How I Got Started In Loving Churchbells

I loved church bells since I was younger. I guess that It all started one day at a church in Centereach N.Y. Back then, before my biological parents divorced, we were going somewhere and passed by the church. My father stopped there so he can show us the “Talking Bell.” Just by coincidence, their church bell music began to play as we stopped in front of the church. My sister and I said hello, and how are you, and then the bells rang after we talked to it seeing as though it was talking back to us. This was back in the early 1970’s when my sister and I were young. But this was probably what got my interest in bells and their music, and my curiosity of them.

Churchbells ringing I am Listening

As the years had continued, my curiosity and fondness of church bells had increased. I remember back where I used to live on Janet Street, that on really gorgeous bright warm sunny days, as I was blowing bubbles, I was able to hear some faint sounds of church bell music coming from the other side of the woods across the street. “Where is this church bell music coming from, is it just from the Centereach Church?” I wondered. Sometimes a faint cool breeze had come by to bring in the bell music a little closer, and I still wondered even more on where it came from. On and off, I had gone to church on Sundays, and occasionally hear the bells playing, but it wasn’t from the church I heard them from. Back then, I mostly remember going to a church during the week for a daycare program, or Sunday School, and whenever our teacher heard the bells ringing, she said that class was over. Another place I went to as a daycare program was at a church within the area that wasn’t too large. Mostly, I remember the teacher’s name being Mrs. Day and we went downstairs for playtime and such. Mrs. Day would ring a large handbell to inform us that playtime is over and it’s time for something else. We also went upstairs to the main worship room to sing. Somehow I do remember the large round glass lamps that hung from the ceiling that gave off a pleasant glow, and one time I remember seeing a moth flying inside it.


There’s another church I went to as part of a day care that was a little down the road. It was huge, but confusing to me as there was someone on the stage making announcements and I hardly knew what was going on. I do remember asking one time if this church had played bells, and I was told “Yes it did, but it doesn’t anymore as they are broken.” This brought about more of my curiosity of church bells and where did they come from.

I can hear those churchbells now

I love the sound of Church bell music, as they were often heard from many different churches within our area. The only problem was that these churches that played the bells were very far to walk to. So the only time I got to hear them, was if we had passed by those churches during our trips just as they began to play their bells. I soon began to memorize which churches had played their bells and at what time. I remember a lot of tv shows I had watched as a kid that had an episode or two of church bell music being played. One of which is the “Our Gang” episode “Pups is Pups.” A little boy named Wheezer had a bunch of playful and mischievous puppies that tend to run off and get lost. The only way for him to retrieve them back was by making the sound of a bell, for which got their attention and then they would run back,. “Figuring maybe that it was time to eat.” The puppies did run off and every time they heard a bell ring. So finally Wheezer was sad and desperate to get his lost puppies back, so he went to St. Patrick’s Cathedrial in NYC and rang their carillon bells to call the puppies over, and they did all back and Wheezer got his puppies back. Then there was another episode where two kids have attempted to host a party of their own to raise money to get their mom a birthday present. But their father was mean and unforgiving and often scolded his kids, as he discovered the mess of the party afterwards. In the end, the kids got their mom a birthday present of a nice dress and awkward shoes and you heard the church bells ringing as they got ready and go to church. Other Tv shows like the Patchwork Family had an episode scene where the Uncle or Father of the family, who was the musician had demonstrated a bunch of things that made sounds and music. The main thing he did lastly was ring a set of Orchestral Chimes which sounded harmonious to me. Another kid show called Pinwheel had a scene about Minus getting an old alarm clock from Mr. Ebeneezer T Squint. It was nightime so while Minus tried to set the alarm, it went off by itself during the night waking everyone in the house. One of the alarms was the sound of the Westminster Chimes heard some where in NYC. It used to be the opening scene of the Wall Street Week show in the 1980’s.


Most often I enjoyed the movies and cartoons they showed about clocks, or bells. Like showing how cuckoo clocks were made, or an animated story about a Cuckoo Clock that had a Cuckoo bird that wouldn’t cuckoo, because he needed a friend.

I was amazed during an episode of Kidsworld that ran on Nickelodeon, when they had a episode of kids doing a report on Melody Bells, a handbell choir that rang in a church in Orensville Indiana. At least it sounded like that. But I did manage to video tape it and watched it often. I also remember tape recording these bell clips that I had videotaped years ago, so I can listen to them, while I did my artwork.

It was something that inspired me and made me feel good. But the really cool thing I saw was the episode of Disney’s “Tailspin” titled “For whom the bell clangs.” What really blew my mind away was the city of Tinabula that was discovered, as it built entirely of bells and chimes, and worked on harmonics. That sound like an awesome place to be, however there is the giant snake of Clang who sets loose a bunch of red roped thugs and giant beetles to stop anyone in trying to find the great bell. The bell that silences all and defeats Clang. The only thing is that once that bell is rung, all of Tinabula crumbles to pieces and is buried beneath several tons of sand ,and becomes a legend once again. Tons of happy bell memories.