[Bell Historians] Re: Worcester Cathedral

['David Beacham' david1.beacham@virgin.net [bellhistorians]]

James is right, and I thank him.  My musical knowledge is more than a bit limited and I had some difficulty in working it out; but I did get there in the end (i.e. the original chimes were flat 4, 6, 7, 10), but then when typing-up the email I read the wrong bit of my notes!

 

DB

 

From: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com [mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com] 
Sent: 31 May 2016 16:43
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Bell Historians] Re: Worcester Cathedral

 

  

David Beacham wrote:

>> The quarter bells were therefore (in order down the scale) flat 4th, 5, 6, 10.

Surely not.  In the key of D flat these would be: E double flat (=D), D flat, C and F.

With a (Major) eight and without a bourdon to provide the lower hour note, Westminster Chimes are obtained using 2, 3, 4 and 7, with the hour on 8.

Moving to a ten this becomes 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10 but you now have the option to have the “correct” hour bell by using 1, 2, 3, 6 and 10 (with the 10 being an octave below the 3).

On twelve these become 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 (as at Southwark) or 3,4,5,8,12.

>From what David wrote it was clear that the Bourdon (B flat) was going to be the hour bell.  This is the equivalent of a 14 in a twelve in D flat which suggests that the chimes would be 5 sharp (or 4 flat), 6, 7 ,10 and Bourdon (with the 7th an octave above the Bourdon).

 

>> ..it was decided that more powerful chimes were required and this was achieved by transferring them to bells 7, 8, 9 and 12.

These are in the right relationship to be Westminster Chimes but the Bourdon would be a sixth below the last note (as opposed to the lowest note) of the chime.  Is that what was accepted in order to get the greater sound?

 

James White



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