VOA文化艺术2024--Church Bells in Spanish Town Ring Out a Return to Tradition

The sound of church bells around the world is usually made by machine. But before newspapers, radio, telephones, television and the internet, bell ringing by hand communicated important information within small communities across Europe.

Now, a small school of bell ringers in northeastern Spain wants to recover the art of hand, or manual, bell ringing. The school's founder¹ and leader, Xavier Pallàs, says there is a whole language of bell ringing to rescue and return to use.

The Vall d'en Bas School of Bell Ringers effort comes two years after the international community recognized the import of manual bell ringing in Spain. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, added the practice to its Humanity's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2022.

A method of messaging for centuries

Pallàs' students have learned how to ring out calls for village celebrations, warnings of bad weather or fire, religious services, and deaths. Pallàs says bells could still "help mark the rituals that we need."

The change to mechanical ringing devices over the past century has flattened² the bells' songs and muted their messaging powers, the teacher said. If the bells are played with expertise³, he added, the sound can signal a time for celebrating or mourning. The sound can even signal when to run to the aid of a neighbor in need.

"For centuries, the tolling⁴ of church bells was our most important communication method," said Pallàs. He spoke⁵ inside the belfry that also serves as classroom, in the town of Joanetes.

"Machines cannot reproduce the richness of the sounds that we used to hear, so there has been a simplification and unification of bell ringing. The language has been lost little by little until now, when we are finally recognizing its worth."

Reconnecting with the past

Manual church bell ringing has continued in Eastern Orthodox countries. But most Christian⁶ churches in Western Europe today use electronic bell ringing systems.

The students at Vall d'en Bas include women and men from diverse professional backgrounds. One student was in his 20s. Several students were retirees.

All spent the past few months researching bell sequences, documenting their history and learning to play them.

Roser Sauri jumped at the chance to reconnect with her childhood. She worked to recover and play the sequence that had sounded in her grandfather's village to announce his baptism.

"The bells formed a part of my life," said Sauri, who now works in artificial intelligence.

Honoring humans and God

Juan Carles Osuna and two other students recently tolled⁷ for the death of a woman. That meant swinging the largest of the bells. It weighs 429 kilograms.

"It's an emotional experience," Osuna said. "You feel your blood pumping. You feel the strength, and how you are communicating with everyone in earshot."

He added, "For me it is an honor, it's a way to honor both humans and God."

Dreaming of bell ringers across Spain

Xavier Pallàs says he has a full class lined up for the fall and about 60 more people on an admission wait list. He believes that a recovery of bell ringing in a neighborhood or town's life could help strengthen local communities.

The school leader said, "This is a means of communication that reaches everyone inside a local community and can help it come together at concrete moments."

Words in This Story

church - n. a building for public holy services, especially of Christian belief

ritual - n. ceremony, especially of religious tradition

belfry - n. a bell tower

diverse - adj. involving many different kinds of related or similar things

sequence - n. the order in which things are or should be connected, related, or dated

swing - v. to move quickly in a sweeping⁸ curve

concrete - adj. belonging to or based on actual experience; not abstract

1 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

2 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

3 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

4 tolling   

[财]来料加工

参考例句：

• A remote bell is tolling. 远处的钟声响了。
• Indeed, the bells were tolling, the people were trooping into the handsome church. 真的，钟声响了，人们成群结队走进富丽堂皇的教堂。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 tolled   

鸣钟（toll的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Bells were tolled all over the country at the King's death. 全国为国王之死而鸣钟。
• The church bell tolled the hour. 教堂的钟声报时。

8 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？