Campanology
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Campanology is the study of bells — the methods of casting and tuning them and the art or science of ringing them.
Types of bell-ringing
There are many sorts of bells around the world of all shapes, sizes, and materials, rung in many different ways. When a set of tuned bells is to be rung, some organizing principle must be used; in Europe two main ways of using a church tower for this sort of bell-ringing developed:
- In a carillon (popular on the continent of Europe) a large number of bells can be struck by hammers all tied in to a central framework much like a piano keyboard, so that one "carilloneur" can ring them all according to some tune or melody, and even with rudimentary harmony.
- Change ringing (popular in the British Isles) involves a smaller number of bells, each mounted on a wheel and physically swung by its own bellringer pulling on a rope; they are rung not according to melody but following a changing series of mathematical patterns.
External Links
- General bellringing information (http://www.ringing.org)
- The Central Council of Church Bellringers (http://www.cccbr.org.uk/)
- The Ringing World (http://www.ringingworld.co.uk/)