Greetings, all.
Can anyone reference source material that would serve under the heading, "'Russian Bells' Appreciation 101"? I find the ringing fascinating.
I do know that ringing is an art that is making a comeback in the former Soviet Union, an art that apprentices must invest years to learn.
Upon first hearing, it all sounds quite a mishappen mishmash of tinking, clinking, clanging, dong-ing. I am sure there is an "inner logic" to it all. I would like to learn more.
Also, audio tape or CD references would be appreciated.
A blessed Holy Week to all.
Thank you.

Durak, there is a wonderful and complex tradition which has developed around bell ringing, the "singing icons".

There are several styles of bell ringing. First is the "Blagovest" or "Annunciation" for which the largest bell is ring singly in a slow cadence. During certain portions of the services, like Psalm 118 at Matins, the bell is rung during certain texts usually in combinations of 12 peals. Blagovest can take a long time.

Zvon are rhythmic ringing of more than one bell. Depending on the bells available in the tower there can be numerous variations. Some of these are dvuzvon (playing all bells twice; trezvon (playing all the bells three times) which is used in the Liturgy and times of joy; perezvon
when all the bells are struck in order, beginning with the largest bell and proceeding to the smallest, each bell being rung several times before going to the next. This is used at the water blessing for Yordan and other times.

A single perezvon (one slow ringing of all the bells from largest to smallest) is struck only twice a year, on Great Friday and on Great Saturday. This is symbolic of God becoming man (largest to smallest) and taking on the humility of the Passion.

Perebor is the funeral toll and is a slow ringing of the bells beginning with the smallest bell and proceeding to the largest. This symbolizes theosis, the ascent to heaven and the union of the soul with God (smallest to largest bell).

Check out the Blagovest website, www.russuanbells.com [russuanbells.com] They have been providing well-made bells to parishes as well as restoring many of the traditional practices regarding ringing. They also have some neat soundbytes of bell ringing on their site.

There is also a service in the Trebnik specifically for the blessing of bells including anointing them and naming them.

Esteemed Diak,
Profound appreciation for your informative response.
I have not been successful in "resurrecting" your indicated web site. The problem might be on my end. I will keep on trying.

Are there any mentors or schools here in the states that accept apprentices?

Peace.

I believe the URL is: http://www.russianbells.com/.

For additional information on bells the website of the OCA's Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco may be of interest:
http://www.holy-trinity.org/ .

Click on the link "The Bells of Holy Trinity Cathedral". There are links that may be of some interest.

Stephen Barrow

Sorry, Durak, I'm still not used to the keyboard on this laptop. www.russianbells.com [russianbells.com] should work. God bless.

Hi Durak

You try www.musicarussica.com [musicarussica.com]

They used to have several CD's of just Russian church bells being rung.

Hope this helps...

mark

Esteemed Medved,
Exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you!

Dear Durak,

Well, I always love it when people chime in here.

A lot of what they have to say rings a bell (or two).

A blessed Pascha!

Alex

Might I just ask a prayer or two for the Greeks and the southern Balkan brethren. We, too, had bells at one time. They were taken by the Ottomans to be melted down for guns. And we used wooden hammers on large wooden boards to call our people to prayer. Guess you guys were just lucky.

Blessings!

Hello all,

I am so happy someone brought up the topic of bells. Our church in Brampton (saintelias.com, see the bell tower section!) has a bell tower and seven bells (the minimum number of bells needed for a true zvon . I understand that it is the only full orthodox set in Canada. Our three largest (40", 35" and 29") came from an old Ukrainian church in Plymouth PA (we had these bells converted from a swinging bell system to the fixed orthodox style). Our four smaller ones came from Russia through the blagovest bell company. They are very nice and sound very good together. We still want to buy three of four more bells to complete the set.
As each bell tower is different, you kindof have to tech yourself how to ring your bells. Read up as much as you can on the different patterns and when you use them. Listen to bell recordings to get a good idea of the different styles you can use.
There are several campanological schools in Russia but I don't think there are any in North America. Until there is, anybody wishing to learn how to ring bells, set them up, and lots of tricks to get the best sounding patterns are welcome to come up to my church and I will quite literally show you the ropes.
I don't know of any other greek-catholic churches with this type of set-up. I would like to know if there are.

Anyway, I am glad to see people finally interested in this stuff. For a long time I thought I was the only one.

Oh by the way, you don't just bell bells, according to the Great Book of Needs you chrismate and name them as well, cool huh? Each bell truly has its own personality.

If any of your churches have bronze bells they no longer use either start using them or contact me ilyagaladza@hotmail.com and I will find them a good home.

Ilya the bell ringer.

Dear Dr. John,

Yes, and the administration of Peter the Great did the same with many bells to melt them down for purposes of making cannon . . .

I have a "mini" wooden semantron that I use to announce the beginning of home prayers. I hit it three times with a wooden hammer on both sides for a bit . . . that is the correct way, is it not?

Kalo Pascha!

Alex

I have heard recordings from the monastery at Chevetogne where the combine the use of bells and simandron. It is an interesting effect. I like it but my bell ringing friends don't.
I have also seen footage of a monk at Simonopetras monastery on Athos wake the bretheren by walking by the cell doors beating the simandron. He then rings one bell in a pattern once he has completed. Before the divine services this same monk goes to the bell tower and rings a complex pattern on all the bells. This is some of the best bell rining I have ever heard.

This just came to me, have any of you seen the movie 'Andrei Rublev'? It has a great scene of a casting of a bell. It gives you an idea of just how important bells were in Old Rus'.

"there is no secret",
ilya

Dear Ilya Romanovich,

Yes, that movie does ring a bell . . .

There was a court case involving one of our Toronto churches regarding bell-ringing some years back.

The good news was that the church won the case against private charges brought up that the bells "disturbed the peace of the surrounding neighbourhood."

The bad news was that the bell-ringing that was being protested was the daily, three-fold "Angelus" bell . . .

Aleksandr Romanovich

p.s. all the best to you and your family for the upcoming Paschal season!

wow, angelus.
this is one of my most loved latin traditions. The large heretic church in downtown bramton still rings the angelus.

Anybody who thinks bell ringing is disturbig the peace is obviously messed up (how north american).

Nobody has complained about our bell riging, infact, people stop their cars and will listen to the bells until they are finished. In many cases our bells have drawn people onto the property and into the church.

Ilya

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ilya romanovich:
[QB] Hello all,

"I am so happy someone brought up the topic of bells. Our church in Brampton (saintelias.com, see the bell tower section!) has a bell tower and seven bells (the minimum number of bells needed for a true zvon....anybody wishing to learn how to ring bells, set them up, and lots of tricks to get the best sounding patterns are welcome to come up to my church and I will quite literally show you the ropes."

Esteemed Ilya,
I enjoyed your parish's web site. I will think seriously about taking you up on the invitation for a visit - and a free "introductory lesson"!
Who was it that taught you how to ring?

Alex wished me a blessed Pascha, I return the sentiment to him, and all.

The monks at Holy Resurrection Monastery in California are called to prayer by hammer on board. I think it was Fr. Basil who mentioned that the sound is supposed to be remindful of Noah building his ark. Very cool.

The German RC church near my office rings the angelus. It is wonderful to hear the bells. Millet's painting of the same name depicting French farmers with their heads bowed at the ringing of the Angelus also has to be one of my favorites.

Yes, several of the recordings from Chevtogne have the semantron. Also there are some great recordings from Athos, especially from Simona Petra and Stavro Nikita, with some nice semantron work.

I heard from one Greek monk that the semantron was used by Noah to call the animals into the Ark.

Regarding the semantron, St. Anthony of Novgorod says, "The Greek semantron was given to us by the angels". Amalarius of Metz in the 9th century discusses the qualities and use of the semantron in the Latin church. He even calls it a "humble custom of the Roman Church" and acknowledges Constantinople had kept a venerable tradition by continuing to foster its use.

Dear Friends,

So I take it it is all right for us Easterners to observe the Angelus bell when we hear it with the Angelus prayer?

It is always my inclination to cross myself whenever I hear church bells.

Is it an Eastern tradition to do so?

Also, Ilya Romanovich, WHICH heretic church are you referring to?

There used to be a highly developed English "code" of church bells, especially when someone died. Three bells would signify that a man died, six that a woman and nine that a child.

It was the Anglican poet, canon and saint, George Herbert ("Holy Mr. Herbert") who really didn't like it when people stopped to ask "for whom the bell tolls?"

As he wrote, "Do not ask for whom the bell tolls - it tolls for thee!"

He also wrote: "Caesar is not Caesar still, nor Alexander - Alexander! But Jesus is Jesus still, and will be forever!"

Alex

Durak, having heard the beauty of the bells at St. Elias first hand, I can assure you it would be worth the trip. But my son tells me to take Illya seriously when he hands out the hearing protection when you are inside the tower.

I remember attending Pascha at the Serbian Orthodox parish in San Diego a few years ago. Apparently, the year before, neighbors around the Church complained about the Church bells being rung for the procession at 12:00 AM.

Well... Father made sure that the next year, they were rung even louder!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, I was thinking "you GO, Father!!!"

Esteemed Diak,

You wrote,
"I heard from one Greek monk that the semantron was used by Noah to call the animals into the Ark."

On second reflection, I believe that is exactly what Fr. Basil said, and I just remembered incorrectly. Thanks for the correction.

Dear durak and Diak,

Was not the semantron originally adopted though because the Muslims wanted to muffle the peal of bells calling Christians to prayer?

Noah had no need to call the animals to the Ark as they all came under special direction . . .

It was like the Ukrainian school-child who wouldn't give his name to the teacher.

The teacher asked, "Well, how do they call you to dinner?"

The student replied, "They don't - I come by myself without being called."

Alex

Dear Alex,

The Semantron pre-dates the use of bells in church. The idea that the simantron comes from the turkish oppression is not true.

Also, I think some of you are mixed up. As I understand, the simantron is played by someone walking around the church before
the service. This symbolically represents the building of the ark of salvation (the church) and calling Christ's flock inside to safety.

ilya

Actually in Athonite usage there is a distinction between the semantron and the talanton, if we really want to get down to details. The talanton is not hand-held.

These are used to wake the monks before prayer such as the Mesonycticon and before every office in the monastery, and at some monasteries also before the trapeza blessing. St. John Climacus calls the talanton "the spiritual trumpet" in the Ladder.

I have to disagree with its origin from Turkish oppression. I think it may have reached greater importance because of the forbidding of bell ringing by certain Moslem sultans, but the the use of wooden sounding boards for prayer is much more ancient.

The way I understand the mallet patterns are that the monk starts beating the semantron or talantron slowly in groups of three beats, slowly getting faster, calling "Adam, Adam, Adam" with taps, first to things that creep, then things with four legs, and finally man into the "ark of salvation" within the monastery, again symbolic of Noah calling creation into the ark.

I ordered and received "Bells of the Chud Region."
Playing it on this Bright Monday morning is wonderful.
Thank you!