Insights

Have you ever gazed up at a bell tower, the sunlight glistening off the stone façade as the tintinnabulation of bells resounds overhead, and wondered: What are those spikey things? If you are scrupulous in your observations, you might see rows of stainless steel spikes or needles poking up along ledges, window sills, roof lines, and parapets. What are these spikes for?

The art of bell casting is centuries old, but foundries today follow a similar process to bellmakers a thousand years ago. The size and shape of a bell is planned, a pattern is created, further styling and embellishments are designed, a mold is created and set into a sand pit, and then the bell is cast. See more on how a bell is made. 

The bourdon bell is the heaviest bell within a carillon or chime. Consequently, it sounds the lowest tone or note of the instrument. Similarly, within a ring of peal bells, the heaviest bell is called the tenor.

Bourdon bells may serve many functions within the bell tower. Not only do bourdons lend their sonorous, bellowing tones to a musical repertoire, they also frequently sound the hour. When you count “one, two, three…” to tally the strikes that denote the hour, you are likely hearing the bourdon bell.

The National Bell Festival has been thrilled to collaborate with the congregation of Georgetown Lutheran Church and the historic bell restoration specialists at B.A. Sunderlin Bellfoundry to bring new life to a rusty old bell. For decades, the bell has sat behind a few crumpled boxes, lauded for its history, but neglected in its care. 

When in the course of bell restoration, it becomes necessary for one bell to dissolve the bands which have connected it to the foundry, and to assume among the bells of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle it, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that it should declare the causes which impel it to the restoration. 

We had some very special help this New Year’s Day during our bicentennial tribute to Harriet Tubman at the Military Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. We were joined by seven incredible women Veterans representing the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines. Each impeccably credentialed, together they represent decades of selfless service and sacrifice to our nation. We were humbled by their warm and generous participation in our program.

Ernestine “Tina” Martin Wyatt is a mother, grandmother, educator, nurse, artist…and great-great-great-grandniece of Harriet Tubman. Connected through her great-great-grandmother, Ann Marie Stewart (the daughter of Ms. Tubman’s sister Soph), Ms. Wyatt has become a champion for the legacy of her forebear. She has spearheaded Harriet Tubman Day in Washington, D.C., to preserve the memory and study of the abolitionist, while also campaigning for the inclusion of Ms. Tubman’s portrait on the twenty-dollar bill.
 

James Bond is back in the newly-released film, “No Time to Die” (2021), which packs all the punch of a classic 007 flick: flashy cars, sultry lovers, maniacal villains, and non-stop action. Daniel Craig reprises the role for his fifth and final turn in the tuxedo and we simply loved the more romantic and emotional nuance to the character. But this isn’t a critical movie review. We’re here to answer the burning question on everyone’s minds: What about those bells?

Where do you go to hear bells ring? If you’re at Washington National Cathedral, the walled Bishop’s Garden is the best place to experience the tintinnabulation. That’s where we found ourselves last Sunday morning, amiably wandering among the roses, boxwood, and splashes of seasonal color, when we met Mark Fitzpatrick. At the National Bell Festival, we’ll find any excuse to talk about bells, so with ringing cascading down from overhead, we invited Mark into the tower to see the bells up close.

Today, a shout rises from the Plaza de la Constitución (commonly called the Zócalo), beneath the balcony of the National Palace in México City. ¡Viva México! Over half a million spectators join in the cry. It is the start of México’s independence celebrations and, like any good event, it features the ringing of a bell.