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Ringing in the season
The Celebration Ringers from First United Methodist Church kicked off Tahlequah Public Library’s holiday music program Monday.
Area residents who didn’t find the holiday spirit in crowded shopping malls over the weekend discovered a more melodic way to do it Monday.
The Celebration Ringers, members of the handbell choir at First United Methodist Church, kicked off the Tahlequah Public Library’s “Sounds of Christmas” music program at noon, treating attendees to a number of seasonal favorites.
Handbell Choir Director Linda Cheatham fell in love with the harmonic sounds of bells at an early age.
“I’ve been playing in bell choirs since I was 10,” said Cheatham.
“I’ve been the bell choir director at First United Methodist Church for 16 years. I directed my first bell choir as a senior in high school, and have directed other choirs in various places before coming here.”
Cheatham and five others were busy setting up music stands and arranging music on the upper level of the library shortly before noon Monday.
“We brought two octaves of bells with us today,” she said. “We own five, but only brought two to be portable. All of our ringers today, with the exception of one, are regular members of the First Methodist bell choir.”
According to Wikipedia, the first tuned handbells were developed by the Cor brothers in Aldbourne, Wiltshire, England, between 1696 and 1724. Originally, the bells were used by change ringers – bell ringers who marked time – to rehearse outside their towers.
Rather than standing for hours in drafty bell towers, they could sit comfortably indoors while practicing. The sets used by change ringers had the same number of bells as in the towers – generally six or 12, tuned to a diatonic scale.
Margaret Shurcliff brought the first handbells to the U.S. in 1902.
The bells used in American handbell choirs today are almost always English handbells, which refers more to the style of bell than the country of origin. Most handbells used in American choirs are made either by Malmark Bellcraftsmen or by Schulmerich Carillons, both based in Pennsylvania.
“We use English handbells,” said Cheatham. “But they are American-made by Malmark, which has its casting plant in Pennsylvania.”
The two major defining characteristics of English handbells are their clappers and the ability to produce overtones. The clapper on an English handbell moves back and forth in one direction on a hinge, unlike other bells, whose clappers move about the bell in any direction.
Each performer is assigned two bells, and choirs can have as few as six performers. But the more ringers, the richer the harmonies, and the more intricate the music that’s played.
“Each person in our choir is assigned the same bells for each performance,” said Cheatham. “They could trade, but most prefer playing the same bells for consistency.”
Selections for the program included, “O, Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Away In a Manger,” “Joy To the World,” “Go, Tell It On the Mountain,” “Ode to Joy,” “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Midway through the program, Cheatham explained a number of the bell-ringing techniques the choir uses to create certain sounds.
“You’ve heard us use different motions to make different sounds today,” said Cheatham. “One of these is called plucking, which is done by holding the thumb on the back of the bell for a staccato sound. We can also shake them, giving a repetitive ringing sound. Sometimes we have to shake them quite a while, and our arms get tired. We can also toll the bells, which is done by striking them and bringing them down low and then up again.”
Over a dozen library visitors enjoyed the music, including a couple of toddlers who seemed to be mesmerized by the music, and remained silent during each song.
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