.
This contradiction would be insoluble if the bells did not have such a huge variety of component tones. The consonant combinations of various groups of tones and the presence of discrete overtones that are not associated with any of the consonances allow the attentive listener to be as if in motion, constantly “examining” the sound of the bell. The human ear tries to find a harmonic support for itself in the bell system, and at the same time, the impression of the ringing is enriched by a “bouquet” of individual overtones.
It is necessary to study the sound of the bell in dynamics, and not only by analyzing the spectral "casts" at some point in the sound of the bell.
Sound and acoustics of bells
The oscillations of solid bodies are much more complicated than those of an air resonator of the same shape, since in solid bodies more types fluctuations. So, waves of compression, bending and torsion can propagate along a metal rod. Therefore, a cylindrical rod has many more vibration modes and, therefore, resonant frequencies than a cylindrical air column. In addition, these resonant frequencies do not form a harmonic series. The xylophone uses the bending vibrations of solid bars. The overtone ratios of the vibrating xylophone bar to the fundamental frequency are: 2.76, 5.4, 8.9 and 13.3.
One example of a hesitant solid body that makes musical sounds is the bell. The sizes of bells can be different - from a small bell of a few hundred grams to multi-ton bells in Christian bell towers. The larger the bell, the lower the sounds it makes. The shape and other features of the bells have undergone many changes in the course of their centuries of evolution. Very few enterprises are engaged in their manufacture, which requires great skill.
The pitch of the bell is determined not by the fundamental frequency, but by the note that is dominant immediately after the strike. It corresponds approximately to the fifth overtone of the bell. After some time, the lower overtones begin to predominate in the sound of the bell.
For many centuries, bell casters have been looking for a solution to the questions, what should be the proportions between dimensions and mass, wall thickness in different sections, what should be the shape of the bell in order to get a harmonic sound, i.e. one in which additional tones (overtones) are harmoniously combined with the main, creating a single beautiful whole. All practical finds were carefully recorded, tables of sizes, masses, and composition of the metal were compiled. This information was often kept secret. The main tables were made in the 16th century. But only in the XVIII century. managed to find such a "correct" form of the bell, in which it sounded especially harmonious: the base was significantly expanded and the lower part was enlarged, it was given the appearance of a pointed massive "lip".
A type of Russian bell was developed. In it, the diameter of the lower part is equal to the height of the bell, and the diameter of the upper part is half the diameter of the lower one. (Note for comparison: the Chinese bell is more compressed at the bottom and gives a dull sound.)
A few words about the "language" of the bell. "Language" is made of iron. Its mass is usually 1/25 of the mass of the bell (for large bells, this ratio is less). The form can be different: it depends on the way the sound is excited - whether the "tongue" is swinging or the bell is swinging; the first way is Russian, the second is Western European.
When the tongue of the bell strikes the wall of the bowl, an elastic vibration occurs, which is the sum of many natural oscillations of the sound frequency. The walls of the bowl have areas of rest and areas of oscillation. Each section of the bowl has its own vibration frequency. This means that the vibrations of the bell bowl are vibrations of individual parts of the bowl.
There are two styles of bell ringing. The first is that tuned exactly to the modern tempered scale, the bells give a melodic pattern to some ready-made theme, and the ringing rhythm naturally corresponds to this theme, playing either a composite or a subordinate role. The same must be said about the specific timbre of the bell. Sometimes the melodic pattern consists in the repetition of some simple figure or interval (mostly a minor third or a major triad). But both this figure and the interval are within the limits of the tempered scale, and the rhythm here, just as in the first case, plays either a composite or a subordinate role.
“This is a Western European type: it was brought to Russia by the talented, but completely devoid of a sense of Russian style, Fr. Aristarchus of Israel (born in 1817). The main vice of the Western style is that it entrusts the bells with a task that does not correspond to them, which is incomparably better and more expedient to entrust human voices And orchestral instruments. A melodic figure or even a whole melody on a bell can only have the meaning of a baroque grotesque, which we observe, for example, in the performance of their melody by chimes or carillons ... The impression here is similar to that produced by pictorial-perspective techniques in icon painting or, even worse, - a moving doll or an automaton (approximately the same as if you thought, for example, sculptural works Catholic churches to inform the movement or to introduce cinematography into worship),” notes V. Ilyin’s article “The Aesthetic and Theological-Liturgical Meaning of Bell Ringing”.
Bell tower in Novokuznetsk. Photo by I. Shaydorov
The second style of bell ringing is that timbre, rhythm and tempo come to the fore. As for the sound material itself, its role here turns out to be quite special. The melody, in the proper sense of the word, recedes into the background, or else completely disappears. Consequently, harmony in the special meaning of the word also disappears as a result of the combination of themes-melodies. In the “second style”, instead of melodies and harmonies in the proper sense, a rhythmically sounding, specific bell timbre appears. Timbre, as you know, is due to overtones. In bells, overtones sound extremely loud and, as a result, create not only the corresponding timbre, but also characteristic overtone dissonant harmonies. Different weight, size and other factors in a set of bells give different combinations of overtones while maintaining the dominant tones. This also determines the unity of the artistic conception that runs through all the music of this set of bells. This music can be called rhythm-overtone or rhythm-timbre music. We note, by the way, that unity is given by a powerful mass of the measure of a large bell that rarely sounds at strong times; it plays a role similar to that of a pedal or an organ point (especially if a certain tone sounds clearly, which, however, should not be exaggerated. The bell must always be, so to speak, overtone detuned. There must also be due to this detuning, the so-called beats - causing impressive vibrations and peals of sound). All this is enhanced and animated by rhythm, dynamics (strength) and agogics (speed, tempo).
Some aspects of the impact of bell ringing on a person
The sound waves coming from the bell have a peculiar healing power. This is not just a subjective conclusion - a number of studies have been conducted that have shown the ability of bell ringing to cleanse the surrounding space from harmful formations. Bell beats excite ultra-light particles (microleptons) that surround any object. The microleptonic fields generated at the same time break rigid molecular bonds and remove harmful isotopes, which leads to healing and even rejuvenation of the body, it is also capable of destroying cancer cells formed in the body. O. N. Ulyanova in her work “Physical foundations of treatment with bell ringing” writes:
“A group of Russian scientists from the Laboratory of Biospheric Phenomena of the Institute of Lithosphere, led by Doctor of Biology F. Ya. Shipunov, first drew attention to the fact that bells are able to “work” as energy generators in the ultrasonic range. The bells radiate a huge amount of resonant waves and thus clear the space.”
The phenomenon of resonance occurs when the frequencies of the driving force coincide with the natural frequency of the oscillatory system. The therapeutic effect is based on the frequency fluctuation of various sounds resonating with individual organs or the entire human body as a whole. Shatunov proved that a fully active bell ringing kills bacteria within a radius of seventy kilometers and harmonizes the space. The unique spiral trajectory of sound produced when the bell is struck is detrimental to many disease-causing microbes. Due to the specific distribution of the power of the sound wave, the structures of microbial cells come into resonance and are crushed. Even microorganisms such as the hepatitis virus and anthrax spores die. In addition, according to the scientist, if we take the pre-revolutionary number of bells in Russia and calculate the potential for their radiation in the ultrasonic range, it turns out that this potential will be such that a medium-range missile would deviate its trajectory.
Bell. Photo by A. Zimirev
In our world, everything is in a state of vibration, so every cell, every organ or system of the body has its own "healthy" resonant frequencies. Resonance is manifested in the ability of sound vibration to excite a similar vibration in the corresponding organ or part of the body by means of wave vibrations.
“All bells are capable of producing infrasounds, that is, sounds with a frequency below 16 Hz. These sounds, inaudible to the human ear, which are the components of the bell ringing, create the impression of globality, strength, power, complementing the usual colorfulness. Taking into account the resonant frequencies of individual human organs: 0.5-13 Hz (vestibular apparatus), 4-6 Hz (heart), 2-3 Hz (stomach), 2-4 Hz (intestines), 6-8 Hz (kidneys), 2 -5 Hz (hands). The low spectrum of bell ringing affects the human body and its psyche,” notes O.N. Ulyanov in the work "Physical bases of treatment with bell ringing".
The middle spectrum affects the processes in the human circulatory and lymphatic systems. Specialists know the therapeutic effect of increasing the osmotic movement of the liquid in the zone of vibroacoustic impact of low power. Using the average spectrum of ringing, many oncological diseases, diseases of the blood and thyroid gland can be treated. It is believed that the average spectrum of bell ringing has a positive effect on the recovery of the body, poisoned by toxic substances. It can be concluded that bell ringing should be used in the treatment of such problematic social diseases as drunkenness, smoking and drug addiction. Naturally, such treatment in this case can complement traditional ways the withdrawal of people in trouble from a state uncontrollable by them. Here, the effect of sound waves on the cerebral cortex is important and nervous system person. The ultrasonic spectrum affects the treatment of infectious diseases and the enhancement of human immunity. The inaudible vibrations of the ultrasonic range created by the bell have a destructive effect on pathogenic microbes due to alternate compression and rarefaction in the cytoplasmic structures of their cells. In this case, a great pressure arises inside the cells, which leads to the inactivation of enzymes, coagulation of proteins, mechanical rupture cell wall and to cell death. Since ultrasonic waves air environment fade quickly, the sterilizing effect of the sound of the bell is most pronounced in the immediate vicinity of the bell.
In 1991, a unique musical instrument was created - a belfry made of flat bells (beat), which has no analogues in the world and is capable of creating pure and harmonious sounds of amazing beauty. Immediately, an amazing musical instrument attracted the attention of many specialists and scientists, thanks to which many studies have been carried out to date, which confirm the beneficial effect of acoustic vibrations emitted by flat bells on a person and experience has been gained in using flat bells to correct various deviations in the state of health. person. Distinctive feature The beat of the round is to tune it in such a way that it is able to simultaneously emit the sound of two tones with similar frequencies. In our works, we partially touch upon the issues discussed in the article, and certain features of the spectral pattern of the bell ringing are also considered in the works. However, a systematic scientific study of the possibility of including the acoustics of bell ringing in the system of modern music education has not yet been carried out.
Thus, the experience accumulated to date in the use of bells in order to correct deviations in the state of health and the studies conducted convincingly indicate the beneficial effect of bell ringing on human health.
The human body, which received a wave effect with the help of acoustic beats, finds the lost reference signal, and in the process of adjustment, it is released from structural mismatches, a state of inner peace is achieved, physical, energetic, mental and spiritual health is gained.
Bibliographic list
1. Davidenkova E.A. Evolution of multidimensional scaling methods musical timbre. News of the Ural State University. 2010; No. 6 (85); part 1: 151 - 156.
2. Davidenkova E.A. Problems of parametrization of verbal evaluations of musical timbres. Bulletin of the Oryol State University. 2011; No. 2 (16): 123 - 127.
3. Davidenkova E.A. Timbre aspects in contemporary music. Modern audiovisual technologies in art and higher education: materials of the All-Russian scientific-practical conference. St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg State Unitary Enterprise, 2010: 36 – 40.
4. Gorbunova I.B., Zalivadny M.S. Musical-theoretical views of Leonhard Euler: current significance and perspectives. Bulletin of the Leningrad State University. A.S. Pushkin. 2012; T. 2; No. 4: 164 - 171.
5. Gorbunova I.B., Zalivadny M.S., Tovpich I.O. A complex model of the semantic space of music and perspectives of interaction musical science and contemporary music education. scientific opinion. 2014; 8:238-249.
6. Gorbunova I.B. Information technologies in music. Volume 1. Architectonics of musical sound: a textbook for students of higher educational institutions. Russian state ped. un-t im. A. I. Herzen. St. Petersburg, 2009.
7. Gorbunova I.B. Information technologies in music. Volume 2: Musical Synthesizers: A Study Guide for Higher Education Students. Russian state ped. un-t im. A. I. Herzen. St. Petersburg, 2010.
If our ancestors were born, lived and died under chimes, then there must have been some genetic memory of their sound and unique uplifting power in us as well.Note. The most famous, widespread and, obviously, accurate is the assumption that the Russian word "bell" comes from the German "Glocke", which translates as "bell". But some scientists believe that this name comes from the old Russian word "kolo" ("circle", "circle").
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Modern medicine has come to the conclusion that bell ringing successfully treats a number of mental and psychosomatic diseases. The sound of bells is a very powerful remedy.
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Sounding bells, in addition to frequencies audible to the human ear, emit ultra- and infrasonic waves.
ATTENTION! An audio recording cannot transmit either INFRA or ULTRASOUND (due to the limited frequency range). Therefore, in relation to infra- and ultrasonic characteristics sounding bells we are talking only about the "live" sounds of bells.
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Swedish scientists at the beginning. 70s 20th century were the first in the world to discover that the sounds of a bell, containing resonant ultrasonic radiation, literally kill pathogenic viruses (in particular, pathogens of typhus, hepatitis and influenza, etc.) in just a matter of seconds.Note. More recently, a group of Russian researchers led by Academician F.Ya. Shipunova found that the bells "work" as energy generators in the ultrasonic range, thereby destroying the pathogenic environment.
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Modern Russian physicists A. Okhatrin and V. Iskakov, having studied the characteristics of sound waves emanating from sounding bells and their impact on the surrounding space, came to the conclusion that the sounds of a bell excite the so-called. microleptons are ultralight particles that surround any organism (and even objects). The resulting microelectronic fields remove isotopes harmful to health, providing a rejuvenating effect on the human body. Not without reason during epidemics for many centuries in Europe (including in Rus') there was a rule - to ring all the bells all day long.
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The fact that the ringing of bells kills microbes and bacteria, expels rodents has long been known in Rus', but only now scientists have realized that this is due to the ultrasound emitted by sounding bells. / Irradiation with low doses of ultrasound is now actively used in Food Industry, in astronautics (for sterilization of space vehicles before their flights to other planets), etc. The ultrasonic spectrum (more than 25,000 Hz), with its competent therapeutic use, accelerates the treatment of infectious diseases and increases human immunity./
Note. Scientists have found that the activity of microbes that have “heard enough” of bell ringing or choral singing, falls by an average of 40% (the secret of this lies in the ultrasound emitted by sounding bells).
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It is known that ringers do not suffer from colds.
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In 2005, an article was published in the Uralsky Rabochiy newspaper, which cited the following fact. The broth with pathogenic bacteria was placed under a sounding bell. As a result, the reproduction of microbes (and this was visible under a microscope) first stopped, and then they completely died.
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In the 16th century, the body of Metropolitan Afoniy of Novgorod stood for 11 weeks under the bells in the church of the Spaso-Khutynsky Monastery, unburied with no signs of decomposition.
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With the help of a mathematical experiment, it was proved that the radiation of the bell in free space in its direction is a three-dimensional CROSS.
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Science has recognized the two sacred symbols of Orthodox Rus' - the CROSS and the BELL - as the most powerful sources of a still little-studied type of energy.
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“The bell emits a huge amount of resonant ultrasonic radiation, which spiritually and physically cleanses the space. Within the limits of the biosphere there is a sound sphere created by the Creator, which for some time now has been transformed by man into a noise sphere, chaos. Sound is healing for every living cell, but noise destroys it. To strengthen the sound sphere, a bell ringing was created. Where it is, the symphony of Nature is felt, and life is supported there on maximum level. <…>But back to the bell ringing. There is a set of certain sounds that form the so-called dominant seventh chord. If you tune the bell to it, then the sound begins to nourish the person so that the need for food practically disappears. In addition to feeding the body with bioacoustic energy, bell ringing can also destroy the painful environment in which various viruses develop. For example, influenza viruses, jaundice and the like simply die, unable to withstand the bell therapy! All this is easy to verify experimentally. If Petri dishes are placed under 6-octave bells, then sterilization will occur during the ringing: the proteins will coagulate in the cells, turn into crystalline structures and become safe for humans. It is interesting that each type of virus dies only in its own specific sound range” (F.Ya. Shipunov, Academician of the Institute of the Biosphere of the Russian Academy of Sciences).
Note. “In the Yelokhov Cathedral, scientists measured the radiation of the domed cross during the celebration of Easter. With the beginning of the Divine Service, it increased by an order of magnitude: several kilowatts per second were emitted from each square centimeter - colossal energy! It is known that the vertical part of the cross receives cosmic radiation, while the horizontal part "reradiates" it to the Earth's surface.<…>The cross is one of the most powerful recharge devices vitality on Earth, and only a bell can be compared with it ”(F.Ya. Shipunov).
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In 2003, for the first time in Russia, a unique healing session using church bells was held in the oncological clinic in Arkhangelsk. New method treatment was called KOLOCOLOTHERAPY. The performance of the master of bell ringing was blessed by Bishop Tikhon of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory. According to famous master bell ringing - the Arkhangelsk ringer Vladimir Petrovsky (it was he, with the blessing of Bishop Tikhon of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory, who conducted this session), back in the beginning. 20th century healing effect of bell ringing found the following scientific explanation. As a result of the sounding of the bell, special microparticles are formed in the surrounding air, which are smaller than an atom. It is they who have a cleansing effect on the air and living organisms. / Music program of this “experimental” session of bell therapy was compiled especially carefully (it was based on canonical church bells).
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Currently, in the Columbia Medical Center (USA), in addition to chemotherapeutic and surgical methods, the music of Tibetan silver bells is used in the treatment of oncological diseases. It turns out that the sounds of these bells have a significant healing effect on a person (especially when oncological diseases). The secret of the healing properties of the ringing of bells and bells is that they “emit” sounds of very high frequency (including ultrasounds) in abundance, which in moderate doses can work miracles (with the “correct” impact of ultrasound, moreover, coming from bells and bells, any infections and cancer cells die in the human body.
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The impact of the bell is also great on the state of mind of a person, on his psyche. For many years, a psychiatrist from St. Petersburg, A.V. Gnezdilov, who works in a specialized hospice for the so-called. terminally ill people, successfully heals a number of mental illnesses in his patients by sounding bells (he already has hundreds of cured patients on his account).
Note. In his book The Way to Golgotha, psychiatrist Andrey Gnezdilov says that patients who are supposed to die in a week or a month and know about it have a very special feeling - the so-called. longing for death (if the pain can be removed medicines, then this longing is not removed by anything). The author claims that he has found a unique remedy for this terrible condition: he brings bells to the ward, and each patient finds his own among them, rings him (as a result, the longing for death, albeit not for long, but “lets go” of a person).
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There are known cases of healing "possessed" under the church bells. / A bound crazy person was placed under the bell-announcement and several times they hit both edges of the bell with force. After such a session, if not a complete recovery of the patient, then at least the symptoms such as aggressiveness and unreasonable anger were eliminated (albeit temporarily).
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Bell ringing can save a person from stressful condition, to help him quickly undergo psychotherapeutic rehabilitation and return to normal life (including after suffering extreme nervous shocks).
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Experts say that "contact" with the bells makes even a closed person sociable (one of the main functions of the bell ringing is to convene and unite people).
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Under the influence of the bell ringing, any headache. In the female Tolgsky monastery (near Yaroslavl), any pain is still treated by applying a sore spot to a sounding bell.
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Listening and, most importantly, perceiving the sounds of bells, a person tunes in to the light, spiritual, sublime.
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The Russian Bell Art Center, together with scientists, physicians and highly qualified bell craftsmen, is ready today to create medical belfries. The Center has developed several methods of bell therapy and options for "portable" (portable) belfries that can be installed in any room (they are elegant and fit into any interior).
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If the sound of an individual bell is unique, then the voice of a belfry of several bells represents a whole “atmosphere” of sounds, often difficult to predict due to the complex interaction of individual spectra. Using predominantly the bells of one group or another in the ringing composition, it is possible to create appropriate emotional moods in the listeners (this, in part, is done by church bell ringers, depending on the nature of the holiday and the Divine service).Note. The belfry is a kind of “mini-orchestra”, which, according to Orthodox tradition conventionally divided into 3 groups of bells: small (ringing), medium (ringing), large (evangelizing). In open space, the ringing of bells can be heard for 60 or more kilometers (the farthest sounds of a large bell are heard - the evangelist).
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For universal medicinal purposes, canonical bells are especially valuable.
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Low tones of bells affect a person more favorably than high ones. In connection with this circumstance, in Rus', they have long loved to cast massive bells - weighing hundreds, and sometimes thousands of pounds (for example, the Assumption bell on the Ivan the Great Bell Tower is the largest sounding bell of all modern Christendom). Of course, in the manufacture of the heaviest bells, there was also an element of prestige: the greater the weight of the bell, the higher the significance of the temple itself.
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For more than 1,000 years in a row, 108 bells ringing from temples have been heralding the arrival of the New Year in Japan for more than 1,000 years in a row. According to Buddhist beliefs, a person is burdened by 108 harmful passions. And every beat of the bell new year's eve drives away one of these misfortunes.
Note. The number "108" can be called very "mysterious". The fact is that modern physics and colorology also mention the number "108" in their studies - in connection with the number of "octaves" in the spectrum identified by scientists. sunlight(there are just 108 of them). We can venture to assume that these magical 108 octaves are also capable of “keeping within” in the “global” musical-sound spectrum.
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Scientists have recently discovered that the Sun "hums" like a bell. From the bowels of this celestial body, every few minutes, infrasonic waves emanate into the Cosmos. Their frequency is too low for our hearing, but the devices capture these vibrations (obviously, these ultra-low frequencies of the sounds of the Sun, which are not distinguished by our hearing organs, are still perceived by our body as a whole).
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In the West, there is such a science as CAMPANOLOGY. Campagne is a region in Italy where the first bell in Christianity appeared, therefore the largest bells in Western European churches are called campanas (in Rus' - “heavy”). So, CAMPANOLOGY studies everything related to bells, incl. the impact of their sounds on the physiology and psyche of a person. In the Russian Federation, so far, not a single educational institution even has a campanology faculty.
From the history of bells and bell ringing
The voice of the bell has always been and will be understood "without words" - because it appeals to human soul. The bell called the people to the veche, with a special “blizzard” ring they woke up the freezing, alarm or alarm - they announced a general misfortune and called for help, they greeted the kings and winners with a solemn “voice”.
Under the ringing of bells in Rus', all the most important events took place - both in the life of the country, city, village, village, and in the life of an individual: his birth, wedding, departure to another world invisibly permeated pure, harmonious bell sounds. How many lost travelers, both literally and figuratively, the saving bell has brought into the light of God!
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The predecessors of bells - bells - were familiar to many nations even before the birth (or adoption) of Christianity. The priests of Proserpina in Ancient Athens rang the bells during the consecration and purification of the victims, during prayers. In Delphi - at the sacrament of Bacchus. They rang at funerals and drove away evil spirits and shadows of the dead from their homes. Among the ancient Jews, small bells were sewn to the clothes of the high priest (their sounds were symbols of God's word). Only in clothes with “bells” could the high priest “approach” God, make sacrifices and pray for the people. In Buddhist temples, bells were hung outside and inside to cleanse the temple space from evil forces. But in Muslim countries, there were no bells in mosques and no. For example, the Turks have a belief that the ringing of bells disturbs the peace of souls in the air (the first thing the Turks did after they took Constantinople was to break the bells.
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Slavic paganism immediately accepted the church bell ringing. Bells in the mind Slavic peoples became a symbol of the thunder of heaven, which could both punish and pardon. Weddings in Rus' were unthinkable without arched bells and church bells. It was believed that the ringing not only creates a festive mood, but also gives young people health, children and wealth.
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Initially, before the appearance of bells in Rus', a more general way of calling the faithful to Divine services was determined by the 6th century, when they began to use the beat, candia and rivet. / Bila and candia (they are sometimes also called flat bells - unlike tulip-shaped ones) - these are first wooden boards, and then metal plates, riveted - iron or copper strips bent into a semicircle (both were hit with special wooden hammers) . And only at the end of the X century. bells appeared.
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Russian church bells have always attracted attention with their harmony, power, and good looks. Bell ringing traditionally begins and ends Divine services in churches, cathedrals and temples. It has always been so, and so it is today. The bells always line up their voices in canonical agreement: bells, chimes and chimes. Even if the voices of the bells diverge slightly in notes (“fake”), then all together, in a single selection, the bells seem to “educate” each other, sound harmoniously, as one whole (the wave of bell ringing sways as if all this miracle is not happening human hands, but by itself).
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Our Soviet people even in the most “godless” communist decades, he woke up and fell asleep to the sound of bells - to the chimes of the Kremlin. Not many then realized that the country of the Soviets "lives" by ... bell ringing. For us, these were “signals of the exact time”, “the voice of Moscow”, etc., but the fact remains: every day, bells chimed from a loudspeaker throughout the vast country.
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Until the 90s. 20th century did not exist in Russia official schools and bell centers. On Bright Week, anyone who wanted to ring was allowed to the bell tower, and the ringer at that time watched the guys, prompted, helped, and if one of them showed abilities, he took him as a student. The revolution of 1917, having thrown down the bells, “buried” this tradition. Those temples that miraculously survived remained "voiceless".
Note. Even now, rising from the ruins, many bell towers remain in "silence". So, in Moscow by the beginning of the 3rd millennium there were over 300 parish churches, two thirds of which were subject to restoration. The bells and the beat had less than half, and even then for the most part random selection. For example, in the Moscow region, quite recently, a completely depressing picture was observed: a rare temple had a bell-ringer experienced in his work (self-taught climbers climbed the belfry). 90s 20th century can rightly be called the time of the revival of bell ringing in Russia. The time has come when the efforts of individual enthusiasts who have come together have been crowned with success.
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The Russian people here "from time immemorial" treated the bell ringing reverently, remembering divine origin his sound. No wonder the voice of the bell, announcing the reading of the Gospel, is called the gospel. He, like a voice from heaven, frames the entire church service. With measured strikes on the largest bell, the Divine Liturgy begins and ends. Bell ringing makes a person involved in temple activities even when he is outside the walls of the church (cathedral, temple). The bell calls for prayer and action, forcing you to forget about everyday worries, problems, troubles at least for a moment and remember God.
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Orthodox ringing has always been based on rigor and simplicity, but no one forbids being creative within the framework of existing canons (the ringer is himself a composer, performer, and improviser). Its task is to set off the ringing in such a way that today “show”, for example, the Assumption, and tomorrow - the Nativity of the Virgin (with the help of different strength beats, tempo and rhythm to convey peace and sorrow, jubilation and anxiety). But the first thing the bell ringer should remember when standing on the bell tower is that he is the link between the temple and Heaven, and that church bells are an equivalent temple rite (after all, Divine services begin and end with it).
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Traditionally, special types of ringing have developed: blagovest, wired (funeral) ringing, everyday, wedding (accelerating), counter and, finally, festive chimes, among which there are great, medium, red and special form- ringing. Trezvon is the most difficult to perform, but the brightest musically. It consists of 3 parts connected into a single whole (and its very name comes from the merger of the phrase "three bells"). The red ringing of all the bells (“in all seriousness”) strikes with its power and beauty on Great holidays.
Ringers have such a concept - euphony. The bells for the belfries were always selected in such a way that all together they formed a harmonious “ringing-choir”. If any bell was dissonant with the rest, falling out of the general system, he received the apt nickname "ram", "dissolute" and, as a rule, was excluded from ringing. For belfries, 3 groups of bells are usually selected: large - evangelists, medium - ringing and small - ringing bells. As for the sound and tone of the bells, it depends on their weight, shape and casting quality: 100 identical bells cast in the same production will sound differently (both the pouring temperature and how the metal cools down).
Note. The voice of each bell is unique, and it is often for this reason that they are given nicknames. For example, the bell-announcement of the Rostov Kremlin is called "Swan" (it got this name for its guttural sound), and its sweet-voiced neighbor is called "Red" (for its velvety sound). The evangelist of the Kremlin belfry bears the name "Bear" (for its drawling, thick bass).
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Russian Orthodox ringing is significantly different from the bell ringing of other faiths. If the chimes of Western Europe contain melodic and harmonic foundations (carellon-bell organ), then this is practically absent in Russian chimes. Orthodox ringing is based on rhythm and character. The bell ringer, thanks to his inner instinct, sense of rhythm, excellent knowledge of the scale and mastery of the technique of performance, on the basis of the Rule, prayer and personal worldview, can convey joy and tranquility, deep sorrow and the triumph of the spiritual content of the Church Divine Service through the ringing of bells. In the souls of believers seeking peace with the Lord God, church bell ringing excites a bright, joyful and peaceful mood. The Orthodox ringing contains a wondrous power that penetrates deeply into human hearts. Having fallen in love with church bells, Russian Orthodox people connected with him all his solemn and sad events. Therefore, the Orthodox bell ringing serves not only as an indication of the time of Divine services, but also as an expression of joy, sadness and triumph. Hence, various types of ringing appeared, each of which has its own name and meaning.
Orthodox bell ringing is divided into 3 main types: 1) good news; 2) chime, enumeration;3) the actual ringing.
Blagovest is measured blows to one big bell. This ringing announces to believers the good news about the beginning of Divine services in the temple. / Blagovest is festive, everyday and Lenten. /
A chime is a sorting of bells from the largest bell to the smallest (or vice versa) with a different number of strokes for each bell. /There are 2 main chimes: funerary and water-blessing./
The ringing itself is a characteristic rhythmic ringing using all the main groups of the bell scale. /The bells of this group include: holiday bells (trezvon, dvzvon), everyday bells, as well as bells composed by the bell ringer himself (the latter are the result of creative work and self-expression of the ringer).
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The fate of bells, like people, is different. There are also long-livers among them (for example, the still functioning Nikonovsky bell, born in 1420, from the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra).
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Before being installed on the belfry, a rite of consecration is always performed above the bell: they sprinkle holy water on the outside and inside and read prayers. Blessed and created by true masters of their craft, the bell will surely live for a long time and overshadow people with a “sounding” cross - a three-dimensional sound wave moving both horizontally and vertically.
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It is believed that with the first blow of the bell ringing for morning, the power of any "night evil spirits" disappears.
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In Medieval Europe, on nights such as All Saints' Eve and Bonfire Night (Beltein), also known as Walpurgis Night, when witches were believed to be infesting the countryside, villagers rang church bells to keep the witches from flying over the village. The townspeople, in turn, were also awake and aggravated the noise by rattling pots and pans and ringing all their - city - bells. "Witches" at trials "confessed" to having flown through the air to covens on the backs of demons, only to be thrown to the ground when church bells sounded in the night.
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In Rus', the bell has become a symbol of statehood and at the same time a broad Russian soul (probably, some “strings” of the Russian soul are adequately reflected in the bell ringing). It is interesting that Russian bells are fundamentally different, for example, from Dutch ones (in particular, Malinsky ones). / Malin is a Dutch city in which bells, famous for their euphony, were poured (hence the raspberry chimes came from). Dutch bells have a more precise, toned (like a string) sound. The Russian bell, in turn, takes the entire chord (which is why a very wide range of sounds is obtained in one stroke of the Russian bell).
* * * Church bells are not for concerts. It has been like this for a long time: bells are a spiritual witness to the whole world, a symbol in bronze, and their ringing is a symbol in sound. It is not for nothing that bell ringing is called the "voice of the Church", and this voice calls for spiritual Revival and Repentance. And it is not good for church bells to idly broadcast from the bell towers (bell ringers do not even have the right to rehearse in the bell tower, to ring after hours or for the amusement of the public).
Bells ringing is performed only according to church canons: at a certain hour, in a certain way. But there is one week in the year when (not simultaneously with the church service) it is allowed to call enough, to the delight of the whole world. This is Paschal Bright Week. It should be remembered that the church bell is a shrine that must always be protected and honored. Ringing is an adornment of a temple (cathedral, church), and may it always be magnificent.
The legacy of ancestors. bells
Bells are a Slavic tradition borrowed by both yellows and Christians.
Therefore, the ringing was called - raspberry, because. This ancient image, i.e. the ringing of Heaven, and the owner of Heaven is Svarog, and the tree of Svarog, in addition to beech, is also raspberry. In Omsk, in the Temple of the Veda of Perun, there was a Belfry, i.e. where is the bell. This is the part between the Sanctuary and the hipped Dome.
In order to cast a bell, one must know Hari arithmetic well. This is a special art. And above all, the bell was cast in the ground. The Old Believers still continued to make bells for themselves according to ancient technologies, and after the Nikon schism they went into the taiga and hide the bells and the secret of casting them about the ROCs.
The Russian Orthodox Church has never had and does not have bells with "raspberry ringing". Nikon brought from Greece not only new stupid books, but also bells. They were called "remake". They were cast not in the ground and not in special mathematical measures, but simply at the factory. Therefore, their ringing was always called not raspberry, but church.
The bell was divided into 4 parts from bottom to top: Nav, Yav, Slav and Rule. And each part has a certain thickness. Depending on the ringing, the Slavs distinguished: heavenly, heavenly, divine, generic, worldly bells.
Valdai bells
Roads in Russia are long and difficult. How to control a racing troika if you have to hold a horn in one hand and honk at it, as is done in Europe? The Siberian Highway is not the Vienna Woods, no time for ceremonies. Therefore, the Russian coachmen whistled and shouted to clear the way, until some bright head came up with the idea of tying a small bell to the middle of the arc. This happened around the second half of the 18th century. They called the bell the coachman or the bell.
The driver's bell is just a signaling instrument: audible for two miles, he warned everyone about the approach of a wagon or carriage. But as an exclusively national phenomenon, in a short time and for many years it became a part of Russian life, one of its symbols, legendary and poetic.
The most famous coachman's bells were made in Valdai. The city of Valdai, which received its status in 1772, stood (and still stands) in the middle of the busiest and most comfortable tract of the Russian Empire - between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city was destined to become one of the centers for the manufacture of horse-drawn vehicles, horse ammunition, including coachman's bells.
By the middle of the 19th century, about a hundred forges and three bell factories were operating in the city of Valdai. The factory of merchants Usachyovs, which closed only in the late 1920s, best years produced products worth 40 thousand rubles.
It was the Valdai craftsmen who, starting from 1802, began to make inscriptions along the lower edge of the bells, which is called the “skirt”, fixing the year, the place of casting, the name of the master or customer.
In the 19th century, in the Russian Empire, arched bells were cast in the cities and villages of the Vyatka, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Tobolsk provinces - mainly near the road that led from Moscow through the Urals, Siberia (to the East). And, of course, each master, each workshop or bell factory contributed something of their own. Coachman's bells are kept in private and museum collections - under the arch, under the neck, Valdai, Siberian, Shadrinsk, buckwheat, smooth, faceted, with a lattice, with a roller, carved, with an ornament or an inscription.
The inscriptions on the bells were made playful, parting, edifying: “Whom I love, I give”, “Buy - do not be stingy, drive - have fun”, “Gift of Valday”, “Ring, console - hurry up”, “I ring a lot - the road is more fun” , “There is no profit, but fame is good”, etc.
The production technology of coachman's bells differed from the casting of bells bigger size: and melting furnaces used others, and coal. And kvass was present in the recipe - it was added to the molding earth, bells made of low-grade copper were clarified in the kvass thick. But the main thing was to correctly compose the alloy. Master casters were guided by their own experience and recipes, the secrets that mentors passed on to them.
Perhaps that is why their foreign colleagues did not manage to cast the same sonorous bells. They copied the products of Russian masters up to the inscriptions in Russian and sold them as originals - it was a profitable business ...
Coachman's bells gained popularity very quickly, and there were so many of them that in 1836 a Senate decree was issued that prohibited the use of bells on private or civilian carriages. Bells could only have postal chase and officials of the Zemstvo police in the line of duty.
And then the people remembered the bells. Small spherical bells with one or more pellets inside have been used since time immemorial as amulets, jewelry, and buttons. After the ban on bells on private trips, instead of them, they began to hang clusters of bells on the arc, on the shafts, on the bridle straps.
Bells were made of copper, iron, bronze, silver, and they were stamped, forged, cast. For the bells, which were hung around the horse's neck, they made a special leather "frame" - a lasso. Up to three dozen bells were attached to it. Sometimes one or more quiet bells were added to the lasso.
The ringing of the bells is quiet, cooing, for which they were called bells. And also - vertebrae, balabonchiks, gormotunchiks ...
IN late XIX century private horse-drawn transport different types and suits (prohibitions acted badly) "voiced" sometimes two or three dozen cooing bells and a few ringing bells. All this was carefully chosen in harmony: the largest bell on the arc was the soloist, the “sing-along” bells hanging on the sides echoed it, accompanied by bells.
Bells
BELLS- an instrument that imitates the sound of coachman's bells and bells. Unlike a bell, a bell is a hollow ball in which a metal ball rolls freely, hitting the walls when shaken and extracting a sound. Bells have a duller and shorter sound than bells, but they sound in any position. By shaking the bells or hitting them on the knees, the player extracts silvery sounds, reminiscent of the sound of the bells of the Russian troika.
Their peculiar sound causes joyful, bright sensations in the soul of every person. And although we have not used them for a long time, for about a century, Everyday life, the love for inflatable bells and bells lives in us and is transmitted from generation to generation at the genetic level. Our ancestors in the deepest antiquity used bells, attaching them to clothes, as a talisman. During excavations in Novgorod, bells were found in all layers - from the 10th to the 16th century.
Bells were used not only as an amulet or decoration of clothes in the Russian national costume, for example, they were often used as buttons until the beginning of the 20th century. However, bells were most widely used in Russia with mid-nineteenth century. The reason for this was the ban on the use of arched bells by private individuals. And they are so accustomed to using melodious bells when road trips! But the Russian man is resourceful, he quickly realized that the ringing of bells suspended on a leather neck lasso with the help of rawhide straps is a little inferior to the ringing of an arched bell.
According to the manufacturing technique, bells were divided into stamped, cast and forged. Hemispheres of copper bells were soldered with tin, iron - with copper. There are bells without a seam, with a rim and with a scar. The largest of the bells, as a rule, was attached in the middle of the lasso. But a small, and therefore quiet bell, and a bunch of small bells could take its place. In addition, bells could be hung on an arc, saddle, shafts and on bridle straps.
The ringing of the bell of the dashing troika, as it were, personifies Russian prowess and will. No wonder there were legends about the origin of postal bells from the veche bells of Novgorod and Pskov, symbols of freedom and independence of these cities before they were conquered by the Moscow principality.
Ancient bells and bells have long lost their functional purpose and have become works of arts and crafts and collectibles. But their melodic ringing still excites the soul, as if reminding of long journeys.
The custom of ringing is one of the most ancient and widespread on the planet, but in Russia it has gained particular popularity due to the advent of triple riding. To the ringing of arched bells, dashing troikas dragged couriers, travelers, and mail along Russian roads.
The Russian troika began to be used for courier messages in the 20s of the 18th century, and gained real popularity half a century later. Simultaneously with the flourishing of courier and mail riding in troikas, a need arose for sound signals that could be heard at a considerable distance. First, the signal was needed to require pedestrians and other vehicles to immediately clear the road. After all, the troika, especially the courier troika, raced at high speed, and the rules traffic didn't exist then. Secondly, such a signal alerted the staff of the next postal station of the need to prepare a shift for tired horses in a timely manner, because the courier should not linger.
In the countries of Western Europe and North America, the post horn was widely used as a sound signal. Attempts to instill a horn in Russian mail were made during the time of Peter I and later, but ended in failure. Coachmen have long preferred to make do with distant whistles and loud cries. It was even believed that the horses under the valiant whistle run faster. Coachmen were punished with fines and beatings, but this did not help. The postal horn remained only the emblem of the Russian post.
Finally, in the last third of the 18th century, some obscure inventor came up with the idea of using a small bell as a signaling device. A convenient place for him was immediately found - an arc above the head of the root. The bell was tightly tied to the middle part of the arc with a rawhide belt. He himself was motionless, during the ride the tongue (drummer) swayed, which beat on the inside of the wall of the bell. A bell suspended under the arch of a postal or courier troika began to be called an arched or postal (pit) bell. The ringing of the postal bell was heard at a distance of two or more miles. But it wasn't just a beep. Couriers and passengers had to overcome huge distances across the vast Russian expanses. The pleasant ringing of a bell brightened up the monotony of a tiring ride, which often dragged on for many days. Therefore, the ringing of the postal bell was both strong and gentle. The predominance of one of these two qualities gave grounds to call the ringing either Yamsky or Raspberry. In addition, it was believed that the blessed bell ringing drives away evil spirits. So our ancestors hung bells on horse arches, so that at their sounds the demons rushed away from the road, unable to interfere with travelers. Of course, the bell could be hung under the arc of any Russian team, but it was when riding a frisky troika that the ringing of the bell became the most vivid and expressive.
Riding troikas with bells has becomevery popular in the 19th century. Sometimes two or even three bells were hung under the arc, and in northern Russia up to five. Numerous private troikas appeared after the postal ones. The owners and employers of such triplets also wanted to ride with a ringing, the need for inflatable bells grew rapidly.
Very interests cast on bells of all kinds catchphrases, parting words, proverbs, sayings. The most common phrases are: “Gift of Valdai” (words from a popular song line), “Whom I love, I give” (a widespread saying, indicated not only on bells), “Buy, don’t spare money, it’s more fun to ride with me”, “ Buy, don’t be stingy, ride, have fun”, “I give this bell as a sign of memory”, “Give news to yourself from a distance”, “Rings - amuses, hurries to ride”, “I ring a lot - the road is more fun”, “Whoever buys a bell is happy will". These inscriptions are sometimes cast with grammatical errors. It's hard not to smile when reading such inscriptions as "The sweat is ringing sadly in an arc" or "Buy a gentleman or be stingy with me, ride hung." There were masters who specialized in comic inscriptions - Kasimov's master Nikolai Kislov was especially famous, who owns such, for example, “masterpieces”: “Chicken bull radila. And the ancestor of the testicle was demolished”, “A pair of our calf to eat the wolf”, “Muscovites mow grass beyond the Volga”.
If the bell was silvered, then the inscription "With silver" was cast. Interestingly, over time, a thin layer of silver was destroyed, and the cast inscription "With Silver" remained, which often misleads our contemporaries about chemical composition alloy. True, sometimes the customer really demanded to add silver to the copper alloy, naively believing that this would improve the sound quality, but in these cases the inscription "Special order with silver" was cast.
In addition to the inscriptions, various decorative and plot images. Ornament, various rosettes, Gothic leaf, Greek palmette, crosses, circles, pearl thread, net, as well as stars, mascarons, crabs were widely used. The favorite motif was eagles, among which one-headed ones prevailed. Double-headed eagles are less common on bells, since the right to depict the state emblem was given as a privilege. Both the one-headed and the two-headed eagles depicted on the bells were usually equipped with symbols of royal power - a crown, a scepter and an orb. St. George the Victorious on a horse, striking a dragon with a spear, was often depicted on the bells, less often - the coats of arms of cities, shields, peacocks, flying birds.
The era of the arched bell spanned only a century and a half, but left an unforgettable mark on the people's memory. The popular love for the troika and the bell made them a popular topic in literature, music, fine arts, folk art. Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Tchaikovsky - the image of a troika and a bell appears in the work of many great figures of Russian culture. Songs about coachmen, troikas, bells and bells are still popular among the people.
Nowadays, under the arc, you will no longer find an old bell. The bells are not modern souvenirs, but real bells, they have taken their place in museums and private collections, because these are “fragments” of the old road life of our country, small monuments of history and culture.
From about the middle of the 19th century, collars with garlands of bells attached to them began to be put on the necks of all three horses. The device of a bell in the form of a deaf hollow ball did not allow, unlike an open bell, to extract a strong sound. Therefore, prohibitions did not apply to bells, and they could be hung in unlimited quantities. Draft bells, in contrast to the arched bells, performed not so much a signal as a purely artistic function- to delight the ears of those traveling, as well as the "magic" function - to disperse oncoming demons. The absence of restrictions on the number of bells used led to the fact that from several dozen bells, matched in size, and therefore in tone, they began to make up a “gamma”, that is, a consonant group that produced an ensemble sound when driving. Of course, bells have been familiar to man since ancient times. During excavations in Novgorod, bells were found in all cultural layers from the 10th to the 15th centuries. Bells had the widest application. They were attached to people's clothes, hung on animals and birds of prey, hung from various objects in living quarters, to wagons, to musical instruments, toys.
In the ancient Russian costume, bells served as decorative details and buttons. Even in the second half of the 19th - early 20th century, they were not uncommon and not only decorated the clothes of peasants, but also served as a talisman, that is, protection from evil spirits. To this end, the bells were sewn, in particular, to the ponyova - a kind of woolen skirt married women. The clownish dress of the royal buffoon was also supplied with many bells. But the bells were most widely used when grazing cattle (they were hung under the animal's neck) and in horse harness.
