Bell
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"One sound rose ceaselessly above the noises of busy life and lifted all things unto a sphere of order and serenity: the sound of bells."--The Autumn of the Middle Ages (1919) by Johan Huizinga |
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A bell (old Saxon: bellan, to bawl or bellow) is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped acoustic resonator, which vibrates upon being struck. The striking implement can be a tongue suspended within the bell, known as a clapper, a separate mallet or hammer, or in small bells a small loose sphere enclosed within the body of the bell.
Bells are usually made of cast metal, but small bells can also be made from ceramic or glass. Bells range in size from tiny dress accessories to church bells 5 meters tall, weighing many tons. Historically, bells were associated with religious rituals, and before mass communication were widely used to call communities together for both religious and secular events.
See also
- Bellhop
- Church bell
- Electronic tuners, used to tune bells
- Glockenspiel
- Handbell
- Ship's bell
- John Taylor Bellfounders
- Whitechapel Bell Foundry
- Veronese bellringing art
