Lord Kayleigh on Bells. 11 



It will be seen that in every case where the test can be 

 applied, it is the fifth tone in order which agrees with the 

 nominal pitch of the bell. The reader will not be more sur- 

 prised at this conclusion than I was, but there seems to be no 

 escape from it. Even apart from estimates of pitch, an ex- 

 amination of the tones of the bells of the Terling peal proves 

 that it is only from the third and fifth tones that a tolerable 

 diatonic scale can be constructed. Observations in the neigh- 

 bourhood of bells do not suggest any special predominance of 

 the fifth tone, but the effect is a good deal modified by 

 distance. 



It has been suggested, I think by Helmholtz, that the aim 

 of the original designers of bells may have been to bring into 

 harmonic relations tones which might otherwise cause a dis- 

 agreeable effect. If this be so, the result cannot be con- 

 sidered very successful. A glance at the Table shows that 

 in almost every case there occur intervals which would 

 usually be counted intolerable, such as the false octave. 

 Terling (5) is the only bell which avoids this false interval 

 between the two first tones ; but the improvement here shown 

 in this respect still leaves much to be desired, when we con- 

 sider the relation of these two tones to the fifth tone, and the 

 nominal pitch of the bell. Upon the assumption that the 

 nominal pitch is governed by that of the fifth tone, I have 

 exhibited in the second part of the above Table the relation- 

 ship in each case of the various tones to this one. 



One of my objects in this investigation having been to find 

 out, if possible, wherein lay the difference between good and 

 bad bells, I was anxious to interpret in accordance with my 

 results the observations of Mr. Haweis, who has given so 

 much attention to the subject. The comparison is, however, 

 not free from difficulty. Mr. Haweis says *" : — " The true 

 Belgian bell when struck a little above the rim gives the 

 dominant note of the bell ; when struck two-thirds up it gives 

 the third ; and near the top the fifth ; and the ' true ' bell is 

 that in which the third and fifth (to leave out a multitude of 

 other partials) are heard in right relative subordination to the 

 dominant note." 



If I am right in respect of the dominant note, the third 

 spoken of by Mr. Haweis must be the minor third (or, rather, 

 major sixth) presented by the tone third in order, which it so 

 happens is nearly the same interval in all cases. The only 

 fifth which occurs is that of the tone fourth in order. Thus, 

 according to Mr. Haweis's views, the best bell in the series 

 would be Terling (1), for which the minor chord of the last 

 * 'Times/ October 29, 1878. 



