Ringing the bells backwards is a bellringer's term.... (or so I was taught at school, which is where I learned the song!) - the usual way of ringing a 'peal' of bells is reversed.... it's a way of sounding the alarm...
If you have ever been to Edinburgh you would know how narrow the city gates were at the West Port (in the song).... There was a bad fire in that district of Edinburgh a while ago..... major damage to buildings, some of them dating from the early 1500s.
Ringing the bells backwards is a bellringer's term.... (or so I was taught at school, which is where I learned the song!) - the usual way of ringing a 'peal' of bells is reversed.... it's a way of sounding the alarm...
If you have ever been to Edinburgh you would know how narrow the city gates were at the West Port (in the song).... There was a bad fire in that district of Edinburgh a while ago..... major damage to buildings, some of them dating from the early 1500s.
Thanks, but wwhat is the "usual way" of ringing a peal?
Sorry, but just cos I know the answer to the question you raised, doesn't mean I have any real knowledge of bell-ringing - which is a skill people take years to learn
The bells are cast to give out a certain note.... certain runs of bells, ie striking in certain orders have names.... If you are a bellringer, you can recognise 'tunes'.... In earlier days there were 'tunes' for alarms, weddings, funerals etc..... all recognised by the population. So, and this is only an example - I have no knowledge that such a 'peal' exists - say the bells were usually rung in a certain order to peal out a 'good' message - 1 2 3 and then 4.... I suppose to play them backwards would be 4 3 2 and then 1?
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