[r-t] Compositions of the Decade: Part 9 - Maximus

[Simon Humphrey]

On Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:29:21 -0800 (PST)
Alexander Holroyd <holroyd at math.ubc.ca> wrote:

> This is a differential method in what I think is the original sense:
> there are 3 different blue lines, which are rung by bells 123, 579E,
> and 4680T respectively.  Thus the number of leads in the plain course
> is the least common multiple of 3, 4 and 5, i.e. 60.  I believe it's
> the only rung method in which the plain course is a peal length.  (A
> suitably-placed 9ths-place brings it round at 1260, incidentally.)
> 
> I heard from someone that something similar was tried once before
> (but never scored), with a different method where the sets of bells
> are 123, 4567 and 890ET.  Can anyone confirm this?

Vernon Bedford published a method like this, which he called simply
Differential Maximus, in (I think) the early 70's.
We had a couple of attempts at ringing the peal a year or two later, at
St.Peter's Nottingham, but without success.  I can't remember what the
problem was: probably the whole concept was just too alien then.  If we
had managed to ring it, it wouldn't have been recognised as a peal by
the CC incidentally - not that that would worry anyone nowadays of
course.
SH