Bell Ringing

Among the novelties contimially crowding on public attenlion here, we have had, fur a week past, "The Campanolog-ians, or Swiss Bell Ringers." Asyounre to have (hem in Boston this week, it may be agreeable to know someteing of them. Their big-soundiog tille was mnnufnctured from campunology, a marringe of Latin and Greek, to signify, in plain English, the art. of Bell Ringing. Btit if tho Latin word compañía be derived, as s said from the Bishop of Gampania who first introducedchuTc.h b?!;s, the term Cnmpanolo' is hardly appropriate to (he arts of ringing these hand-bells, which the Romans would lj-ivc called Tirrtinnabuln. Tintinnaboligians wonid be a bigger word, though not quite so dignifiod or picasant in sound. The peí formalice of belNrincrers is rcally very wondcrful, ond well worf.h hearing, as an exhibition of mechanica! skil] and accuracy of ear. When they iirst played at Niblo'p, I closely watched the effect on the orchestra, who are consitiered asskilful a bsnd of mu.sicians as any in the country. They were visibly delighted with the perfect précis ion of the performance. Yet ihe Campa nologians p'ay n„t merely simple carillons, but (iborutc :ind difncult nitisic; Ihe overture to Fra Diavolo, for instance. If this were done by slñking Ihö bcll.-=, it uould be lesr, surprifing; btitto ring furfy-two bells with such rapidity and percision, ' i? cerlainly a marvelloud exploit. Ko wonder they are obhged to rehearse five hours a da.y to accomplitsh it. The sound of thrir combincd bells is 'ike a aowerful music box,G.tremely i:v'ect,liquid and melodious. A seat ata 1 i : Lio distarice is inore agreeable than one very near; not only be cause the metallic sound is soft ened, bnt bocause the performers themsclvcs "appenr too inucli like machines, wlien viewed closely. - A writer in ene of our papers jsting]y undertook to próve that they were autómata, and certuinlyjf one ot M.ie'zel's ijguics thould be placed ninong them, in the sajjie dress, it would not be so very ensy to detoct the couuterfeit. This mechanical look and allituce is the nevitiable res-ult of a long protracied hnbit of lisiening intently, in order to play eacli particular note in the right place. lt ecarcely adtnits of letting the mupic go deeper mto (lieif áouls than the car. ]fl were giüed wilh the oower to utter the müsic that strugglc.s forever within me, . I could not submit to such re■trnino1 to tlic Uiodo of utteraucu. I tlioulc] FèalJ all the bells in despendió. Foor of these men began to praclise their difficult artseven jëars aro. At first lliey used but scven bells, but gradually increascd the mimber to tweoty-six. Their company now consists of seven, and nse forty-two belis, varying in size from a largo cow bell to thé smallest d:nner-be'l. Tiiey had Ihese bel's nianufactured.for them, and cnrofully attunedby sera pui" the metal. It too!; months of patiënt practico to fUtune thom lo a perfect concert pilch. The clappers are upoi} a spring. A piece oflentlier goes t'hroügíj the ball of the rongue; (he leaiher strikes the bell, and renders the tones more soft and sweet. Tliey place the foro finger arui tluimb iinüi) the sides of the bell, and thus ob'tnin' n steody holtl, while they prevent disturbing vibra üons. The ltuvest bell is Ue low.est C of the treblc clef, and they run up three octavps and one-fourtb, wilh all the.. semitpn.es. Four of them play the ai?-; three play a harniouy lij the lmve st octave of fbe bolls, similar to a guitar accompni]iment to a song. Thr-y trill notes bcautifnüy. Eveiy piece of music is necessarily arrahged for thetn. Their instructor plays t fur them on the piano a bar ut a time, as if he were teaching musical spelling. Being ujiuble to read music, they learn it akogether by the. enr. But nature and ai t have .made theiu so perfect n, this matter, tiiat one of ihcm cannot a falso no} e, without lts insta nlly deieclcd by all We olhersi So correct are their tontrs tliul a piano can lic attuncd by them. Their n;:wory, too. is wonderful. Any onc of them eantoll instan t3neoiisly all the notes that nrc to bc played for ten bars aliend. 'l'hoir bella have tobe chenged freqacntly, oftcn with ns miich rapidity as printers take up their types. Sometimes a bell lha,t is ut one end of ihé .table is needed at the other extremity; but they never forget to pass it along n season. Their skill and exactóess eeetn almost equal, to the chimers of Cambridge in Engl.ind, who rang a peal of 6,600 changes with sucli rpgularity and harmony that in each-" thousand changes the timedid not vary one-sixteenth of a minute, nnd the compa'ss of the Jast thuusano was exactly cqual to the first.