Russian Church Bells RFI

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hmm so i ordered the cd called 'glocken in russland' which sounds ok, but doesnt seem to feature the full on mentasm of RUSSIAN CHURCH BELL RINGING, which is the most amazing thing ever. So what is recommended for recordings of this stuff? the best 'bells on sunday' they had (radio4 sundays 23.30) they had was from a church in moscow. hearing this stuff blew me away when i visited russian churches aroudn the place. so now i am here, where can i hear this on CD? any help from the musicologist/folkloristic crew?

― ambrose (ambrose), Monday, 19 July 2004 12:37 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.russianbells.com/interest/harvard-danilov/harv-dan-04.html

Harvard has a set of 18 Russian bells purchased from the Soviet government in 1930, one of only five complete, intact sets of pre-revolutionary Russian bells left in the world. They came from Moscow's oldest monastery, which is now also the Patriarch's residence. The monastery has been trying to get the bells back for the past 20 years, but they have become part of Harvard's culture too, and the university is not just hoping to get rid of them. Also, the towers would have to be dismantled in order to remove them. Nonetheless, the dialogue has been amicable, and Harvard is willing to entertain the idea of their return.

― I CAN LEAD YOU THROUGH THE ZONE (ex machina), Monday, 19 July 2004 12:54 (twenty-one years ago)

A school in my town used to do trips to Russia and kids used to bring back records as presents... which would then end up in charity shops as they were all shit. All except for an LP I found called Rostov Chimes which is of Russian Bell ringing from the Rostov Kremlin. It sounds like slow and stately early Sonic Youth. Not at all like any bells that I've heard in England.

"The lowest bass bell - called Sysoy - weighs 32 tons and sounds in the C tone of the great octave. The sound of the bell is heard at a distance of nearly 20 kilometres" sez the liner notes.

I don't know if this is what you are looking for but if you can find any recordings of these bells I recommend them.

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Monday, 19 July 2004 16:22 (twenty-one years ago)

gah rosov chimes was one of the cds i saw on amazon. why exactly were all the records shit? also, what town do you live in?! ;) sounds liek i need to get my ass down there.

not really familiar with the slow/stately stuff. when iu have heard it is has just been hyperspeed trilling discordant stuff, like oval* or something

* that is such a shit comparison. however, i know there is a (probably very many) western laptop idm nerd analogue, i just can;t think of them.

― ambrose (ambrose), Monday, 19 July 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Most of the Russian records were shit cuz they were rock that sounded like wimpy Miami Vice backing music out-takes crossed with stodgy prog.

The Rostov Chimes record doesn't sound like the hyperspeed trilling you describe; it's more like church-bells-in-dub. The sleeve notes do say that "melodious chiming is contrary to the very character of the bells. They fascinate when they ring rhythmically..." so there may be some of the same impulse there.

(This was Morpeth in Northumberland, not seen a Russian record there for years tho'. It's probably too easy to bring back ultra-cheap pirates of Euro/American CDs now, post the fall of communism).

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Monday, 19 July 2004 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

dude i reckon those russian prog records would be worth $$$$$$$$$$$4 so more fool yr mates. if it was pre 1992 vinyl, then it is hardcore?
is the rostov chimes thing on 'melodiya' records?

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 08:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I have been wondering about those Russian prog records, not so much from the point of view of money but in case they were great and I just didn't see it (not being into any prog at the time). I remeber them as being mid-paced and stodgy though so I don't believe that I'm missing out on any Artemiev plays 21st C. Schizoid Man style action. I thgink at least one of them is in a box at my mum's so I'll have to check it when I'm there.

The Rostov Chimes was on Melodiya. This was the Russian state record label and the only (official) label in Russia at the time (I think).

(I'm about to e-mail you by the way)

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

"Rostov Chimes" LP on Melodiya

http://cgi.ebay.it/Rostov-Chimes-Russia-LP_W0QQitemZ4844904213QQihZ014QQcategoryZ306QQcmdZViewItem

this is a great, great record

― Milton Parker, Wednesday, 26 March 2008 07:58 (seventeen years ago)

not the earlier 10" one, though -- that one's got breaks for narration, spoken in russian, more souvenir than gateway

― Milton Parker, Wednesday, 26 March 2008 08:31 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah that record rules. Definitely my favourite ever church bell record. Total Glenn Branca style action.

(Were those my first ever ILM posts up above?)

― Raw Patrick, Wednesday, 26 March 2008 08:39 (seventeen years ago)

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