Yorkshire Surprise Sixteen at St Martin in the Bullring

I went to Birmingham the other Sunday and got off the bus to hear the bells just happened to be ringing! Here is part of a peal of Yorkshire on the sicteen bells of St Martin in the Bullring in Birmingham. It was a peal by the Lancashire Association, 5314 changes in 3 hours and 58 minutes. The video shows some of the buildings local to St Martins which are part of the Bullring complex, including the intruiguing shiny Selfridges building! The sound of the bells echoes around the long curved building of Borders directly opposite and produces some odd acousitc effects, like the bells suddenly becoming loud when one stands in a certain spot.

Campanophile entry
http://www.campanophile.co.uk/view.aspx?95651

Bullring bells
http://www.5040.co.uk/ringing/birmingham/st-martin

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• st
• martins
• in
• the
• bullring
• birmingham
• bell
• bells
• bellringing
• belfry
• church
• chapel
• cathedral
• campane
• campanology
• tower
• turret
• changeringing
• change
• ringing
• steeple
• spire
• cloche
• turm
• dom
• kirche

[dtr748]

For proper tunes, nothing beats a carillion, even a small one. Change ringing should be restricted to 8 bells. Even 10 is too many. Any more is bull.

[irkibby]

@dtr748 Interesting.Can we infer from your statement you think that change ringing is attempting to imitate "proper tunes"?

I have been to carillon recitals. Overall they are enjoyable playthings but the Dutch can keep the bloody things.

As for your assertions about the numbers of bells for change ringing, there are only three potential reasons:

a) you have never heard a good touch of Stedman Caters or Cinques

b) you have no ears

c) you have some sort of mental deficiency.

[topshed34a]

Very hard to hear the front bells but lovely sounding tenor

[irkibby]

@topshed34a The tenor is a superb bell.

[timmeh1507]

I have never rung on 16 but so far nothing has ever convinced me that it sounds anything other than awful! 2 octaves + 1 makes absolutely no sense musically. Would like to try it sometime and might change my mind, who knows, but really it's 4 bells too many!

[irkibby]

@timmeh1507

fifteen would make more sense. But there aren't fifteen, i think mainly because of the protocol of not having odd numbered rings of bells Over 5)

[dtr748]

Good heavens, that's a bit extreme. I only said I enjoyed a carillion when I was young. Now I am ancient I can enjoy both. And no I have never heard Stedman Cinques nor Caters. There are such a lot of things to do. I cannot fit them all in. I thought carillions were popular in Belguim,not Holland, but I could be wrong. But thanks for the feedback.

[topshed34a]

@irkibby

I think probably 16 bells is a bit over the top, more an excersise in technique than sound. I think probably 10 bells are the perfect balance, more fuller sounding than 8 but not as cluttered as 12

However how nice to hear some lovely Whitechapel bells, and yes I do have a bias because of my father being a bell hanger there in the 50 60s and part of the 70s

I think it simply lovely to hear nice bells and my vote for the best in the world is Yorkminster a wonderful Taylors peal.

[simonbellringer]

@irkibby Ive rung 14 at Winchester, somewhat interesting, wouldnt want to do changes, let alone Yorkshire 14!!

[Whittingtons]

@timmeh1507 I quite like the idea of 16 in theory.

To me, 16 on abel sounds great.

Its just that that Brum and Dublin aren't very good 16s (I understand Perth are supposed to be good).

I don't like 14 though!