History of the bell

Bell – a percussion instrument, dome-shaped, inside of which there is a tongue. The sound from the bell comes from the impact of the tongue against the walls of the instrument. There are also bells that do not have a tongue; they are beaten from above with a special hammer or block. The material from which the instrument is made is mainly bronze, but in our time, bells are often made of glass, silver, and even cast iron.The bell is an ancient musical instrument. The first bell appeared in China in the XNUMXrd century BC. It was very small in size, and riveted from iron. A little later, in China, they decided to create an instrument that would contain several dozen bells of various sizes and diameters. Such an instrument was distinguished by its multifaceted sound and colorfulness.

In Europe, an instrument similar to a bell appeared several thousand years later than in China, and was called a carillon. People who lived in those days considered this instrument a symbol of paganism. Largely due to the legend about one old bell located in Germany, which was called “Pig production”. According to legend, a herd of pigs found this bell in a giant pile of mud. People put it in order, hung it on the bell tower, but the bell began to show a certain “pagan essence”, did not make any sounds until it was consecrated by local priests. Centuries passed and in the Orthodox churches of Europe, the bells became a symbol of faith, famous quotations from the Holy Scriptures were beaten out on them.

Bells in Russia

In Russia, the appearance of the first bell occurred at the end of the XNUMXth century, almost simultaneously with the adoption of Christianity. By the middle of the XNUMXth century, people began to cast large bells, as metal smelting factories appeared.

When the bells rang out, people gathered for worship, or at a veche. In Russia, this instrument was made of impressive size, with a very loud and very low sound, the ringing of such a bell was heard over very long distances (an example of this is the “Tsar Bell” made in 1654, which weighed 130 tons and its sound carried more than 7 miles). At the beginning of the 5th century, there were up to 6-2 bells on the Moscow bell towers, each weighing about XNUMX centners, only one bell ringer coped with it.

Russian bells were called “lingual”, as the sound from them came from loosening the tongue. In European instruments, the sound came from loosening the bell itself, or from hitting it with a special hammer. This is a refutation of the fact that church bells came to Russia from Western countries. In addition, this method of impact made it possible to protect the bell from splitting, which allowed people to install bells of impressive size.

Bells in modern Russia

Today, bells are used not only in bell towers, they are considered full-fledged instruments with a certain frequency of sound. In music, they are used in different sizes, the smaller the bell, the higher its sound. Composers use this instrument to emphasize melody. The ringing of small bells was loved to be used in their creations by composers such as Handel and Bach. Over time, a set of small bells was equipped with a special keyboard, which made it easier to use. Such an instrument was used in the opera The Magic Flute.