Kidderminster trebles

[Christopher POVEY]

"Apparently they are going to lip them and convert their tuning to 'old
style'."

What a sad way to treat two good 20thc harmonically-tuned bell from a founder of high repute! There seems to be a fair amount of madness here. On one hand we are producing G&J replicas, because there is a resurgance of interest in them; and on the other hand we are taking two of the real thing - of which the stock is finite, because no more can be produced - and converting them to old-style tuning. Surely Youlgreave could have found a pair of old-style bells sharp of the note they need, and have them tuned down to the particular tuning style required.

I can understand that Kidderminster may be panicking a bit because they lost a sale to Preston, because the casting of the new 12 is underway. I could accept some retuning down in modern tuning style. However, I have difficulty in accepting retuning that takes away the whole nature and pedigree of a good bell. It does beg the question about whether protection should be afforded to some modern bells. 

Chris Povey


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