The sound of church bells around the world is usually made by machine. But before newspapers, radio, telephones, television and the internet, bell ringing by hand communicated important information within small communities across Europe.
Now, a small school of bell ringers in northeastern Spain wants to recover the art of hand, or manual, bell ringing. The school’s founder and leader, Xavier Pallàs, says there is a whole language of bell ringing to rescue and return to use.
The Vall d'en Bas School of Bell Ringers effort comes two years after the international community recognized the import of manual bell ringing in Spain. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, added the practice to its Humanity's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2022.
A method of messaging for centuries
Pallàs' students have learned how to ring out calls for village celebrations, warnings of bad weather or fire, religious services, and deaths. Pallàs says bells could still "help mark the rituals that we need."
The change to mechanical ringing devices over the past century has flattened the bells' songs and muted their messaging powers, the teacher said. If the bells are played with expertise, he added, the sound can signal a time for celebrating or mourning. The sound can even signal when to run to the aid of a neighbor in need.
"For centuries, the tolling of church bells was our most important communication method," said Pallàs. He spoke inside the belfry that also serves as classroom, in the town of Joanetes.
"Machines cannot reproduce the richness of the sounds that we used to hear, so there has been a simplification and unification of bell ringing. The language has been lost little by little until now, when we are finally recognizing its worth."
Reconnecting with the past
Manual church bell ringing has continued in Eastern Orthodox countries. But most Christian churches in Western Europe today use electronic bell ringing systems.
The students at Vall d'en Bas include women and men from diverse professional backgrounds. One student was in his 20s. Several students were retirees.
All spent the past few months researching bell sequences, documenting their history and learning to play them.
Roser Sauri jumped at the chance to reconnect with her childhood. She worked to recover and play the sequence that had sounded in her grandfather's village to announce his baptism.
"The bells formed a part of my life," said Sauri, who now works in artificial intelligence.
Honoring humans and God
Juan Carles Osuna and two other students recently tolled for the death of a woman. That meant swinging the largest of the bells. It weighs 429 kilograms.
"It's an emotional experience,” Osuna said. “You feel your blood pumping. You feel the strength, and how you are communicating with everyone in earshot.”
He added, "For me it is an honor, it's a way to honor both humans and God."
Dreaming of bell ringers across Spain
Xavier Pallàs says he has a full class lined up for the fall and about 60 more people on an admission wait list. He believes that a recovery of bell ringing in a neighborhood or town's life could help strengthen local communities.
The school leader said, "This is a means of communication that reaches everyone inside a local community and can help it come together at concrete moments."
I’m Caty Weaver.
