Aquileia – Bell-Ringing in the Bell Tower
- Written by Portal Editor
Aquileia – Here, in the mighty bell tower of Aquileia standing a proud 74 meters tall we were to witness an impressive musical performance: a bell-ringing display presented by young people.
After climbing the external staircase, one reaches a platform that offers a view of the Roman floor mosaic, measuring approximately 7 by 3 meters.
The three massive bronze bells hung silently side by side; at that moment, we had no idea what was about to happen. The sight of ear protectors signalled that the time for ringing had arrived.
The ropes they had brought were hooked into the loop of the cantilever arm, wrapped around the clapper, and then looped back over the cantilever arm.
Using their full strength and body weight, they set the bells in motion. Initially, the clapper was lashed to the rope so that it did not touch the body of the bell.
At a signal from the choir director, the loops on the cantilever arm were released, allowing the clapper to swing freely in the direction of the bell's movement. When the bell swung back in the opposite direction, the first note was struck, as the clapper’s momentum carried it the other way.
The bells swung faster and faster, causing the clappers to move back and forth accordingly, striking both sides of the bell. We could only imagine the amount of practice required to make the three bells ring in unison.
The view was impressive, too. Such a massive, monstrous bell is certainly impressive quite apart from the fact that the swinging motion transfers an immense amount of energy to the supporting structure.
The younger participants took a more measured approach. The clappers were secured in a special mount, so that pulling a chain produced a bell strike. Even this was physically demanding, however, as the weight of the clapper had to be moved.
The professional whose name we unfortunately could not discover then demonstrated a striking performance in Aquileia on two bells that was truly remarkable. It was full of rhythm and powerful in tone simply fascinating. A special experience. See also the article: "Aquileia – Young People Playing the Bells."
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