Ringing Out the Changes 334 words, 2 minutes read time.
Accompanied by Susannah, Eli and Geoffrey on handbells, the playwright Jo Clifford, (author of the controversial The Gospel according to Jesus, Queen of Heaven), reflects on the role of bells in the cycle of our lives.
Each of the handbells has a name:
Justice, Courage, Humility, Faithfulness, Continence, Patience, Reverence, Loyalty, Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. It’s all in the bells. Let’s live our lives in justice, have courage to make it happen, keep hoping, walk in peace, walk in joy, and live in love.
To the sound of various sets played by the three bell ringers, Jo gives a fascinating account of the use of bells in history. Bells conjured up unhappy school memories for Jo. Some of her audience might have similar miserable recollections.
Bells often ring out to signify changes, good and bad. Church bells celebrated Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and the bloody triumphs of Empire. Bells – specifically the bells of St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh – tolled for the thousands of young men butchered in the trenches of the world wars. Bells rang out to celebrate victory in those wars. Bells rang to mourn Queen Elizabeth’s death and to celebrate the coronation of Charles III.
Bells were controversial in the early conflicts between Christianity and Islam and later around the Reformation. John Knox wasn’t a fan, but things moved on. Bells eventually found a place in the Protestant churches.
Jo tells the story of St Mary’s Cathedral, a testimony to two powerful women, Barbara and Mary Walker who led a quiet revolution. They inherited their father’s business and used the money to build the West End of the New Town. They set aside money to build a cathedral in their late mother’s name. They knew that there was more to life than just making money. They never lived to see the magnificent gothic revival cathedral take shape, but they had the vision to see it through.
Who knew that bells could be so interesting?
Reviewed by David Kerr
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