The ringing of bells sounds at certain moments of church services to express joy, sadness and the triumph of the Orthodox faith. He announces the beginning of the service and invites believers to the temple.
“Since ancient times, in order to gather people for prayer, some instruments were used that could produce a strong sound. The church, according to plan, was called upon to gather the people of the whole city. At the beginning of the emergence of Christianity, there were persecutions against believers; they gathered secretly and could not give any signals that they were going to pray. And then, when Christianity became the state religion, then, in order to call the people to prayer, a bell appeared, which improved over time, and the skill of casting bells appeared. They say that in Zvenigorod there was a bell that could be heard many, many miles around. The selection of bells there was characterized as a crimson ringing with a strong and melodic sound. So the bell is designed to call a large number of people to church prayer, since church services should be conciliar, that is, universal. The bell calls on all people to come and give praise to God all together in the temple of God,” says priest Alexander Ilyashenko .
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What is the sound of a bell?
According to the chronicles, in Rus' there was a unique method of ringing. Russian bells produced sound not by swinging the bell itself along with the tongue, but by striking a movable tongue into a stationary bell. This distinctive feature gives Russian church bells a special sound. In addition to the manner of swinging, a certain number of bells gives a characteristic ringing in Orthodox churches. It has long been the custom to supply each bell tower with a set of bells from the smallest to the largest sizes. And among the requirements of bell ringing, in addition to striking one bell, there were also chime and trezvon, which are only possible with bells of different sizes, weights and sounds.
By the characteristic ringing, you can understand what is happening in the church and what event of church life is celebrated on a specific day of the church calendar. There are several types of ringing:
Blagovest - single strikes on a large bell. Such a ringing announces the beginning of the divine service or notifies the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist at the Liturgy and the reading of the Gospel in other services. Such a ringing can sound either independently or as part of other ringings. The bigger the holiday, the longer, louder and more often the gospel message.
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Trezvon - several bells ringing simultaneously. Such a ringing expresses joy and triumph and is performed after the gospel before the service or sounds separately before the start of ceremonial services. All groups of bells participate in it (large - bells, medium - bells and small - bells).
Chime - alternating strikes consisting of a chime and a trezvon. The chime is performed before the blessing of water on temple holidays and when the Cross is immersed in water during the blessing of water. During the chime, they first strike the large bell, then another smaller one until the smallest one, once each, then strike it in the same order.
Bust - one blow on each bell from small to large.
It is performed in the opposite order than the chime, first slowly striking once each bell from the smallest to the largest, and after that striking all the bells simultaneously. Such a ringing expresses grief; it is performed during the funeral service of the deceased.
Why do bells ring?
Since time immemorial, the ringing of bells has evoked a variety of feelings in people: delight, tenderness, joy, anxiety and even fear.
The ringing of church bells is sung by poets, and musicians compose their songs about it. During the Great Patriotic War, the ringing of bells was alarming and menacing, calling on people to gather strength and repel the fascist invaders. In this case, the people said: “they are ringing the alarm.” In the church it is customary to ring the bells three times : for matins, for mass, and also for evening services.
The history of bells dates back to the Bronze Age. The most ancient ancestors of the bell - the bell and bell - were discovered by scientists in the everyday life of many peoples : Egyptians, Jews, Etruscans, Scythians, Romans, Greeks, Chinese. The Egyptians used bells in rituals dedicated to the holidays of the god Osiris. The Romans used them to call servants and slaves, military signals, gathering people for public meetings, during sacrifices, and, finally, they decorated chariots at the ceremonial entries of triumphants.
In Ancient Rome, the ringing of bells also served as a signal for watering the streets in the midday heat. The ancient Greeks associated bells with the oracle at Dodona . They were also hung on city walls and rung at funerals. The earliest mention of bells is found in the Greek geographer Strabo (63 BC - 19 AD) and the Greek historian Polybius (212/205 - 130/123 BC) , and a little later they are described in great detail by Josephus Flavius (37 -) in Jewish antiquaries. Ancient bells were riveted from sheets of metal. Later, with the invention of casting, they began to be cast. But the tradition of riveted bells has been preserved in some places to this day, mainly in the manufacture of bells for livestock (as, for example, in Spain). In Europe from the 1st century BC. e. and in subsequent centuries, a small bell about 20 cm high performed the following functions: its signal in Bonn meant the beginning of street cleaning; in Etampes (France) the last stroke of the bell was called the “Pursuer of Revelers”: after it the city lights were extinguished; in Turin (Italy) there was a “Bread Bell” for housewives; in medieval England, a bell accompanied a funeral procession; and in Beauvain (France) there was a bell that announced the beginning of the fish trade, it was called “Fish Trader”.
In the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, bells have been used since approximately the 4th century . Their main purpose is to ring the bell to call parishioners to the Liturgy, known as the blagovest. Almost every medium-sized temple had a special extension for housing bells, called a bell tower or belfry. Before the mass construction of high-rise buildings began, bell towers were the tallest buildings in any locality, which made it possible to hear bells ringing even when located in the most remote corners of a big city. The first bells appeared in Western Europe. According to one legend, the invention of bells is attributed to St. Paulinus, Bishop of Nolan, who lived at the end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th century. It is said that St. The peacock saw in a dream wildflowers-bells that made pleasant sounds. After his dream, the bishop ordered bells to be cast in the shape of these flowers. But obviously not St. Peacock introduced bell ringing into the practice of the Church, since neither he himself in his writings nor the writers of his time mention bells. Only at the beginning of the 7th century, Pope Savinian (successor of St. Gregory the Great) managed to give the bells a Christian meaning.
From that time on, bell ringing began to be gradually used by Christians, and during the 8th and 9th centuries in Western Europe, bells became firmly established in the practice of church services.
In the debate about the origin of the bell, a number of scientists consider its homeland to be China , from where the bell could have come to Europe along the Great Silk Road. Proof is the fact that it was in China that the first bronze casting appeared and the most ancient bells were found there. These bells belong to the XXIII - XI centuries BC. Their sizes are small: 4.5-5.7 cm. They were used in different ways: they were hung on a belt, scaring away evil spirits, attached as an amulet around the neck of a horse, used in military service, in a temple during worship, during ceremonies and rituals. By the 5th century BC e. The passion for bell music became so great in China that not just individual bells were needed, but sometimes entire sets.
There were several types of ringing : the Ionian - sounded on special occasions, the Kolyazensky - had a dance rhythm, the St. George - a smooth “raspberry ringing”. Nowadays, the sound of each bell exactly copies a tuning fork. Aristarchus of Israel (archpriest of the city of Rostov, a famous expert in bell making) made the first musical notations of bell ringings. Classical composers many times turned to the inexhaustible wealth of bell sounds. This is Mikhail Glinka, and Sergei Taneyev, and Sergei Rachmaninov. There are many signs associated with the ringing of bells. If the bell rings on its own, there will be trouble; if you hear a bell ringing before starting any work, it will be good luck. It was a kind of clock: 1 ring - my sleep is lost, 2 ring - bow to the ground, 3 ring - get out of the house. The people have put together many riddles about the bells: “A bull stands on the mountains on seven heads, its ribs are knocking, its sides are thundering”; “A rooster is sitting, braids to the floor, voice to the sky”; “Wolves are fighting on a stone hill” and others.
The bell ringers ring and heal the Russian land with their ringing. Today, scientists from the Institute of the Lithosphere, interested in the wonderful properties of bell ringing during the epidemic, carefully studied the bell sound. They confirmed that the energy of the ultrasonic wave of the bell actually heals people and the atmosphere. Incredibly, the ringing of bells disinfects the flu virus, jaundice, and destroys typhoid bacillus and other infections.
The bells cried, moaned, and prayed for the Russian land during the years of hard times. When the end of the war came, nothing could speak of the people's joy as powerful, victorious, jubilant peals did. And the most bitter punishment for the defeated people was the deprivation of bells. And in the 20s of the 20th century, this fate befell the entire Russian land. The empty eye sockets of bell towers and destroyed temples were orphaned and looked reproachfully at the vanity of an entire generation of people.
Since ancient times, bell ringing has played an important role in the life of Christians . The bells warned of danger during enemy invasions and fires; the bells cried with people in days of sorrow and brought joy with their melodious ringing on holidays. Nowadays, the main purpose of bell ringing in churches is to notify about the beginning of the church Liturgy and to ring holidays on church holidays , for example, Christmas or Easter. Moreover, on Easter, any believer can climb the bell tower and ring the bells.
If you want to know more, read Svetlana Narozhnaya’s book “The History of Bells. Brief historical sketch."
What are “The Bells” singing about?
“The awakened copper of the bells merged with the gilding of the dawn...” - In romances, a bell is usually sung, barely audibly sounding in the distance. And here are the bells! But at the same time, there is no ringing throughout the entire area. Restrained, humble, sincere. To be honest, it’s unusual and unexpected. P.E.: “Perhaps this may seem like a strange experiment to some, but for me it is a completely organic creative development.” I really love classical music, and my education is “classical” - academic. The music written for these romances is new, very intimate. However, when performing them, I give my best emotionally no less than in rock music. I think many people will be interested in listening to this. However, “Bells” “bridges” from my first album “I Want,” which included a romance, music and poetry for which I wrote myself. It’s called “Romance”, and the new album begins with it. It also contains one Belarusian-language romance by Fyodor Zhilyak, and seven more based on poems by Alexander Elenevich. “Any random sound sounded like a poem of a wonderful moment...” - In terms of the number of musical compositions, the album also turned out to be chamber... P.E.: - I believe that in such music there should be everything in moderation - both emotions and sensations. Don't oversaturate your hearing. But, perhaps, someone will have a desire to immediately listen to these romances again. And I wanted to make sure that I didn’t lose the desire to work in this genre again. Fortunately, there is enough material. Romances will diversify the concert program. They can form one compartment or simply be switched on as a block. — Many Belarusian performers do not risk giving solo concerts. Do you feel like a sought-after artist? P.E.: Yes, definitely. I feel the love of the public and strive not to lose it. — Has the autumn schedule of performances already been scheduled? T.K.: — In the near future, Rostov-on-Don and Latvia are expected. And on November 30, a solo concert is planned in Belarus - at the Palace of the Republic. He will draw a line under what has been done over the past three and a half years. Then we want to start working on a completely new program and a third album. P.E.: — I’m not going to limit myself to any one direction. Together with pianist Yaroslav Neverkovich, we plan to create a large classical program, which will include not only classical romances, but also opera arias. - Just look, they will lure you from the stage to the opera... T.K.: - They are already luring you away. There are not enough tenors in the Latvian opera house, and they are ready to take Peter there even today. So we have enough work and proposals. — By any chance, are you planning to give up rock music? P.E.: - I don’t think so! I have loved rock music and heavy metal all my life. I took part in the Belarusian-language project “Pitbull” with pleasure. Few people sing heavy metal in the Belarusian language, so it was very interesting for me. My dream is to perform the role of Jesus Christ in the famous rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Perhaps someday this dream will become a reality. “In separation for a long time, inseparable from you...” - Are you not going to conquer Moscow following the example of some of our artists? T.K.: — We have absolutely no interest in conquering Moscow. Why is everyone, like Chekhov’s three sisters, fixated on her: “To Moscow! To Moscow!..” There is a lot of bad taste and little taste on the Russian market; it is oversaturated. Someone says: “I signed a contract with Igor Krutoy himself!” So what?! You can work out this contract later. You can give a lot of examples when people fall into contract bondage and sit in it, as in the days of serf artists. It is not at all necessary to sign a contract for a hundred years, to pay crazy money for songs to one of the Russian authors, if you have talent and good brains. When a person doesn’t know where to turn, he is ready to sign a contract and participate in all projects of Russian channels. Although even our former “Zornaya Rostan” had a level much higher than all these today’s star TV things. And the light did not converge on Moscow like a wedge. In addition to Russia, there are many other states in the world. We receive many worthy offers from Latvia, Ukraine, Serbia. Peter is very much loved by the Latvian and Estonian public. When he goes on stage there, they shout to him: “Elfimov, you are the best!” They know him in Poland too. Many probably remember the Belarusian singer Yulia Skorokhod, who now lives in Warsaw. One day she called her brother and asked: “Where did Kosmacheva get such a great vocalist?” It turns out that Peter is also shown on Warsaw television. By the way, in mid-September we are going to Warsaw, we were invited to take part in large concerts, one of which is dedicated to the memory of Czeslaw Niemen. Minsk is our home, and it is not at all necessary to leave it forever in order, as they say, to show yourself and look at others. My compatriots, I think, are not mad at us either. Peter performed in many cities of our country. By the way, about “emigration”. Sometimes before a concert they come up and ask: “Have you come to Belarus from Russia for a long time?” And we never left. “You who are very close, very, very necessary, suddenly unnoticeably remember me...” - In Vitebsk, I have seen you more than once surrounded by famous artists and aspiring performers. Although you yourself are still young, it seems that you already have something to share with them. P.E.: - Many people remember me from the days of KVN. Later they followed my performances at the “Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk” and listened to the first album. Now the second record has appeared, it sold out very quickly. Someone found out about me thanks to the Belarus TV channel, which is broadcast in a number of countries. Starting this year, Ukraine has resumed full-fledged television broadcasts from the “Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk”. We were in Sevastopol and heard a lot of warm reviews about this festival. He is also known in other countries. So there is another opportunity to be seen and heard outside of Belarus. T.K.: — Many aspiring singers and already fairly well-known performers say that Peter’s recordings are vocal guides for them. Agree, this also says a lot. By the way, now Peter will also give face-to-face lessons. On September 1, he became a vocal teacher at the Institute of Modern Knowledge, he has ten students. - But KVN is not a thing of the past... T.K.: - Moreover, there is a reason to celebrate the victory. In August, the Summer Cup of the International KVN Union was held in Sochi. The team of RUDN (Peoples' Friendship University of Russia), of which Peter is a member, became the absolute champion. “Is it rain or a tear?..” - The taste of victory is already familiar to you. Although winning the “bazaar” competition for pop singers in 2004 was not so easy. Initially, there were rumors that the main prize would go to Nadezhda Babkina’s protégé Evgeniy Gore. And when the points were in favor of the Belarusian Petr Elfimov, they say that Nadezhda Georgievna was simply tearing and throwing... T.K.: - Then it was really difficult to win, there were very strong competitors. But Peter's victory was pure and well deserved. And Zhenya Gore and I are friends. And there was no conflict, these are all journalistic fantasies. Last year in Vitebsk, at a festival concert dedicated to Russia Day, Gore performed his song in a duet with Elfimov. And in general, we are peaceful people, we strive to maintain friendly relations with everyone. — Are the conditions for such free creativity normal for you? P.E.: - We have our own studio, we once acquired it and are very happy with it. We can afford to record songs for a week, or two, or a month. We pay rent for the premises, but, in general, we don’t need anything. We work for our own pleasure. We are fine!
