Washington Post 4-20-03

Metro Section
Golden Ring Of Tradition	from washingtonpost.com
Carillon, Rope Bells to Sound All Day at Cathedral	Saturday, April 19, 2003; Page B09
By Photos and Text by Sarah L. Voisin

The sound of bells will come from Washington National Cathedral nearly all day tomorrow in a glorious display of carillon music followed by a 3½-hour marathon of rope-pulled bell-ringing.

A familiar sight on Washington's skyline,tThe gothic spires of Washington National Cathedral’s bell tower are seen from the neighboring Bishop's Garden.Sacred hymns are played on the 53-bell carillon throughout the day during special religious holidays, such as Easter and Christmas.

In the morning, between the early service at 8 and main service at 11, carillonneur Edward M. Nassor will play Easter hymns and other sacred music on the 53-bell Kibbey carillon, at 64 tons one of the heaviest carillons in the world.

The carillon consists of stationary bells played through a clavier, or keyboard, located in a small room below the massive bell system. The carilloneur plays melodies by pushing the batons of the clavier and pressing pedals with his feet. A system of wires connects the keyboard to clappers inside the bells. AUDIO (mp3)

	The names of all four cathedral carillonneurs are engraved on a bell tower wall on the floor where the carillon is located.		Cathedral carillonneur Edward M. Nassor enters the room where he plays the Kibbey carillon. He is the cathedral's fourth carillonneur since the carillon was first dedicated in 1963.
	Nassor sits in a small room below the 64-ton carillon, one of the heaviest in the world, during a Saturday afternoon recital.		Through the clavier, the Carillonneur can play the chromatic tuned, stationary bells of the carillon.
	Nassor stands near the carillon, which towers many feet above the small room with the clavier from which it is played.		Since Nassor spends most of his working hours in the bell tower alone, he welcomes the unplanned visit from a group of Cub Scouts.

After the 11 o'clock service, the Washington Ringing Society will attempt a "full peal," in which the 10 peal bells are rung in a mathematical sequence that calls for more than 5,000 variations in the order in which they are played. The process, called change ringing, will continue well into the afternoon, until about 4 p.m.

The peal bells, located above the carillon in the cathedral's central tower, are operated by ringers who pull long ropes attached to circular frames holding the bells, which weigh from 608 to 3,588 pounds. Each ring takes about two seconds, so peal bells are not used to play melodies.

The bells are rung regularly by members of the ringing society and students at National Cathedral School. But only on special occasions such as Easter and Christmas do ringers attempt a full peal. Completing a peal is a major achievement, requiring ringers to work without a break and without written instructions. Instead, they follow memorized patterns and cues from a ringer who also acts as a conductor and works from memory.

If tomorrow's peal is successful, society members Theresa Rice and Meredith Morris will have rung "full circle," meaning they will have participated in successful peals on each of the 10 bells. Only three people have accomplished this feat at the cathedral, and Rice and Morris would be the first women to do so.

The photo gallery below has images of the peal bells. Since many of our visitors to this web do not have JavaScript enabled or modern browsers the automated scripts have been rendered as simple html with click-able images that enlarge.

This audio link has interviews with carillonneur Edward M. Nassor and bell ringer Theresa Rice. You may wish to click the audio link and view the images at the same time. The text accompanying each image is different from the audio.		Washington Ringing Society member Theresa Rice concentrates on ringing her bell in the correct order. Peal bells do not ring tunes, rather each bell rings once in a particular order.
	Steeple keeper Ed Donnen inspects the bells for signs of damage or excessive wear on the top level of the bell tower.	On Easter Day, the group will attempt a "full peal," a difficult series of changes that lasts about three and a half hours without a break.
	National Cathedral School students Tess Veuthey, left, Alex Evans and Maggie Byrne, all 17, are members of the Whitechapel guild.	Washington Ringing Society member Meredith Morris concentrates on ringing her bell.
	Whitechapel guide members Carlen Palau, 17, left, and Tess Veuthey, 17, practice ringing bells.	After a morning of change ringing practice, Tess Veuthey takes a break on the bell tower balcony.
	A view of the Cathedral's tower from Wisconsin Avenue, NW.	Here, steeple keeper Ed Donnen inspects the bells for signs of damage or excessive wear on the top level of the bell tower.

**WTOP Radio News:**
Easter Bells Ring Out at Cathedral Updated: Sunday, Apr. 20, 2003 - 11:31 AM EST. WASHINGTON -- The mighty Washington Cathedral bells are heralding the Christian celebration of the risen Christ. The mix of carillon music and roped-pulled bell ringing continues until 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon. After the 11 a.m. service, the Washington Ringing Society will attempt a "full peal." That's when the peal bells are rung in a mathematical sequence. The process is called change ringing. It will continue until about 4 p.m. The peal bells, operated by ringers who pull long ropes attached to frames holding the bells, are located above the carillon in the cathedral's central tower. (Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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