Field recordings and historical recordings by Jan Kruit and Maxim Chapochnikov.
Russian Orthodox Chimes
Russian Orthodox Easter is this year on 1 May. In the Orthodox tradition, Easter is announced by ringing the bells. From miles around, people hear the call to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. During Easter, the worshippers can come up the bell tower and play the bells themselves. Several sources seems to indicate that the bells in Russia were spread during the Christianization of Russia. They were first used to call worshippers to the service or give certain signals. There are also some clues that the Russian traditions of bells are rooted in the pre-christian heathen Slavic culture.
Vanuit de meeste bronnen lijkt het erop dat de klokken in Rusland werden verspreid samen met de kerstening van Rusland. Ze werden in eerste instantie gebruikt om de gelovigen naar de kerkdienst op te roepen of om bepaalde signalen te geven. Er bestaan ook enkele aanwijzingen dat de Russische klokkentraditie in de voorchristelijke heidense Slavische cultuur is geworteld.
Contemporary bells
The bells journeyed from western Europe in the 10th century. They were played by turning the bell itself. The Russians changed this construction to playing with a swinging tongue. Thanks to thins construction, they were able to cast bigger and heavier bells. The heaviest bell was made in the 18th century. It’s called the Tsar Bell and is 6,14 meters high and weighs 210 tonnes.
The Tsar Bell
Its massive divine chimes of the bells are intertwined with the Russian culture. Despite the sounds of church bells being archetypical to the Russians, many of them were destroyed by communists after the 1917 revolution. In Moscow alone, 2200 bells were taken from church towers and melted down. Few bells survived and the production had stopped. Since the 80’s, the tradition was brought back to Russia and the bells sound beautifully and powerful through Russian landscapes.
Destruction of the bells during the 1917 revolution
Playlist
1. Blagovest (Evangelist), Novodevichi Monastery 3:14
LP Chimes Of Moscow. Russian Disc R10 00657
2. Easter Chime, Novodevichi 7:45
LP Chimes Of Moscow. Russian Disc R10 00657
3. Holy Water Chime 4:36
CD Chimes of Russian North, 1990
Melodiya SUCD11-00326
4. Every Day Chime 4:53, same
5. Ontmoeting met De Heer (Meeting with The Lord) 4:57, same
6. Easter Chimes. Danilov Monastary 6:09
Ringer I. Konovalov
LP Russian Disc R10 00657
7. Wedding Chime, Rostov Velikij 4:34
CD Chimes of The Rostov The Bell Tower of The Uspensky Cathedraal. 2004 Russkiy Dom, Jaroslavl
8. Kolokolnye Zvony Zolotogo Kolca. nr. 8 1:58
CD Колокольные Звоны Золотого Кольца России, Disam 2004, DS 12
9. Kolokolnye Zvony Zolotogo Kolca. nr. 11, 2:02, same
10. Kolokolnye Zvony Zolotogo Kolca. Nr.15, 2:24, same
11. Mussorgski. part from the opera Boris Godunov. 3:08
12. Ayarkhaan “Singing Bells” 2:48
CD Ethno-group Ayarkhaan
13. Ioninski zvon 3:33
CD Chimes of The Rostov The Bell Tower of The Uspensky Cathedraal. 2004, Russkiy Dom, Jaroslavl
14. Akimovski Zvon 3:29, same
