[Bell Historians] Harrison's tuning - Worcester.

[Charles Lucy]

Thank you for your comments Richard;

I appreciate the catastrophic consequences that can result from tuning  
experiments gone wrong;-)

Yet out of curiosity I just quickly analysed the tunings at Worcester  
from the recordings at:

http://freespace.virgin.net/worcester.cityparish/wbells/worcscat1.index.html#BELLS

Using Melodyne DNA editor Beta, which indicates that (near as damn  
it), the intervals are in twelve-note equal temperament, except the G:

Here is what I found:

Notes from Melodyne in Worcester  min10.wav
pitches shown at end of file + & - in cents.
C#5 -12
G#4 -13
G4 -0
E4 -3 & -8
D#4 -6
C#4 -14
C4 -11
A3 -12 & -8
F#3 -13 & -12
D#3 -11 & -10
G2 + 32
G1 +32

Worcester CathClip.wav
F#5 -33
E5 -33
D#5 -37
C#5 -34
B4 -33
D4 -29
C#4 -36
G#3 -33
D#3 -33
B1 -31

Stated on site as:

The Bells

Bell No.	Diameter	Weight	 Note
Treble	2ft - 5ins	 6cwts-3qrs-8lbs	F sharp
2	 2ft - 6ins	 7cwts-1qrs-16lbs	E
3	2ft - 7ins	 7cwts -2qrs-20lbs	 D sharp
4	 2ft - 8 1/2ins	 7cwts -3qr -25lbs	C sharp
5	 2ft - 11ins	 8cwts -2qr-19lbs	B
6	 3ft - 1/2ins	 10cwts-0qr-6lbs	 A sharp
7	 3ft - 3 1/2ins	12cwts-0qr-1lb	 G sharp
8	 3ft - 7 1/2ins	 14cwts-3qrs-26lbs	 F sharp
9	4ft - 0ins	 20cwts-0qrs-6lbs	E
10	4ft - 3ins	 25cwts-2qrs-10lbs	D sharp
11	4ft - 9ins	 34cwts-3qrs-4lbs	 C sharp
Tenor	 5ft - 4ins	 48cwts-0qrs-2lbs	 B
Flat 4th	 2ft - 9 1/2ins	 8cwts-0qrs-15lbs	 C
Flat 6th	3ft - 2ins	10cwts-2qrs-24lbs	 A
Flat 8th	3ft - 9ins	 16cwts-1qr-16lbs	F
Bourdon	6ft - 4 1/2ins	82cwts-3qrs-24lbs	 A

I listened to these bells for many hours as a child, watching cricket  
across the river, in or by the cathedral.

Worcester was my local city and my mother, a musician, who would often  
play and sing in the `"Three Choirs" cathedrals, whilst I watched or  
waited.

Next time I get the chance I shall make my own field recordings and  
see what a more precise analysis can produce using less "experimental"  
software.

Don't be concerned, Richard; even if I should buy Taylor's outright,  
it is highly unlikely that anyone would even let me get near these  
treasures, let alone run tuning experiments on them even if I wanted  
to ;-)





.




On 21 Sep 2009, at 00:04, r_offen1 wrote:

> Frankly, I think we'd all much prefer it if, whoever buys out the  
> Taylor business, and please God someone does, simply sticks to the  
> Taylor tradition that has given us the glorious sounds of Worcester  
> Cathedral, Chewton Mendip, St Chad's Shrewsbury, et al and only  
> plays with the company's structure, not its tuning methods.
>
> R
>
> > Thank you for your email Bill;
> >
> > I appreciate what you are saying, nevertheless, from past experience
> > with John Harrison's ideas,
> >
> > I am convinced that his writings on bell manufacturing and design
> > merit closer examination.
> >
> > I have yet to be clear about your differences of "pitch and  
> frequency".
> >
> > Agreed; chosen tuning systems are subjective and influenced by
> > fashion, although it seems to me that the beat frequencies may hold
> > the "key" to some of the apparent paradoxes.
> >
> > I have been in contact with a number of people who are interested in
> > Taylor's and will be looking at the practicalities over the next few
> > days.
> >
> > I look forward to exchanging ideas with you in the near future.
> >
> > best wishes
>
>
> 

Charles Lucy
lucy at WUq-qztzZkkj7nLpqVaqGte78AtPltL028-kKlUWXzpoyM6DA3wzb0jDmohTiU_HMoVIcMGPwsRyQ3zv.yahoo.invalid

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