History of Handbells

Bells speak a universal language and have been known from almost the beginning of mankind. Bells in many shapes and sizes flourished wherever civilization flourished. Originally they were probably gourds or nutshells that were struck from the outside with a piece of wood. Man learned to make more elaborate bells of clay, wood, and stone. Evidences of bells made of metal can be traced back to the Bronze Age, around 3000 B.C. Throughout history, bells have served as a form of communication. The sound of bells has carried messages, told the time, announced events, or warned of emergencies.

Because bells could be heard greater distances if they were raised above the ground, it became the practice to build high towers to house them. Bell towers, containing many tuned bells, are called "carillons" and are played by one or more persons from a keyboard and pedal board made of levers. Carillons failed to become popular in England. Instead, the English invented their own mathematical rather than musical system of ringing their tower bells. This came to be known as "change ringing" and used multiple ringers.

In the early 1600’s groups of five or more bells were hung in many English church towers. The bells were rung one after the other, from highest to lowest, over and over again creating peals. By the mid-1600’s the English were using "change ringing," a procedure for ringing bells in various mathematical orders. Each order is called a "change." Change ringing is a combination of music, math, and sport.

Handbells were designed by tower ringers during the seventeenth century as a more convenient way to practice the change ringing. Soon it was discovered that handbells made beautiful music of their own.

English handbells first came to the United States in the early 1800’s. P.T. Barnum, of circus fame, arranged a touring handbell group in the 1840’s. Handbell ringing has grown in popularity since the 1950’s as it expanded from churches to schools and other organizations.