Tower bells toll inside Montreal church, giving concert goers a unique experience
CBC
When André Pappathomas heard the archdiocese was going to take down the Sacré-Coeur-de-Jésus Church's water-damaged bell tower early on in the pandemic, he got an idea.
The longtime choir director suggested the bells — cast in France back in the late 1800s — be preserved by installing them inside the church instead where they would serve not only as museum pieces of sorts, but also as musical accompaniment during performances.
But moving the bells indoors wasn't so simple. The largest of the bells weighs more than a Ford F-150 pickup truck.
Before even considering the task of lugging them inside, the first step was to ensure the floor could support the load.
Then the bells were placed throughout the sanctuary of the church, located on Alexandre-de Sève Street, at the corner of Ontario Street.
After that job was done, the musicians had to figure out how to even play the bells indoors without leaving people's ears ringing long after they left the building.
WATCH | Percussionists play ancient church bells:
Percussionist François Gauthier said pulling on the wheel and using the clapper at full force is just not doable indoors. It could lead to broken windows and statues shaking on their pedestals, he said.
"We tried it once and we stopped it. It's definitely too loud," he said. "It's not meant to be played inside."
The solution was handmade, weighted mallets. Depending on where the bell is struck, different notes ring out.
Gauthier said there is actually a series of harmonics and overtones as you knock farther up the bell with the custom mallet.
"It's unique in the world. It's a real privilege for us to be able to feel the instrument," said Gauthier, explaining that musicians must dampen the tones with their body by hugging the bell after hitting it.
In doing that, they feel the sound.
"It's probably the only place in the world where bells are installed in the church," said Pappathomas.
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