[Bell Historians] Re: Trinity New york

[Richard Offen]

--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, "Andrew Higson" 
<andrew_higson at ...> wrote:
>
> I have always been curious as to why there are so many fat D bells. 
Why
> make a 32 cwt bell when 24 cwt is patently sufficient? I don't 
think it
> was salesmanship.
>  
> South Petherton are tuned to the odd pitch because Swindon are too 
and
> David Purnell specified that he wanted an exact copy of Swindon 
with two
> trebles.
>  
> Swindon, in common with other 50.5" diameter bells of the time were
> tuned so that the tenor did not exceed 22 cwt - the weight of the 
bell
> at that time being the primary factor influencing its cost. Newport 
is
> the flattest of these at 599Hz.
>  
> A

This is very interesting and explains a lot.   I had never realised 
that these early bells were governed so much by weight and, 
therefore, cost.   It does explain the variance in pitch of so many 
Taylor rings of 20s and 30s.

I know I'll be howled down, but I'm afraid that the heavier Ds, such 
as Lichfield do it for me far more than the thinner ones.   The same 
can be said of the thicker E-flats - Chewton Mendip (24.25 Eb) still 
send shivers down my spine when I hear them; far more so than some of 
the thinner Ebs!   Chewton are just sublime!

As we've said so many times before, it's so subjective and all a 
matter of personal taste!

Richard