[Bell Historians] Pitch Standards

[s.ivin at n...]

Thanks for the information, Nigel. We now know what WBF means by 'O.C.P.'.

The last paragraph raises interesting questions of the extent to which the
purchaser of new bells is consulted about the supply of variations such as
K III. There seems to be a situation where the first the customer knows about
it is when an 'outsider' comments on it. There is the related question of
the supply of 'old-style' bells for augmentation, recasts etc. There was a 
time when Paul Taylor in his latter years (also known as the Milsom years)
would supply a new bell with a sharp hum (often precisely half a semitone)
to the unsuspecting, who were looking forward to a traditional Taylor bell.
In these cases the combination of full resonance with a sharp hum produces
an overwhelmingly sour effect.

The cases I have in mind are Husborne Crawley (where 5 & 7 were recast, the
7th true harmonic, and the 5th with sharp hum), Cholsey (tenor) and the
8th at Ipswich at the original 1970s restoration - this latter rectified
when 9 - 11 were replaced.

Anyone care to comment?

Steve