1879.] 



Belh. 



105 



that the Westminster quarters arc out of tunc, but apparently it does, 

 so I will be that prophet. It is astonishing what musical people 

 will say when they are put to it, to what extraordinary opinions they 

 will commit themselves about bells being in tune ; and the only 

 conclusion one can come to is, that they have never considered bells 

 as musical notes at all, and therefore they do not expect much from 

 them, and if they get little they are satisfied. . . . What does Mr. 

 Turle, the organist of Westminster Abbey, say about them ? No one 

 doubts the ability of Mr. Turle. Well, he says, " I think they are 

 pretty right!" And what does Dr. Pole say? He says he finds they 

 " are not much amiss." And then, when you come to press Mr. 

 Turle, he says that the fourth bell is flat, and when you come to press 

 Dr. Pole, he says the first bell is sharp. Now what do you suppose 

 is the musical value of four bells, the first of which is sharp and the 

 fourth flat ? Why, nothing at all. 



The story of the Cambridge chimes, as given by Mr. Raven, the 

 progression adojDted at Westminster, and so popular throughout 

 England, is interesting. In 1793 it was determined to have new 

 chimes at St. Mary's at Cambridge. Crotch (afterwards Dr. Crotch), 

 then the pupil of Dr. Randal, was consulted by a certain Dr. Jowett, 

 one of the professors. Crotch was at that time a very clever choir- 

 boy, and suggested the progressions to be chosen for the Cambridge 

 chimes. He took a bar in Handel, which he thought would make a 

 good chime. It is the fifth bar in the prelude to " I know that my 

 Redeemer liveth," and out of that fifth bar came the remaining 

 quarters, half-hour, and hour. 



First quarter. 



Second^quarter, 



:t=±=-- 



I 



Third quarter. 



:^=^ 



:t=t: 



Fourth quarter. 



Hour. 



-^^^^m 



III. 



Before proceeding to speak of the making of hells, I must offer you 

 some rudimentary remarks on the nature of sound. What is the 

 difference between noise and a musical sound ? Roughly speaking, 

 noise is varying and unsteady ; sound is steady, constant, one note 

 yielding equal numbers of vibrations in an equal time. Musical 

 sound is produced by alternate air-pulses of condensation and rare- 



VoL. IX. (No. 71.) I 



