Church Bells - update

Oh lovely, that’s exactly like the Flanders ones.

1 Like

Aww made me think of our first home, in the Aude, we also lived next to the church. I loved it and as you say you get to not even notice. However your brain does, I even stopped wearing a watch all the time as I just knew what time it was. :heart:

Pre mobile addiction obviously! I now never wear a watch;!

Careful - UK bell ringers like to be called bell ringers, not sure whether “campanologists” is actually frowned upon but it is definitely not the preferred term.

Véro is right - French and English bells are hung differently which means you can’t do change-ringing on French church bells.

1 Like

That is the one thing I really do miss about my previous Breton home, the bells ringing for the angelus, every hour and half hour and the evening toll right upto the last lot at 22h. I lived 100m from the church so it became part of my life and used to open it up during the summer for the visitors. There at three bells which are routinely inspected and the whole thing is controlled electronically from inside the little room where they keep the incense and other religious stuff but ocassionally it has gone wrong and we have had joyous peels ring out at funerals and other sombre times but the thing that struck me the most on our first visit was the four different peals for funerals that signalled everyone to come and pay their respects. There is still a little cottage in the village where the original bell ringer used to live pre-electric and I was also told the evening call to prayer was also the signal for the workers out in the fields to down tools for the day as well.

2 Likes

Yes.
Andre Rieu features Frank Steijns playing the Carillion at Maastricht a few years ago.
When they toured and visited Toulouse they had a keyboard and bell tower on stage. It was an amazing replication,
Sad they no longer visit Toulouse.

1 Like

We also have an unprogrammed ringing of the bells, if there is something special being celebrated/mourned all across France… a National happening which needs marking.

1 Like

this is one of my favourites… the battle/ duet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0nucpppFkI&t=86s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYhux-Gn6bY

their enthusiasm and the audience’s reaction… marvellous

1 Like

I’m surprised no-one’s mentioned I Just Called To Say I Love You (Bienvenue chez les Ch'this) - YouTube

Ours is a recording as well as 3 other churches in the vicinity which we hear when the weather is in the right direction. Fortunately, only two, those closest to us, are usually ringing at the same time but a heartbeat apart so we get a ding closely followed by a dong. so to speak. The noisiest time is 12.00 noon as we get 24 chimes followed by two Angelus callings but as others have said, you get used to it. It’s all very French but the English bells on our local church in the UK is one of the things that we miss, especially on Tuesday nights when it was bellringing practice. It was so nice in the summer to sit on the patio with a glass of wine and listen to the melodic outpourings of the church tower.

3 Likes

Well, this will certainly give me something to chat about, when we have our next reunion…
as far as I’m aware there are no recordings around here, but quite possibly there are recordings further afield…
As I say… I’ll ask the gang…

When our bells are ringing… the sound certainly bounces off the buildings so that those living (and/or walking) on the East side of the tower, hear a double effect, just a heartbeat apart…
We live right beside the tower on the west side but have no echo… thus only hear the one set… and that’s quite enough.

and come Angelus time… it sounds a very strange noise… hearing the motor cranking itself up, so it can let rip . First, three solemn strikes with the clapper on Bell 1 and then the motor clicks into action and they all swing like mad… great stuff.

1 Like

We were in St Victor (24) for Lunch today and got there just before midday. To our surprise the bells were ringing at midday and they were real - our friends who joined us informed us that the bell ringers had long gone but after the church was restored (and the bell tower was now safe) the village had put in automation to effectively pull the ropes to make them ring - so nice to hear them

4 Likes

That’s what is in our area too… clever mechanics have displaced the old-style bell ringers…

Today’s “bell-ringer” is someone who knows how to work the electronic wizardry, although the Angelus and time-keeping is pre-set and automatically happens when due.

There is a plastified “fool’s guide”, carefully placed by the eletronic keyboard on the wall of our sacristy… so if the official bell-ringer is absent, anyone who needs to… can actually ring whichever bells are appropriate…

EDIT: In 2018 France won the FIFA World Cup and our Maire suggested we ring the bells to celebrate… no sooner said than done… :+1: :+1:

1 Like

No idea if Quimper ever got their bells working, but seems they played recordings via a computer and loud-speakers, while renovation/restoration was ongoing.

image

Fascinating link (well I think it is…) allows one to find every belltower in France…
with photos supplied…

https://clochers.org/Fichiers_HTML/Accueil/Generaux/accueil_clochers.htm

and wiki… gives an amazing list (although not exhaustive) … something to work through on a rainy day… (if ever rain falls…)

and I’ve discovered that Brantôme (North Dordogne) has silenced its bells, awaiting important remedial work… does anyone live near there, who can tell us more ??

the village bell rings at 7am, midday and 7pm plus special occasions, as others is electrically operated. When i was a child we lived opposite a church which struck the hours and half hour. The bellringers rang the chimes often, but also had a rota of volunteers who would ring the curfew bell at 8pm every evening. Sadly I think that is electrified now.

1 Like

Had to laugh at this… bells ringing gently ten times … at 10pm… then kept clanging for more than an hour … :rofl: :rofl: until the neighbours complained… :wink: :roll_eyes:

I can imagine everyone in bed with their hands over their ears saying, no, make it stop!

1 Like

A bit like this perhaps?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-9h1pjTP74&ab_channel=whiteray1

3 Likes