The humming note of church bells
An article from Tring Bell Tower by Johanna Morgan about the deep humming note of church bells, Great Paul at St Paul’s Cathedral, and the sound of bells rung muffled for remembrance and funerals.
The bell with the deepest sounding note in the U.K. is Great Paul at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. It was cast in 1881 and its note is E-flat. It weighs 16.75 imperial tons and is the largest bell in the U.K. in current use, and is the largest that is hung for ringing. It makes a low, deep humming tone when rung.
All church bells make a humming note when they are rung. The sound is complex; made up of several different notes, known as partial tones or harmonics and the hum note is the lowest of these. When a bell is struck the initial strong sound you hear is the ‘strike note’ [an aural perception linked to higher partials]. As this initial sound fades the lower frequency vibrations linger and decay more slowly, which is perceived by the human ear as a sustained, deep and beautiful humming sound.
Bell founders and tuners carefully tune these partial tones, including the hum-note, prime, tierce, quint and nominal, so that they are in harmony with one another, producing a rich pleasant tone.
When bells are rung muffled for Remembrance Day or a funeral, the echoing hum note becomes more prominent, giving the ringing its distinctive, solemn sound.
Johanna Morgan
Tring Bell Tower
