History Snob on MSN

The history of bells, sirens, and other sounds used to control public life

Long before phones buzzed in pockets, public life had its own loud operating system. Bells, drums, horns, whistles, and sirens told people when to wake, pray, work, gather, take cover, or pay ...
Smithsonian Magazine

The Secret Sounds of Notre-Dame’s Bells

Notre-Dame’s oldest bell, Emmanuel, dates back to the 15th century and rings in F sharp. Thesupermat via Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Since the ...
National Catholic Register

‘Sanctified Sound’: The Return of Bell-Tower Bells Ringing at Eucharistic Consecration

Ringing the handheld Sanctus bells during the consecration and elevation of the Host and chalice at Mass is a familiar sound in many churches. Yet another centuries-old practice has remained in some ...
Times Union

Watervliet recreates the tolling of historic city church bells

Watervliet Mayor Charles Patricelli stands next to the Meneely bell from St. Brigid’s Church next to Broadway which links Watervliet, Menands, Colonie and Albany on Thursday, March 28, 2024 in ...
The New York Times

The Nazi Plunder of Church Bells Changed the Sound of Europe

As church bells chime and peal the New Year, historians say the looting of more than 150,000 bells during World War II left “a sonic gap” in the landscape. A bell inside the Dom Tower in Utrecht, the ...