Since the end of 2023, the bells c1- e♭1- f1- a♭1- h♭1 [do3-mi♭3- fa3- la♭3- si♭3] are ringing out in St Paul's Church in Fellbach as an extraordinarily interesting mixture of iron and bronze bells.
Until the end of 2023, the bells c1- e♭1- f1- a♭1 [do3-mi♭3- fa3- la♭3] were rung as a similarly interesting mixture of iron cast and steel bells.
➥ New bells were cast in 1927 for the new construction of St. Paul's Church in Fellbach. The Schilling & Lattermann foundry in Apolda produced three iron cast bells [1+2+IV], of which the large "Betglocke" [1] is one of the largest surviving iron cast bells in southern Germany today.
The fact that the parish could not afford bronze bells at the time due to a tight financial situation is immortalized in a lengthy text on this large bell.
A bronze bell from the emergency church was probably still there, but had to be given away during the Second World War.
The Bochumer Verein provided the replacement in 1948 with the steel cast bell [III].
This ensemble rang out for many years as an interesting mixture of iron and steel bells. Presumably also due to the quality of the bells, the replacement of the bells was probably not up for discussion until recently, unlike so many other places in southern germany.
At the beginning of the 2020s however, it became clear that the Melanchthonkirche in Fellbach was to be closed and demolished. The ringing there, f1- a♭1- h♭1 [fa3- la♭3- si♭3] , consists of bells [3+4+5] from the Bachert bell foundry in Kochendorf, which were cast in 1964 with a medium shape.
As the bells were largely matched to the peals of the city church and the St. Paul's Church, this was seen as an opportunity to supplement the peals of the St. Paul's Church. In order to avoid the tone doubling f1 and a♭1, it was decided to remove the small iron cast bell [IV] and the steel cast bell [III]. The bronze bells [3+4] were to take their place. A new wooden belfry was planned for the small bell [5].
This project was started in September 2023 and completed until November. This video shows the ringing of St. Paul's Church in both states shortly before and shortly after the restructuring.
Both the old and the new peal are clearly dominated by the bell [2], which does not have the best intonation. Although this was adjusted when the bronze bells were installed, it is definitely not yet optimal.
The bronze bells give the two remaining, relatively dark-sounding iron cast bells a very beautiful, singing crown of sound. The interplay of iron and bronze instruments is not uninteresting. The enormous tower hall is definitely an advantage for the sound development.
31 июл 2024
