[Bell Historians] Cripplegate (was St Giles, Cathedral, Edinburgh )

[Mark Humphreys]

> RCO:
> "Are you sure St Giles' Cripplegate has a cybalstern (set of 
> four or six small bells, mounted on a rotating disc, which 
> give a jingling, tinkling sound used as a background to organ 
> pieces such as JS Bach's choral prelude on In Dulci Jubilo)?"

DRL: 
> I am sure. Last year the ASCY had a service there to mark the 
> 50th anniversary of the bells (we had a ringers' choir). Mark 
> Jones (ASCY ringer) made sure the cymbalstern had an outing 
> when he played for it. I'll ask him how new it is. The church 
> is launching an appeal to restore the organ. The ASCY 
> incidentally is supporting a new appeal to install a sharp 2nd.
> 
> I think most modern cymbalsterns ring their bells with 
> solenoids - St John's College Cambridge does for example. I 
> gather you can preprogramme the order in which they are set 
> to jangle as a consequence. The spinning star on the front of 
> the organ case is for show only.

I think Richard may be right. The effect of the three-rank Cymbal is quite
similar.

See http://www.mander-organs.com/portfolio/st-giles.html for more detail.

Mark