The Coconino weekly sun., 1895-10-31
DiscoRpANT BELL TONES.
An Assertion That Chimes, as Now Given
 Are Never In Tune.

An Assertion That Chimes, as Now Given, | Are Never In Tune.
 We assert. as the result of a pretty
 wide experience, that there is prob-
 ably not single bell in England that
 is really lin tune with itself" and al.
 most certainly not single 'peal" of
 bells that are properly in tune with
 each other. We do not mean to say
 that there are not many peals which
 are in excellent tune as to the most
 important note in each, and their gem
 eral musical effect very pleasing. But | we do assert that the best of these
 might be much better and in the ma
 jority of cases the irregularities we
 com plain of are such as seriously mar
 their musical effect. and such as ought
 to be, and might be, averted by more
 intelligent founding, or, in most cases,
 rectified' by more intelligent tuning
 after founding. This whole matter
 turns on the meaning of the express
 sion lin tune with itself" Most peo-
 pie have an idea that every bell has
 one prominent, unmistakable note | which characterizes it, and as to whose
 pitch no two people with musical ears could differ. And yet we feel sure
 that many have felt difficulty in de-
 termining the note of familiar bell.
 Now, to account for this, we must
 understand what is the true theory" of bell. It would surely be un- reasonable to suppose that the very peculiar form of bell which, with slight notifications, has been pre- served for so many hundreds of years, was adopted without the deliberate purpose of insuring that the various tones and sub-tones of each bell should be in some fixed musical relation to each other. That relation is this: Every true bell should give out, when fairly struck, a fundamental note or ''tonic," its third, fifth and octave above, and its octave be- low, thus sounding the full chord - do. mi, sol, do, with the bass do below. This is the theory which was, we are satisfied, be- fore the minds of the original design CTS of the present form of bell. Almost forgotten Gf ever realized) by many of their successors, it is still recognized by some, and irresistibly forced upon the acceptance of those who, like the present writer, have made a study of the tones of bells as they are.
 Let us dismiss all consideration of thirds and fifths. and confine our at tention to three more important notes -i. e., the tonic, its octave and its oc- tave below. For convenience's sake, let us call the first of these the 'funda- mental" the second, or octave above, the nominal" and the third, or octave below. by the name by which it is known in English foundries, the ''hum-note If, then, a bell corre- sponded to its theory" these three would sound the same note, in three consecutive octaves, and the bell would, so far, be ''in tune with itself" But where shall we find such bell? What. ever the cause may be-whether found. CTS, in ignorance or indifference as to tho importance of having these notes in accord, have CD for convenience of ringing, altered the original propor- tions of bells, or @ to obtain greater | power, put more metal into them-cer- tain it is that it is quite the exception | to find bell which has any two of | these notes in unison, and we have not | yet met with one in which all three ' were in accord. By far the common est state of things is this: The hum note" is almost always the sharpest, and the ''nominal" generally between i the two. Thus, if the nominal of bell | is c, the fundamental will probably be between c and B, in the | octave below. while the hum-note will | probably be between and c sharp in | the octave below that. Pail Mall Mag azine.
 -"Did the captain of the football |