Us and Them (2b)

In the last art icle , I talked about news coverage and tower visits. This time I will discuss ‘going to them’ and talking about ringing.

Giving talks avoids the physical constraints of the tower. You need to do some preparation, both thinking about what to say and obtaining props (a bell rope and a model bell are good) and pictures. You can supplement your own pictures from various sources, including the material on the Central Council website at: http://cccbr.org.uk/services/pr/pubs/bellsandbellringing/  . Include some recordings as well. You need to be flexible in your talk – I’ve been asked to do everything from a 20 minute after dinner speech to a whole evening illustrated lecture, and most levels in between. Adapt what you say to your audience – an assembly talk to a primary school needs to be very different from a lecture to a civic society.

You may be able to latch onto someone else’s event or activity, for example you could run a ringers’ stall at a local fair or church fete. Even one of the ‘standard’ stalls like a lucky dip, can help to make your presence known, and if you include some sort of poster or some pictures about ringing, or maybe a model tower or bell, then you can inform the public as well. And of course, you can talk to people. Ask them how much they know about ringing. Ask them what they think ringers look like. Ask them if they have ever thought about learning to ring. Invite them to come and see you ring. A good recent example of latching onto someone else’s activity was when ‘Teddy Edward’ had a tour up Twyford tower recorded on video for the children. He is a small teddy bear, who likes to find out about different aspects of church life.

I’d like to end with some thoughts about the message that we want to put over. Someone once said that everything is split into three parts, like Gaul. I can’t remember who it was, and I’m not a good enough historian to know whether Gaul really was split into three, but I find it is often true. There are three specific threads of interest we can develop: bells, ringing and bellringers. (I deliberately included all three in the subtitle of my book Living Heritage, which I wrote about in the Autumn Newsletter). Each of the three is special in its own way, and together they provide a richer picture. Let us remind ourselves of a few of the things that make each strand special.

Bells – The moving parts weigh several cwt, or even tons – no other other musical instrument comes near that. The bells swing full circle, which is amazing, and they are controlled by a rope from below to a precision of a tiny fraction of a second, which is even more amazing. The way bells are made is unique, and seeing them cast is spectacular. The sound of a bell is more complex than most musical instruments – and what the ear perceives is not always what you might expect – yet the shape that determines the sound evolved largely by trial and error.

Ringing – English-style sequential ringing co-evolved with the unique way of hanging bells to swing full circle, which makes such ringing possible – because the timing can be accurately controlled. The mechanics constrain change ringing by only permitting bells to move one place per change, but that constraint provides a subtle balance between randomness and predictability, which makes the music coherent and attractive to the ear. Change ringing has strong mathematical underpinnings, more so than most other music, and the quest of ringing composers to maximise the music while adhering to the requirement for ‘truth’ is still advancing, aided by computers. Method names seem to fascinate people, and they come in families, a bit like plant names.

Bellringers – Active ringers range from childhood to well past retirement – something matched by few other activities. Ringers come from all walks of life, with some of the most gifted having had relatively humble lives outside ringing. Ringers excel through skill and technique, not by brute force – on most bells strength is not even an issue. Ringers achieve performances that would be unthinkable for conventional musicians, like three hours of continuous ‘playing’ with no musical score. The Exercise is like a huge extended family – walk into almost any tower in the world, and you will be invited to ring with them.

As I said in the previous article , we have a fascinating story to tell. We just have to get out there and tell it. Non ringers really do find it fascinating when they know what is involved. In my next article I will discuss recruiting.

 John Harrison, May 2010

Previous article  Next article

Article //due to be// printed in the Autumn 2010 Sonning Deanery Branch Newsletter,