Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-06-17

washington, June 1.-THE music
of tho bells 10 gaining favor In this
country. Another church In this city
has Just Installed a chime OF bells. and
Washington for blocks around leans
out OF its windows or stands on the |
street every evening listening TO the
concerts.
Under favorable conditions. that is
on a clear day with traf1c at mini
mum, the bells can be heard for three |
miles, 80 that people who are not |
radio fans get music regularly from |
the air anyway.
The distinctive feature OF this now |
chino Is that It can play Tho Star |
Spangled Banner" a feat which only |
three other sets OF chimes In the coun-
try can equal. Patriotic Ameri-
cans who have recklessIy tried TO re-
produce this piece with their vocal
chords will remember that the patriotic
air runs the gamut OF the best part
OF two octaves. Most sets OF chimes
have about IL bells. This set was to
have IA, including several half tones.
but n fifteenth bell wss added ex-
pressly so that the unoflcial national
lHntnem might DE pfByeo.
The new chimes belong to the church
Of the Epiphany. and are a memorial
to the late rector. DR.. Randolph Nc
Kim. AZ the church is the center OF
Washington's downtown shopping dis
trict the music OF the chimes reaches
large audiences. especially when pro-
grams are given at noon.
Such music is rather a novelty for
most American cities. A good many
churches that have a peal Of bells
rarely play them, and still more rare
ly give programs OF any length.
Few people who hear the tunes play
ed by the Epiphany chimes have any
Idea of how the bells are rung. Some
wonder whether the ringer pulls on
a series Of ropes. or whether he goes
: from one bell to another striking each
with a hammer. somewhat as an
Yylophone player strikes his notes
Considering that the largest Of these
= bells weighs more than two tons and
; Is five feet in diameter, and some Of the
others are very little smaller, these
methods would be obviously irnpracti-
cable. No player. however agile,
could play a tune by leaping from bell
to bell, sounding each with the proper
stroke.
How Chimes Are Played.
Instead. the bells are played from
y an instrument very much Ike an
: organ console. This instrument IA
. near tho top OF the bell tower. To
!. reach It the player climbs the tower
q by ladders fastened 70 the walls.
e The console is the only article Of
e furniture in the little tower room, for
o the bell ringer wants nothing 20 dig
II tract him. He must concentrate en-
tirely on tho business Of getting clear
tones from the bells. The chime player
d OF Epiphany says that when he 4.
:. playing he cannot have anyone elst
l. In the tower with him. No matte,
- how quiet a companion might be, the
70 player would be conscious Of anothe,
B" presence and at a moment when hi,
&c attention was divided he might strike
, the wrong bell.
'e And II you do that" the PLAYER
added, 1T is certainly sounding you,
is mistake from the housetops." Their,
or Is nothing, he explained, to cover III
7! the false note; no harmony Of sounc
VI. as on the piano. The melody Is carrie,
or by the bells, one note at a time as OF
III violin or horn, except that tn,
significance OF each note Is even. NOR
o. striking IN bell music. In a chin
ed rendition the reverberating, clear GU
". tones Of the bells make every not
n OF the piece stand out in pitiless re
re lief-pitiless that is, Il you make
mistake.
lis The bells are struck by an elaborat
an arrangement. The wooden console ma
\. a row OF levers. one for each bel
at These levers are attached 10 a row c
nj leather-covered wooden rods whic
on rise above the console and are in tur
connected with the bell clappers (
=. the story above by a system Of chain
~ running over pulleys.
To strike a bell the player presse
- the proper lever down firmly abou
Me eight or ten inches. Producing hi
-, sort OF music is good exercise as II re
a. quires steady use OF the arm muscle
ho and incidentally of a good many othe
muscles in the body. However. cor
siderIns that six OF the fifteen bel
- weigh more than 1900 pounds, Ii
exertion required 10 ring them by III
~e levers Is slight.
The bells in the story above n
console are arranged in a square
- two tiers. With the network OF chair
- they fill the entire loft. They are I
50 heavy that the church tower had
be considerably strengthened to no
them safely. The whole set weigl
1880 pounds.
Is The largest of these bells weisl
D. 1890 pounds and from this, the lowe
no note in the scale the bells grade {
iFE higher until the bell with the hishe
oF' note weighs only 225 pounds. This
nc net record breaking light weig
'ne for musical bell. In a four octa'
-, carlton, such as may be heard
Belgium. the highest toned bell som
My ,o,,,aa
the
Long Popular in Europe.
me Though bells are coming into pop
w larity IN this country. for war m
'e'' MORALS and in church steeples, chin
0iii and chime players have not yet be
given the recognition here IN
ieu Europe has accorded them. For mo
al than four centuries the bells have he
L. a hfab n,aca l.. a. ,,g. =. 60,