Pictured is the Holy Communion Bell Choir, under the capable direction of Dianne Johnson. They played two pieces today for church and what a pleasure it was to hear them. There’s nothing lovelier and more impressive than a well- prepared bell choir- and by the same token, there’s nothing more unfortunate than a bell choir that falls apart under pressure and can’t quite keep it together. And to watch such a bell choir, even when they sort of muscle themselves across the finish line without disaster, is one of the most draining experiences I’ve ever had as an audience member. Such a bell choir typically consists of eight people who are playing with gritted teeth and furrowed brow, seeming not to have even the slightest bit of fun doing what they’re doing. Such an experience is about as much fun as watching eight dentists doing eight root canals on eight uncooperative patients. It’s something best done in private and not in front of an audience. A nerve-riddled bell choir is pretty much the same thing. By contrast, an assured bell choir can do a good job and enjoy themselves while they do it – and our bell choir, fortunately, is such a group.
It got me thinking to the first time I saw a bell choir in action. It was at Moody Bible Institute in Omaha – and they were fantastic. I’d never seen or heard anything quite like it in my life. (Sometimes small colleges that can’t field a concert band will gather its talented instrumentalists together into a bell choir.) Not only was the big group wonderful, but there was also one hotshot ringer who played a couple of pieces entirely on his own. It’s a bit stressful to watch something like that- it’s a little bit akin to watching someone juggle fine china while balancing themselves on a beach ball. But this guy was incredible and didn’t seem to miss a thing from start to finish.
In stark contrast, I remember seeing the bell choir of a certain Lutheran church in Racine (NOT Holy Communion) in one of their first performances. This is probably 20 years ago or so – and because they were just beginners, their director had chosen to utilize the method by which the players are not playing from musical notation, but rather from graphs which have numbers on them . . . and the ringers simply ring a given bell when its number comes up. So in other words, each member of that bell choir had nothing in front of them except a row of numbers – no staff, no notes, nothing that looked like music at all. What is so dangerous about that is that if the choir somehow gets off, there is almost no way of restarting or getting back on track. And unfortunately, this particular bell choir got off about four notes into their piece (I think it was Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee) and from there to the end they sounded like the bell choir equivalent of my nephew Henry pounding on piano keys. All of us in the congregation CRINGED – and so were these poor bell ringers, most of whom appeared to be headed for a stroke.
No such troubles with Holy Communion’s Bell Choir. In fact, we have had marvelous groups over the years. The first groups were directed by our own Henrietta Welch, who basically SCARED everybody into playing well! : – ) She also had for awhile a group of junior high boys – six of them, I think – who were even better than the adults were. The current bell choir are quite strong- and they manage to make what they play sound like music. (A poor bell choir makes that they play sound like sound effects- or worse, like someone dropped a box of bells down the stairs.)
But let’s hear it for bell ringers everywhere – those who are still struggling and learning and (we hope) getting better , and those that make it look so easy – and like so much fun.