Orthodox prayers. Bell ringing in Orthodoxy When church bells ring
The ringing of bells is the voice of the church and praise to the Lord God. By the way, in Soviet times, the first thing they did was blow up or dismantle the bell tower at the temple, first removing the bells. It is believed that the ringing of Orthodox bells drives away demons, gives a person moral and physical strength, that is, gives a person Grace.
The majestic ringing of bells, which is impossible not to hear, encouraged a person to break out of the whirlwind of earthly worries in order to turn to the eternal, to Heaven.
Whatever one may say, the ringing of bells is a reminder to people mired in vanity about God.
Clairvoyants (God forgive me) claim that when the bell rings, very strong energy is emitted.
Some scientists are confident that as a result of the sound of the bell, special microparticles that are smaller than an atom are formed in the surrounding air. By their direction they create a three-dimensional CROSS. They are the ones who have a purifying effect on the air and living organisms. It turns out that the sound, descending from heaven to earth, seems to baptize the area.
The ringing of bells contains a wonderful power that penetrates deeply into human hearts (this manifests itself differently for everyone). There is a belief that the ringing of bells is a symbol of purification, a source of some pure energy.
When do the church bells ring?
In ancient times, people did not have watches. The ringing of bells notified people about the start of a service or about some other event.
Currently, church bell ringing is usually used for:
1) to call Christians to and to notify about the time of its beginning;
2) to announce to those not present in the church the moment of the most important prayers and sacred rites during the liturgy and other services;
3) to express the festive celebration and spiritual joy of Christians, on the greatest days - in addition to divine services.
It is worth saying that the ringing of a bell accompanies the entire life of an Orthodox person - a sacrament, a wedding, a funeral service are performed with the ringing of bells. When they defeated the enemy, the winners were greeted with joyful ringing.
What type of bell ringing is there?
Blagovest is when first three rare, slow, drawn-out strikes are made on one bell, and then measured strikes follow. Blagovest, in turn,
is divided into two types: ordinary (private), produced by the largest bell; Lenten (rare), produced by a smaller bell on weekdays
days of Great Lent. The Blagovest occurs three times: at Vespers, Matins and the hours before the Liturgy (before the early Liturgy).
Dvuznon This is ringing all the bells twice (in two steps).
Trezvon This is the ringing of all the bells, repeated three times after a short break. Treznon usually “calls” to the Liturgy and all-night vigil.
Chime this is the ringing of each bell in turn (one or several strikes), starting from the largest one to the smallest one, repeated several times.
It is performed at liturgy and on special solemn occasions.
Bust This is a slow ringing of each bell in turn, from smallest to largest. After hitting the big bell, they hit everything at once, and repeat this
many times. The bell is otherwise called a funeral bell; it expresses sadness and grief for the deceased. But the search always ends with a ringing sound like
a symbol of the Christian joyful news of the resurrection of the dead.
Alarm this is a very common one that happens during anxiety.
Special bells and ringings accompany solemn prayers, blessings of water, and religious processions. After the end of the festive and Sunday liturgy, the trezvon is started.
By the way, according to tradition, on Easter and Bright Week (the week after Easter), any Orthodox Christian can climb the bell tower and glorify the risen Savior by ringing the bells. People call this time the bell week or the time of birth of bell ringers.
The ringing of bells evokes joyful surprise in every person, regardless of whether he is a believer or not. The sound of the bells makes people, against their will, turn their eyes towards the temple and smile.
A bell tower with several melodious voices is the pride of every temple. The ringing of bells, which has healing powers for Orthodox souls, depending on the type, “calls” people to service, “sings” during celebrations and sounds like an alarm bell in case of danger.
When you hear the bell ringing, you need to cross yourself and pray
What is the purpose of church bells
In the arrangement of a Christian church, every thing has its own purpose. The souls of Orthodox Christians, when listening to church overflows, are filled with light, joy, peace, and tranquility. When the bells sound like an alarm, Christians know that trouble has happened.
The Orthodox ringing is filled with amazing power, which has the ability to penetrate human hearts. In church sounds and overflows, Russian Orthodox people have learned to distinguish triumph, call and alarm, hearing a certain ringing.
An amazing phenomenon - when the bells sound, doves, prototypes of the Holy Spirit, do not fly away, but, on the contrary, rush to the churches.
Hearing the sound of the bells, the Orthodox people rush to the Divine Services, to which they are called by the rhythmic strikes of the bell. The sounds announcing the triumph of the Church and festive services fill the hearts of believers with joy and joy. Celebration and reverence cause chimes to ring during solemn services.
Types of bell ringing
Having fallen in love with the ringing of church bells, the Russian Orthodox people connected all their solemn and sad events with it. The Orthodox bell ringing serves not only to indicate the time of the Divine service, but also to fill joy, sadness and triumph. This is where different types of ringing came from, and each type has a name and meaning.
Only a church-going person with certain qualities can be a bell ringer:
- gut instinct;
- sense of rhythm;
- knowledge of sounds;
- knowledge of performance techniques;
- knowledge of the Church Rules.
The bell ringer must be a prayer book and observe fasts in order to convey to people the triumph of Orthodoxy through the play of sounds.
A bell ringer paints with sound like an artist paints
Hearing the uniform strikes of a large bell, Orthodox Christians know that this is the gospel , caller to worship .
The more significant the event, the greater the voice of God:
- The festive gospel sounds on Easter or on special holidays; in order for it to sound, the blessing of the rector of the temple is necessary.
- The Sunday gospel sounds on Sundays, the polyeleos - for special services.
- Daily services begin with the weekday gospel, and during Great Lent - fast.
- The alarm that announces trouble, thank God, sounds extremely rarely.
When all the bells in the church are struck repeatedly and in turn, the chime rings, water blessing prayers, Liturgies, and temple holidays are announced.
During the actual ringing of the bells, the bell ringer strikes two bells.
The trezvon speaks for itself, at this time all the bells, large and small, work, each time producing three strikes with a short break. Low and ringing sounds fly straight into the sky and the souls of Christians, announcing the beginning of the Divine service or the end of the gospel.
Morning, monastery ringing, healing from all diseases
The history of bells
The first mentions of bells were found in documents that are more than 6 thousand years old. The prototype of this marvelous work is the bell flower, whose petals move at the slightest breath of wind. The first task of the bells was to give a signal. They were put on pets and hung on doors.
Interesting about Orthodoxy:
China is considered the birthplace of the first cast bells, where bells are used in purification rituals. According to legend, the master could not mix the right metals to achieve the desired sound; all the products either cracked or did not sound. On the advice of the monks, the master’s daughter threw herself into the molten metal, and the first large bell, “Lovely Flower,” sounded throughout China.
Egyptian monks were the first to use bells to call Christians to services.
For information! Church chimes became most widespread in Rus' in the 16th century, surpassing in weight all those available in European countries.
God's voice has become an element of Russian culture. According to legend, bell ringing drives away evil spirits, so during times of pestilence and enemy invasions, church bells did not stop ringing.
Over time, even musical notation appeared for playing these unique works of human hands. In Russia, bell ringing festivals are often held, filling everything around with God's glory.
The largest Assumption bell in the world - “Tsar Bell”
The healing power of bell ringing
Scientists have proven that bell chimes have healing powers not only in cleansing space from evil spirits, but also in healing people.
An amazing discovery made by researchers shows that church sounds propagate through space in waves in the shape of a cross, having a positive effect on a person’s physical, mental and spiritual state.
Repeatedly, Christians celebrated recovery, deliverance from birth illnesses after being under the cover of the overflow of God's voice. Especially the ringing of bells has healing powers for psycho-emotional diseases.
Modern achievements make it possible to listen to various sounds of church music in recordings while indoors, thereby cleansing the surrounding space of evil spirits.
Advice! Turn on the songs of the bells and enjoy the joy and peace in your home, not forgetting that sound therapy lasts no more than half an hour.
Bell ringing. Space cleansing and healing
2.1. General provisions
2.1.1. Church bells are an integral part of Orthodox worship, and its absence can only be justified by the lack of technical means for ringing.
2.1.2. Orthodox ringing is intended to:
- call believers to worship;
- express the Triumph of the Church and its services;
- announce to those present and not present in the church about the most important moments of the service;
- with its sound, dissolved by God’s grace, Christians were strengthened in piety and faith; the powers, deceits and slander of demons were driven away and destroyed;
God's wordless creation and the elements were calmed down and served for the benefit of people.
2.1.3. Our traditional church bell has been formed and developed over many centuries against the background of the use of beats and rhythmic riveting in them.
Therefore, the basis of our Orthodox ringing lies not in melody, but in rhythm with its inherent dynamics and in the interaction of the timbres of individual bells and beats.
2.1.4. The characteristic features of Orthodox ringing are: spirituality, euphony, moderation, timeliness and synchronicity with worship.
2.1.5. Any electronic imitation, amplification of ringing by technical means, extraction of sound by non-traditional methods, replacement of the bell ringer with automation and the use of phonograms in Orthodox ringing are unacceptable, as they do not correspond to the liturgical tradition of the Church.
2.1.6. If a bell tower or belfry is equipped with a chiming clock, then you should avoid mixing church bells with them (especially if the chimes are used, which also participate in the bells for worship).
2.1.7. In consultation with local authorities, church bells and clocks may be used for emergency calling of people, warning of natural disasters, greeting VIPs, and in other special or emergency circumstances.
2.2. Means of ringing
2.2.1. To perform ringing in the Russian Orthodox Church, the following means can be used (in accordance with the increasing solemnity of them):
- hand (small) wooden beater;
- a large (great) wooden beat;
- metal beaters (rivets);
- bells.
2.2.2. The locations of the bells and bells, their names and the order of use during divine services are determined by the bell ringer under the guidance of the abbot and in accordance with the charter of the monastery and the Charter of Church Ringing.
2.2.3. There are certain traditions of making beaters and bells, including in Russia; however, their material, shape and sound can be very different. The main thing is not the appearance and material, but the symbol, spiritual essence and prayer.
2.2.4. A wooden hand beater is a paddle-shaped board 1-3 m long, 10-20 cm wide and 10-30 mm thick (the thickness can be reduced by half towards the ends). At the ends of the hand beat, as a rule, 3, 4 or 5 holes are drilled, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, the Cross of the Lord or the Passion of the Lord, respectively.
The wooden beater is a musical percussion instrument with a self-sounding body. The requirements for the material of the beater and hammer are simple - the wood must be clear, dry, and have a minimum of knots and cracks.
The beater is usually held in the left hand. The sound is produced by striking (riveting) it with a wooden hammer and depends on their material and weight, as well as the force and location of the impact (from the center to the edges).
There may be several hand beats in a monastery, but, as a rule, only one is used during worship.
2.2.5. A large wooden beater, or great, is a board 2-4 m long, 25-50 cm wide and 30-60 mm thick. 3, 4 or 5 holes are also often drilled at the ends of the large hammer.
It is hung permanently at the entrance to the temple, at the refectory, near the cells, on the bell tower or in another place. The sound is produced by hitting it with a wooden hammer and depends on their weight and material, as well as the force and location of the impact (from the center to the edges).
The material requirements for a large beater and hammer are the same as for a hand beater.
There may be several large wooden beaters in the monastery, but during worship, as a rule, one is used.
2.2.6. A metal beater (rivet) can have a variety of sizes, shapes, materials and manufacturing methods. Metal beaters belong to musical percussion instruments with a self-sounding body. The sound is produced by a metal, wooden or plastic hammer and depends on the shape of the beater, the material and weight of the beater and hammer, as well as the force and location of the impact.
Depending on the number of metal bells, they can be used in different ways in ringing (both independently and together with bells) and, accordingly, installed in different places, taking into account their purpose (at the entrance or inside the temple, at the refectory, in the bell tower, etc. .).
2.2.7. Bells can have a wide variety of sizes, shapes, materials and manufacturing methods. However, in Russia, as a result of centuries-old practice, a tradition developed when most craftsmen tried to cast bells with a “Russian” profile, which has certain ratios of diameter, thickness and height and gives a rich timbre (euphony) and a long duration of sound (melody). At the same time, pointing, as a rule, was not practiced, but was not prohibited either.
Bells are musical percussion instruments with a self-sounding body. In the old days, to extract the sound of a bell, the “ochep” method of ringing was used, that is, by swinging the bell itself (this method still remains in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery and some other monasteries). However, today, in most cases, ringing occurs in the traditional Russian, “tongue” way, that is, by swinging the tongue and striking it on a motionless hanging bell. Depending on the number of bells, they can be used in different ways in ringing and, accordingly, installed in different places, taking into account their purpose (at the entrance or inside the temple, at the refectory, in the bell tower or belfry, under the dome of the temple, etc.).
2.2.8. In order to better preserve our historical heritage, it is necessary to achieve (by requiring from manufacturers or doing it ourselves) certification of all bells and beats available in churches and monasteries, indicating not only weight, material, main dimensions and appearance, but also recording sound characteristics .
2.2.9. In the case of the simultaneous use of several bells and metal beaters (each separately or together), a full-sounding belfry traditionally consists of three groups: large (blagovestnik) - 1-5 pieces, medium (bell ringing) - 2 or more pieces and small (bell ringing) - 2-4 pcs. Each of these groups of bells and/or beats has its own sounding part, which is taken into account by the bell ringers when composing the ringing composition.
2.2.10. In connection with the rhythmic basis of Orthodox ringing, the belfry of bells and metal beats is selected not by notes, but by euphony, taking into account the peculiarities of the sound of each bell or beat.
2.2.11. The installation and equipment of metal bells must be carried out taking into account the choice of the main direction of the ringing, ensuring conditions for the free release of sound into the surrounding space, the convenience and safety of the bell ringer, as well as taking all measures (technical and organizational) to achieve the timeliness and synchronization of the ringing with the worship service .
2.2.12. Before being used in church ringing, bells and beats must be consecrated in accordance with the Rite of blessing the campan, siesta bell or ringing, placed in the Trebnik.
2.3. About the bell ringer
2.3.1. Believers (both men and women) who have undergone appropriate instruction from an experienced bell ringer or who have completed training courses for church bell ringers are allowed to engage in bell ringing. At the same time, a novice bell ringer must acquire not only the initial skills of practical ringing, but also minimal knowledge about worship and the safety of working with bells and beaters.
2.3.2. The ringing is carried out by a bell ringer over whom a special prayer has been read or who has the blessing of the abbot of a temple or monastery and carries out this obedience with due responsibility.
2.3.3. Before each service, the bell ringer is required to obtain from the rector or serving priest a blessing to begin the ringing, as well as, possibly, other instructions related to its conduct.
2.3.4. Before starting the ringing, the bell ringer must prepare himself spiritually and psychologically, checking the suspension and condition of the bells and bells and thinking through the composition of the ringing from beginning to end. According to tradition, after the sign of the cross, the church ringing should begin and be accompanied by the reading of Psalms 118 or 50 (in accordance with the Typikon) or, with the blessing of the rector, any prayer corresponding to the service.
2.3.5. When ringing, the bell ringer must be guided by statutory documents, existing canons, local traditions, the symbol (inner meaning) of the ringing in each specific service and, of course, the instructions of the rector or serving priest.
2.3.6. The bell ringer must remember that he is, as it were, a connecting link between the temple and heaven; his ringing precedes prayer in the church and becomes its continuation after the end of the service. Therefore, the bell ringer needs to study not only the basics of Orthodox ringing, but also constantly improve his skills, know the divine service well, deepen the spiritual (internal) content of his ringing, which is unthinkable without the bell ringer being a church-going person and his constant supervision by a rector or confessor.
2.3.7. In the case of group ringing, in order to achieve its coherence and beauty, all bell ringers, even before the start of the ringing, need to familiarize themselves with the features of the belfry, select the leading bell ringer and agree on the dimension, composition, dynamics and other conventions in the ringing.
2.3.8. A bell ringer should feel like a caring owner in a belfry or bell tower, which includes knowledge of safety measures for working with bells and bells, regular monitoring of them and their suspension, timely identification and elimination of all deficiencies.
The bell ringer is also responsible for the timeliness and synchronization of ringing during services, for which it is possible to use a call bell (yasak, kandi) or technical means: light bulbs, electric bells, radio broadcasts, walkie-talkies, etc.
If there are several bell ringers in the church, then a senior one is appointed among them, who is responsible for the order in the belfry and the correctness of the church ringing.
2.3.9. Despite certain regulations, church ringing in each church or monastery (due to the specifics of belfries, services and traditions) is different. Therefore, the duties of a bell ringer include a detailed description of his bell tower or belfry, all the bells and bells, the arrangement of bell towers and the method of ringing, as well as information about bell ringers, types of ringing (preferably with their recording in any form) and the Rite (Charter) of ringing in his temple or monastery for the whole year. This information should be stored in the archives of the temple or monastery and serve as the basis for passing on the traditions of Orthodox bell ringing to subsequent generations of bell ringers.
2.4. Canonical bells
2.4.1. Church bells are an equivalent temple ritual - they, as a rule, begin and end the service. Influencing our hearing and inner state, it awakens us from spiritual sleep, cleanses our souls, reminding us of our Lord and His Judgment, the transience of life on earth and eternal life in Heaven.
Initially performing a signaling function, church bells gradually began to be used to indicate not only the beginning and end, but also the most important parts of the service, to express the joy, sadness and triumph of the events being celebrated. From here came various types of ringing, each of which has its own name and purpose.
2.4.2. The full Rite of Orthodox ringing, which arose in Rus' since ancient times and is still preserved in some monasteries, consists of the alternate use of all types of beats and bells in accordance with their symbol and solemnity.
After receiving the blessing to carry out the ringing, the bell ringer rings a small (hand-held) wooden bell, usually walking with it around the temple in which the service will be held, and making short stops on the four cardinal points to pronounce prayers.
Then he approaches the large (great) wooden beater and also rhythmically strikes it, pronouncing Psalm 50 or another prayer corresponding to the service once.
After this, riveting into a metal beat (or beat) begins, with the reading of Psalm 50 or another prayer once. And finally, on holidays and Sundays, the rite of ringing ends with the ringing of the bells.
This Rite of Orthodox ringing unites the most ancient traditions of Orthodoxy and the trends of new times. The above order may vary depending on the availability of certain means of ringing, as well as on local traditions and traditions in each monastery. And here there can be no opposition between bells and bells. Here, for example, is how the Church Fathers expressed the meaning and unity of beats and bells in Orthodox ringing: “The small accent, which occurs at small vespers, as low-voiced and dull, means the ancient prophets and only, as it were, the shadow and transformation of future events; The great emphasis made at the festive matins, like a ringing one and spreading through the air, signifies the broadcast of the Gospel to the whole earth. And the emphasis on the metal beats and bells expresses to us the future Judgment and marks that angelic trumpet, which is to call everyone from the graves to the common Judgment.”
2.4.3. Due to historical reasons, it so happened that in Rus', starting from the 15th century, bells began to gradually replace bells and currently, in the vast majority of churches and monasteries, only belfries made of bells and/or metal bells are used.
At the same time, there are 4 types of canonical ringing, which separately or in combination make up the entire variety of Orthodox ringing: blagovest, bust, perezvon and trezvon.
2.4.4. Blagovest is one of the most ancient bells of the Orthodox Church and is so called because it brings good, joyful news about the beginning of the divine service. This ringing can also be performed during worship.
The Blagovest is carried out by measured blows on one of the largest bells or bells, of which in large belfries, according to tradition, there can be up to five and which, depending on the type of worship and on what days the ringing occurs, have their own names, for example: festive (solemn), polyeleos , Sunday, simple day (everyday) and small (lenten). In practice, with the blessing of the abbot, the blagovestniks can also be given other special names, based on the place of installation or manufacture, the name of the donor, the peculiarity of the sound, etc. As a separate ringing before the start of the service, the blagovestnik usually begins with three rare (with fairly long pauses) strikes , and then there are faster measured blows.
Depending on the service, the blagovest can be ordinary (frequent or with two edges of the bell) or Lenten (rare or with one edge of the bell). On great holidays, the bell is carried out with the participation of the largest bell in the belfry and the ringing itself, as a rule, sounds more often, louder and longer. In addition to the usual blagovest in the Orthodox ringing, there is also a so-called gross, or large, blagovest, when strikes on the largest bell or beater are interspersed with another large bell or beater.
The time for blagovest is determined by the rector depending on the type of service and traditions: in accordance with the Typikon, reading the 118th psalm once or reading the 50th psalm 12 times, a certain time (10-30 minutes) or the number of beats: 12, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, etc. (depending on the ringing symbol).
2.4.5. The bust is a funeral bell that expresses sadness and grief for the deceased and symbolizes a person’s life from birth to death. The selection is carried out by slow single blows on each bell or beat from the smallest to the largest, and after this there follows a chord on all or the maximum possible number of bells or beats (the so-called blow “all over”), which symbolizes the end of life. This search is carried out many times depending on the course of the service, but it must be carried through to the end and end with a blow “to the fullest.” When picking, single blows on a bell or beater are usually made until the sound from the previous blow completely stops. There is no need for haste here and the bell ringer must achieve special penetration by uniformly increasing pauses when alternating strikes (taking into account the individual sound of the bells and beats) and a strong, united blow “all the way”.
2.4.6. The chime is a sad and solemn ringing of each bell or beat in turn (one or several times), from the largest to the smallest, and symbolizes the “exhaustion” of our Lord Jesus Christ for the sake of our salvation. The ringing of each bell once or with a full blow is the most sad and is performed only twice a year: on Good Friday and Great Saturday on the day of the Lord’s Death on the Cross and His free burial. So that the mournful bell relating to the Lord, our Savior, in the manner of execution is not the same as the funeral bell for ordinary mortals and sinners, the chime is usually carried out with faster and more uniform strokes.
The ringing of each bell or beat several times - usually 3, 5 or 7 times, symbolizing respectively the Holy Trinity, the Cross (the Passion of the Lord) and the Fullness of Faith (the Glory of God) - is performed repeatedly and the simultaneous striking of several bells or beats (strike "in all") is usually performed once at the end of the call. This type of chime, although mournful, is considered more solemn and is carried out differently depending on the holiday, local traditions, or as the abbot says.
2.4.7. Trezvon is the ringing of all the bells or bells. It is not limited in its form, so the bell ringer himself chooses the composition of the bells or beats used, as well as the rhythm, dynamics and composition of the performance.
The trezvon expresses Christian joy and triumph. It usually involves all three groups of bells or beats, each of which has its own part. At the same time, according to the established tradition, trezvon usually uses a measure of three quarters (3/4) or four quarters (4/4) and only the largest evangelist (bell or beater) who participated in the evangelist before the start of this service can participate (less possible, but no more).
When performing a separate trezvon, there are usually 3 segments: the beginning (seed), the ringing itself and the ending (ending). The seed usually consists of three rare strikes on the evangelist, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, or other variations. The main part of the trezvon (the ringing itself) can be performed with small pauses in one, two or three steps (verses, series), each of which sometimes ends with a chord 1, 2 or 3 times according to the verse number. Moreover, each such series of ringing can have its own rhythm, tempo, dynamics and composition. The trezvon usually ends with a threefold chord or another method. Undoubtedly, the ringing must correspond to the nature of the service, holiday or event at which the ringing takes place, observing a certain moderation in its performance (i.e., avoiding various excesses). The duration of the trezvon is determined by reading Psalm 50 once or at a certain time, based on the nature of the holiday, specific conditions or instructions from the abbot.
2.1. General provisions
2.1.1. Church bells are an integral part of Orthodox worship, and its absence can only be justified by the lack of technical means for ringing.
2.1.2. Orthodox ringing is intended to:
- call believers to worship;
- express the Triumph of the Church and its services;
- announce to those present and not present in the church about the most important moments of the service;
- by its sound, dissolved by God's grace, Christians were strengthened in piety and faith; the powers, deceits and slander of demons were driven away and destroyed; God's wordless creation and the elements were calmed down and served for the benefit of people.
2.1.3. Our traditional church bell has been formed and developed over many centuries against the background of the use of beats and rhythmic riveting in them. Therefore, the basis of our Orthodox ringing lies not in melody, but in rhythm with its inherent dynamics and in the interaction of the timbres of individual bells and beats.
2.1.4. The characteristic features of Orthodox ringing are: spirituality, euphony, moderation, timeliness and synchronicity with worship.
2.1.5. Any electronic imitation, amplification of ringing by technical means, extraction of sound by non-traditional methods, replacement of the bell ringer with automation and the use of phonograms in Orthodox ringing are unacceptable, as they do not correspond to the liturgical tradition of the Church.
2.1.6. If the bell tower or belfry is equipped clocks-chimes, then you should avoid mixing church ringing with them (especially if the chimes involve bells and bells, which are also involved in the ringing for divine services).
2.1.7. In consultation with local authorities, church bells and clocks may be used for emergency calling of people, warning of natural disasters, greeting VIPs, and in other special or emergency circumstances.
2.2. Means of ringing
2.2.1. To perform ringing in the Russian Orthodox Church, the following means can be used (in accordance with the increasing solemnity of them):
Hand (small) wooden beater;
There was a large (great) wooden beat;
Metal beaters (rivets);
Bells.
2.2.2. The locations of the bells and bells, their names and the order of use during divine services are determined by the bell ringer under the guidance of the abbot and in accordance with the charter of the monastery and the Charter of Church Ringing.
2.2.3. There are certain traditions of making beaters and bells, including in Russia; however, their material, shape and sound can be very different. The main thing is not the appearance and material, but the symbol, spiritual essence and prayer.
2.2.4. Wooden hand beater It is a paddle-shaped board 1-3 m long, 10-20 cm wide and 10-30 mm thick (the thickness can be reduced by half towards the ends). At the ends of the hand beat, as a rule, 3, 4 or 5 holes are drilled, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, the Cross of the Lord or the Passion of the Lord, respectively.
The wooden beater is a musical percussion instrument with a self-sounding body. The requirements for the material of the beater and hammer are simple - the wood must be clear, dry, and have a minimum of knots and cracks.
The beater is usually held in the left hand. The sound is produced by striking (riveting) it with a wooden hammer and depends on their material and weight, as well as the force and location of the impact (from the center to the edges). There may be several hand beats in a monastery, but, as a rule, only one is used during worship. Examples of hand-held wooden beats used in Orthodox ringing are shown in Fig. 1.
Rice. 1. Examples of small (hand) wooden beaters
2.2.5. There was a large, or great, wooden beat, is a board 2-4 m long, 25-50 cm wide and 30-60 mm thick. 3, 4 or 5 holes are also often drilled at the ends of the large hammer.
It is hung permanently at the entrance to the temple, at the refectory, near the cells, on the bell tower or in another place. The sound is produced by hitting it with a wooden hammer and depends on their weight and material, as well as the force and location of the impact (from the center to the edges).
The material requirements for a large beater and hammer are the same as for a hand beater.
There may be several large wooden beaters in the monastery, but during worship, as a rule, one is used.
Examples of large wooden beats used in Orthodox ringing are shown in Fig. 2. 2.2.6. Metal beater (rivet) can have a variety of sizes, shapes, materials and
preparation method.
Rice. 2. Examples of large (great) wooden beaters
Metal beaters belong to musical percussion instruments with a self-sounding body. The sound is produced by a metal, wooden or plastic hammer and depends on the shape of the beater, the material and weight of the beater and hammer, as well as the force and location of the impact.
Depending on the number of metal bells, they can be used in different ways in ringing (both independently and together with bells) and, accordingly, installed in different places, taking into account their purpose (at the entrance or inside the temple, at the refectory, in the bell tower, etc. .).
Examples of metal beats (rivets) used in Orthodox bells are shown in Fig. 3.
Rice. 3. Examples of metal beaters (rivets)
2.2.7. Bells can have a wide variety of sizes, shapes, materials and manufacturing methods. However, in Russia, as a result of centuries-old practice, a tradition developed when most craftsmen tried to cast bells with a “Russian” profile, which has certain ratios of diameter, thickness and height and gives a rich timbre (euphony) and a long duration of sound (melody). At the same time, sharpening bells, as a rule, was not practiced, but was not prohibited either.
Bells are musical percussion instruments with a self-sounding body. In the old days, to extract the sound of a bell, the “ochep” method of ringing was used, that is, by swinging the bell itself (this method still remains in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery and some other monasteries). However, today, in most cases, ringing occurs in the traditional Russian, “tongue” way, that is, by swinging the tongue and striking it on a motionless hanging bell.
Depending on the number of bells, they can be used in different ways in ringing and, accordingly, installed in different places, taking into account their purpose (at the entrance or inside the temple, at the refectory, in the bell tower or belfry, in the dome of the temple, etc.).
An approximate view of the bell with the names of its main parts is given in Fig. 4.
Rice. 4. Approximate view of the bell and its main parts
In order to better preserve our historical heritage, it is necessary to achieve (by requiring from manufacturers or doing it ourselves) certification of all bells and beats available in churches and monasteries, indicating not only weight, material, main dimensions and appearance, but also recording sound characteristics .
2.2.8. In the case of the simultaneous use of several bells and metal beaters (each separately or together), a full-sounding belfry traditionally consists of three groups: large (blagovestnik) - 1-5 pieces, medium (bell ringing) - 2 or more pieces and small (bell ringing) - 2-4 pcs.
Each of these groups of bells and/or beats has its own sounding part, which is taken into account by the bell ringers when composing the ringing composition.
2.2.10. In connection with the rhythmic basis of Orthodox ringing, the belfry of bells and metal beats is selected not by notes, but by euphony, taking into account the peculiarities of the sound of each bell or beat.
2.2.11. The installation and equipment of belfries made of bells and metal beaters must be carried out with
taking into account the choice of the main direction of the ringing, ensuring conditions for the free release of sound into the surrounding space, the convenience and safety of the bell ringer, as well as taking all measures (technical and organizational) to achieve timeliness and synchronization of the ringing with the divine service.
2.2.12. Before being used in church bells, bells and bells must be consecrated in accordance with the Rite of blessing the campan, bell or ringing placed in the Trebnik.
2.3. About the bell ringer
2.3.1. Believers (both men and women) who have undergone appropriate instruction from an experienced bell ringer or who have completed training courses for church bell ringers are allowed to engage in bell ringing. At the same time, a novice bell ringer must acquire not only the initial skills of practical ringing, but also minimal knowledge about worship and the safety of working with bells and beaters.
2.3.2. The ringing is carried out by a bell ringer over whom a special prayer has been read or who has the blessing of the abbot of a temple or monastery and carries out this obedience with due responsibility.
2.3.3. Before each service, the bell ringer is required to obtain from the rector or serving priest a blessing to begin the ringing, as well as, possibly, other instructions related to its conduct.
2.3.4. Before starting the ringing, the bell ringer must prepare himself spiritually and psychologically, checking the suspension and condition of the bells and bells and thinking through the composition of the ringing from beginning to end. According to tradition, after the sign of the cross, church bells should begin and be accompanied by the reading of psalms 118th or 50th (in accordance with the Typikon) or with the blessing of the rector of any prayer corresponding to the service.
2.3.5. When performing ringing, the bell-ringer must be guided by statutory documents, existing canons, local traditions, the symbol of the internal meaning of the ringing in each specific service and, of course, the instructions of the rector or serving priest.
2.3.6. The bell ringer must remember that he is, as it were, a connecting link between the temple and heaven; his ringing precedes prayer in the church and becomes its continuation after the end of the service. Therefore, the bell ringer needs to study not only the basics of Orthodox ringing, but also constantly improve his skills, know the divine service well, deepen the spiritual (internal) content of his ringing, which is unthinkable without the bell ringer being a church-going person and his constant supervision by a rector or confessor.
2.3.7. In the case of group ringing, in order to achieve its coherence and beauty, all bell ringers, even before the start of the ringing, need to familiarize themselves with the features of the belfry, select the “leading” bell ringer and agree on the dimension, composition, dynamics and other conventions in the ringing.
2.3.8. A bell ringer should feel like a caring owner in a belfry or bell tower, which includes knowledge of safety measures for working with bells and bells, regular monitoring of them and their suspension, timely identification and elimination of all deficiencies.
The bell ringer is also responsible for the timeliness and synchronization of ringing during services, for which it is possible to use a call bell (yasak, kandi) or technical means: light bulbs, electric bells, radio broadcasts, walkie-talkies, etc.
If there are several bell ringers in the church, then a senior one is appointed among them, who is responsible for the order in the belfry and the correct execution of church bell ringing.
2.3.9. Despite certain regulations, church ringing in each church or monastery (due to the specifics of belfries, services and traditions) is different. Therefore, the duties of a bell ringer include a detailed description of his bell tower or belfry, all the bells and bells, the arrangement of bell towers and the method of ringing, as well as information about bell ringers, types of ringing (preferably with their recording in any form) and the Rite (Charter) of ringing in his temple or monastery for the whole year.
This information should be stored in the archives of the temple or monastery and serve as the basis for passing on the traditions of Orthodox bell ringing to subsequent generations of bell ringers.
2.4. Canonical bells
2.4.1. Church bells are an equivalent temple ritual - they, as a rule, begin and end the service. Influencing our hearing and inner state, it awakens from spiritual sleep, cleanses our souls, reminding us of our Lord and His Judgment, the transience of life on earth and eternal life in Heaven.
Initially performing a signaling function, church bells gradually began to be used to indicate not only the beginning and end, but also the most important parts of the service, to express the joy, sadness and triumph of the events being celebrated. From here came various types of ringing, each of which has its own name and purpose.
2.4.2. The complete rite of Orthodox ringing, which arose in Rus' since ancient times and has been preserved
in some monasteries, it consists of the alternate use of all types of beats and bells in accordance with their symbol and solemnity.
After receiving the blessing to carry out the ringing, the bell ringer rings a small (hand-held) wooden bell, usually walking with it around the temple in which the service will be held, and making short stops on the four cardinal points to pronounce prayers.
Then he approaches the large (great) wooden beater and also rhythmically strikes it, pronouncing Psalm 50 or another prayer corresponding to the service once.
After this, riveting into a metal beat (or beat) begins, with the reading of Psalm 50 or another prayer once.
And finally, on holidays and Sundays, the rite of ringing ends with the ringing of the bells.
This Rite of Orthodox ringing unites the most ancient traditions of Orthodoxy and the trends of new times. The above order may vary depending on the availability of certain means of ringing, as well as on local traditions and traditions in each monastery. And here there can be no opposition between bells and bells. Here, for example, is how the Church Fathers expressed the meaning and unity of beats and bells in Orthodox ringing: “The small accent, which occurs at small vespers, as low-voiced and dull, means the ancient prophets and only, as it were, the shadow and transformation of future events; The great emphasis made at the festive matins, like a ringing one and spreading through the air, signifies the broadcast of the Gospel to the whole earth. And the emphasis metal beaters
and the bells express to us the future Judgment and signify that angelic trumpet, which is to call everyone from the graves to the common Judgment.”
2.4.3. Due to historical reasons, it so happened that in Rus', starting from the 15th century, bells began to gradually replace bells, and currently, in the vast majority of churches and monasteries, only belfries made of bells and/or metal bells are used.
At the same time, there are 4 types of canonical ringing, which separately or in combination make up the entire variety of Orthodox ringing: blagovest, search, chime and trezvon.
2.4.4. Blagovest is one of the most ancient bells of the Orthodox Church and is so called because it brings good, joyful news about the beginning of the divine service. This ringing can also be performed
And during the service.
Blagovest is carried out by measured blows on one of the largest bells or bells, of which in large belfries, according to tradition, there can be up to five and which, depending on the type of worship and on what days the ringing occurs, have their own names, for example: festive (solemn), polyeleos, Sunday, simple day (everyday) and small (lenten). In practice, with the blessing of the abbot, evangelists can also be given other special names, based on the place of installation or manufacture, the name of the donor, the characteristics of their sound, etc.
As a separate ringing before the start of the service, the blagovest usually begins with three rare (with fairly long pauses) strikes, and then comes faster measured strikes.
Depending on the service, the blagovest can be ordinary (frequent or with two edges of the bell) or Lenten (rare or with one edge of the bell). On great holidays, the bell is carried out with the participation of the largest bell in the belfry and the ringing itself, as a rule, sounds more often, louder and longer.
Besides ordinary blagovest in Orthodox ringing there is also the so-called gross, or large, gospel, when the blows on the largest bell or beater are interspersed with another large bell or beater.
The time for blagovest is determined by the rector depending on the type of service and traditions: in accordance with the Typikon, reading the 118th psalm once or reading the 50th psalm 12 times, a certain time (10-30 minutes) or the number of beats: 12, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, etc. (depending on the ringing symbol).
2.4.5. The bust is a funeral bell that expresses sadness and grief for the deceased and symbolizes a person’s life from birth to death.
The selection is carried out by slow single blows on each bell or beat from the smallest to the largest, and after this there follows a chord on all or the maximum possible number of bells or beats (the so-called blow “all over”), which symbolizes the end of life. This search is carried out many times depending on the course of the service, but it must be carried through to the end and end with a blow “to the fullest.”
When picking, single blows on a bell or beater are usually made until the sound from the previous blow completely stops. Here, there is no need for haste and the bell ringer must achieve special penetration by uniformly increasing pauses when alternating strikes (taking into account the individual sound of the bells and beats) and a strong, united “full” strike.
2.4.6. The chime is a sad and solemn ringing of each bell or beat in turn (one or several times), from the largest to the smallest, and symbolizes the “exhaustion” of our Lord Jesus Christ for the sake of our salvation.
The ringing of each bell once or with a full blow is the most sad and is performed only twice a year: on Good Friday and Great Saturday on the day of the Lord’s Death on the Cross and His free burial. So that the mournful ringing relating to the Lord, our Savior, in the manner of execution, is not the same as death knell For ordinary people, mortals and sinners, the chime is usually carried out with faster and more uniform strokes.
The ringing of each bell or beat several times - usually 3, 5 or 7 times, symbolizing respectively the Holy Trinity, the Cross (Passion of the Lord) and the Fullness of Faith (Glory of God) - is performed repeatedly and the simultaneous striking of several bells or beats (strike "in all") is usually performed once at the end of the call. This type of chime, although mournful, is considered more solemn and is carried out differently depending on the holiday, local traditions, or as the abbot says.
2.4.7. Trezvon is the ringing of all the bells or bells. It is not limited in its form, so the bell ringer himself chooses the composition of the bells or beats used, as well as the rhythm, dynamics and composition of the performance.
The trezvon expresses Christian joy and triumph. It usually involves all three groups of bells or beats, each of which has its own part. At the same time, according to the established tradition, trezvon usually uses a measure of three quarters (3/4) or four quarters (4/4) and only the largest evangelist (bell or beater) who participated in the evangelist before the start of this service can participate (less possible, but no more).
When performing a separate trezvon, there are usually 3 segments: the beginning (seed), the ringing itself and the ending (ending). The seed usually consists of three rare strikes on the evangelist, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, or other variations. The main part of the trezvon (the ringing itself) can be performed with short pauses in one, two or three steps (verses, series), each of which sometimes ends with a chord 1, 2 or 3 times according to the verse number. Moreover, each such series of ringing can have its own rhythm, tempo, dynamics and composition. The trezvon usually ends with a threefold chord or another method.
Undoubtedly, the ringing must correspond to the nature of the service, holiday or event at which the ringing takes place, observing a certain moderation in its performance (i.e., avoiding various excesses). The duration of the trezvon is determined by reading Psalm 50 once or at a certain time, based on the nature of the holiday, specific conditions or instructions from the abbot.
Message quote Orthodox bell ringing
“A bell is a prayer in sound, a sounding icon”
Bells are one of the necessary accessories of an Orthodox church.
Bell ringing is used to:
1. Call the faithful to worship
2. Express the triumph of the Church and its Divine services
3. Announce to those not present in the church about the time of performing especially important parts of the Divine service.
Initially, before the appearance of bells in Rus', a more general method of calling believers to worship was determined by the 6th century, when they began to use beat And riveted. Bila(And candia) are wooden boards, and riveted- iron or copper strips, bent into a semicircle, which were struck with special wooden sticks. And only at the end of the 10th century bells appeared.
Russian Orthodox bell ringing is significantly different from the bell ringing of other faiths. If the ringing of Western Europe contains melodic and harmonic foundations (Carellon-bell organ), then this is practically absent in Russian ringing. The basis of the Orthodox ringing is rhythm and character. A bell ringer, thanks to his inner instinct, sense of rhythm, excellent knowledge of the scale and mastery of performance technique, based on the Rules, prayer and personal worldview, can convey joy and tranquility, deep sorrow and triumph of the spiritual content of church services through bell ringing. In the souls of believers seeking peace with the Lord God, the ringing of church bells awakens a bright, joyful and peaceful mood. So a person can determine the state of his soul by the ringing of a bell. The Orthodox ringing contains a wondrous power that penetrates deeply into human hearts.
Having fallen in love with the ringing of church bells, the Russian Orthodox people connected all their solemn and sad events with it. Therefore, the Orthodox bell ringing not only serves as an indication of the time of the Divine service, but also serves as an expression of joy, sadness and triumph. This is where different types of ringing came from, and each type of ringing has its own name and meaning.
The International Center for Bell Art presents a unique archival recording of the Festive ringing performed by the legendary master Ivan Vasilyevich Danilov and his student Andrei Anatolyevich Dyachkov. Arkhangelsk, Malye Korely Museum of Wooden Architecture, 1997.
Types of bells and their names
Bell ringing was divided into three main types:
Blagovest
Chime, bust
Actually the ringing
Blagovest- these are single measured strikes on one large bell. This ringing announces to the believers the good news about the beginning of worship in the temple. Blagovest can be festive, everyday and Lenten. In the word "bl" A govest" the emphasis is on the first syllable! "Blagovest" is always the name of the ringing, not the bell. The bell that produces blagovest is called blagovestnik!
Chime- these are alternating strikes (from one to seven on each bell) from large to small, enumerating bells from the largest bell to the smallest or vice versa with a different number of strikes on each bell. There are two main chimes: funeral and water-blessing.
Actually the ringing- This is a characteristic rhythmic ringing using all the main groups of the bell scale. The ringings of this group include: holiday ringing /trezvon, two-ringing/, everyday ringing, as well as ringings composed by the bell-ringer himself, which is the result of the creative work and self-expression of the bell-ringer.
Blagovest intended to announce the upcoming start of the service. The Blagovest “... not only notifies about the time of the beginning of the service, but also prepares Christians for it... It, in fact, is already a Divine service,” says Professor Mikhail Skaballanovich in the Explanatory Typikon. The gospel is celebrated, as mentioned above: on great holidays - on the holiday bell, before Sunday services - on the Sunday bell.
The bell ringer, as follows from the instructions of the Typikon, before the ringing is supposed to take a blessing for the ringing from the primate (the priest who is to perform the service). The blessing of the priest determines the blagovest, as well as other ringing, the status of a liturgical action.
The position of bell ringer is performed by the paraecclesiarch - in the modern version - sexton, altar boy or reader. However, in our time, those who have been blessed by the rector have the right to make calls, regardless of whether this person belongs to the ranks of clerics, clerics, or is simply a parishioner.
During the bell ringer, it is recommended to read the immaculate (17th kathisma) or 12 times the 50th psalm. “The same ascending strikes the great company not soon, singing the blameless ones, or saying Psalm 50 to 12” (Typikon, ch. 2). From this indication it follows that the duration of the ringing corresponds to approximately 20 minutes. However, now, due to the fact that the ringing carries a more symbolic than practical meaning, the time of the gospel has decreased and is approximately 10 minutes.
At the beginning of the bell, two strikes are made on the designated bell until the sound completely fades, and from the third, measured strikes begin. The interval between strikes should be chosen so that it corresponds to the voice of the bell, otherwise the ringing may turn out to be mournful if the strikes are too rare, or alarming if the strikes are very frequent.
Based on these Statutory recommendations, the Zvonarsky Statute of the Patriarchal Cathedral in the Name of Christ the Savior in Moscow was drawn up. Text of the Cathedral Bell Ringing Charter, approved with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy.
Today, many churches still keep unique selections of church bells. Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Novo-Devichiy Moscow Monastery, Kirillo-Belozersky Vologda Monastery, Bishop's Courtyard and Assumption Cathedral in Rostov the Great - and this list of monuments of Russian history can be listed for a long time. The concept of “selection of bells” refers to the selection of a certain number of bells collected in a specific monastery or temple. This selection creates complete musical harmony of all tones and sounds produced by bells of different sizes. There have been cases when the selection of a particular temple took a long time. So the selection that exists in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra has been collected for 486 years. This collection still contains bells dating back to 1422. Most of the unique bells could not survive the terrible era of godlessness in Russia, when the Soviet government barbarously plundered churches and destroyed their property. True, during the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet government attempted to carry out some restoration of some Russian churches with their bell towers.
Healing bell ringing
In the Orthodox tradition, the ringing of a bell has not only the significance of a signal calling for prayer, but also setting a person in a certain mood, causing deep experiences of contact with Higher powers. It’s not for nothing that the bell is called the “sound sun”, the bell. Bell ringing is used in the treatment of psychosomatic diseases. Today it has already been proven: the acoustic wave when ringing bells propagates in the shape of a cross. This was mathematically calculated in the scientific laboratory of the Moscow ZIL during the restoration of bells for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Doctor of Technical Sciences B. N. Nyunin created an accurate radiation pattern of the bell. The sound, descending from heaven to earth, seems to baptize the area. Maybe that’s why the impact of bells on the human soul is so great. One of the St. Petersburg psychiatrists treats mental illness with bell ringing. However, not only mental illnesses are subject to mystical sound. Scientists have found that the wave propagated by the bell kills pathogenic bacteria within a radius of several kilometers! It turned out that bells in the ultrasonic range act as energy generators. Our ancestors, guessing this, rang bells around the clock during the epidemic. Moreover, against each specific ailment - with a special ringing.
It is not without reason that it is said: “If an icon is a prayer in colors, a temple is a prayer in stone, then a bell is a prayer in sound, a sounding icon. This is the sound cast in bronze that the Russian ear of an Orthodox person has chosen for itself as an ideal.” An Orthodox person was born, lived and died with a bang. Numerous cases are known when the sudden sound of a bell prevented crime and suicide, led to repentance, called a desperate person to the temple, who received peace in it and gained vitality and the meaning of existence.
Northern Bells.mp3 performed by Vladimir Petrovsky
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4.41 |
1650 |
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3.00 |
1064 |
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3.17 |
1159 |
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4.27 |
1568 |
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4.47 |
1687 |
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5.55 |
2088 |
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8.21 |
2939 |
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5.50 |
2055 |