The Gift of Bells

By Andrea Appleton
POSTED NOV.1, 2006

Last month, British philanthropist Martin “Dill” Faulkes gave a set of 12 change ringing bells to Trinity Church, a gift worth over a million dollars. At first, it was a bit like receiving some arcane historical apparatus, an astrolabe or a cotton gin. Very few in the church had even heard of change ringing.

“I’m not well-versed in this,” said Trinity’s vicar Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee, “but I’m learning.”

Change ringing bells originated in the Anglican Church in the 17th century, and came to the States in the 18th. Paul Revere was a ringer, and some modern-day ringers claim his familiarity with the tower enabled him to use it for the lantern signals that directed his famous midnight ride.

Unlike chime bells, change bells produce a “song” that is not so much melodic as mathematical. They begin upside down and swing a full 360 degrees when rung, each by their own ringer. Conventional melody is impossible because it takes too long to complete a revolution. Instead, the team follows a set of rules that form a series of mathematical patterns called “changes.”

The more bells, the more permutations are possible. Trinity’s is the only set of 12 in the United States, capable of over 475 million permutations.

The bells’ clear clarion tones chase each other up and down the scales. But unlike a conventional scale, the tones change places, waltzing with one partner, then spinning off to join another. The sound is mesmerizing and complex, teetering on the edge of cacophony. (To hear an example of 12 bell change ringing from Appleton, England, courtesy of British bell ringer Michael Wilby, click here.)

 

Faulkes, 62, has been a change ringer at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London for more than 40 years. “When I was little, my mother made me go to church,” he said. “And I started to notice that the guys at the back were having a lot more fun than me.”

Bell ringing may be fun, but it also requires considerable concentration. The ringer has to pay attention to his shifting role in the chosen pattern, watch the ringer he is following and listen for occasional commands from the “ringing master.”

Ringers stand facing each other in a circle, pulling rhythmically on ropes that hang through holes in the ceiling above, often silently counting to themselves.

A former mathematician, Faulkes came to Wall Street in 1979 and made his fortune in software companies. An inscription on the largest bell (which weighs over 2,700 pounds) reads: “This ring of bells donated by Dr. Martin G. Faulkes to thank Manhattan for introducing him to capitalism and philanthropy.”

Faulkes claims that the United States has a stronger philanthropic tradition than his native country.

“You make it here and then you give it away,” he said. “So that’s what I’m doing.”

Part of Faulkes’ donation went to revamping Trinity’s tower.


New floors were installed for the bells as well as for the ringers, who control the bells from the floor below. Taylor Foundry in England, which has been casting bells since the Middle Ages, made the bells. An expert bell-installer even came along to see the project through. But before they were squirreled away in the tower, the bells had to be blessed.

“It’s a day to celebrate bells,” said the Rev. Dr. James Cooper at the blessing on Oct. 8. “Iconic sonic booms echoing through the corridors of commerce.” A solemn line of choir and clergy, some swinging smoke-filled censers, proceeded past the bells.

No matter how holy or high-quality, a ring of change bells is nothing without its ringers. Trinity’s will be recruited from the congregation and the community.

It typically takes several months to learn the basics of ringing, though it can take a lifetime to learn more complicated patterns. (To inquire about training, send an e-mail to: learntoring@trinitywallstreet.org.)

Aspiring ringers will first be trained on a “dumb bell,” a laptop attached to a rope and wheel apparatus that will simulate the sound of the bells. During the second stage of the training, trainees will ring the change bells themselves, but tower doors will be baffled to mute the sound.

“It’s kind of like someone learning how to play the violin,” said Rev. Canon Mallonee. “You really might be glad he’s learning but you maybe don’t want to listen to it.”

Eventually, when the Trinity Ringers are ready, the sound of change bells will regularly ring out from the tower. In the meantime, a group of experienced ringers from England, including Faulkes, climbed the winding stone staircase last month to initiate the bells. They played a “full peal,” a series of more than 5,000 changes without a break or repetition, on Oct. 28. The “composition” was called “Stedman Cinques,” and lasted for more than three hours.

According to the North American Guild of Change Ringers, there are currently about 40 sets of change ringing bells in the United States, and about 400 active ringers. Those who practice bell ringing often refer to it as “the ultimate sport,” requiring both physical and mental stamina.

 

“It’s total self-reliance, total self-control, total self-discipline, total letting self become part of the team,” said Tony Furnivall, the change ringer in charge of putting together Trinity’s team. “In terms of life lessons, this is an unbelievable thing.”