THE
ALTAR BELL: Part I
Published
in the January 2010 (Winter) issue of The Acolyte
(magazine
for SSPX's branch of the Archconfraternity of
St. Stephen)
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Have
you ever considered why a small
bell is rung near the altar at
certain times during Mass? If
you think about when it is used,
you would probably conclude
(correctly) that it is rung to
announce a significant sacred
moment.
As
we shall see shortly, the altar
bell is actually derived from
the belfry’s large bell and
although the latter symbolizes
“Vox Domini in virtue, vox
Domini in magnificentia,”
nevertheless, no such symbolism
is associated with the small
bell as it serves only a
practical purpose.
As
with every other aspect of the
sacred liturgy, the Church wants
to ensure that whatever is
employed at the altar is
dignified and edifying, a matter
that is especially important for
something as potentially
distracting as a bell. So in
this two-part article we will
briefly review not only how and
when it should be rung, but even
what type of bell should be
used. First though, a little
history on the altar bell.
An
example of a small, single-tongued
hand bell held in a balanced
position. |
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The Introduction of the Altar Bell
during Mass
You
might be surprised to learn that an
altar bell was not always used during Mass.
Its use did not originate in the
Western
Church,
until the late 12th century when another
practice was introduced: the Elevation
of the newly-consecrated Sacred Host.
At first, the belfry’s large bell was
rung to alert those outside the church, thus allowing those within earshot to
momentarily cease their activities and
adore. Eventually, the belfry’s bell
was replaced by a small one at the altar
to warn those inside the church. First practiced in northern Europe,
it would take another 200 years before
this custom was adopted in Rome; in
fact, the bell was not even mentioned in
the Missale
Romanum until 1604 by Pope Clement
VIII,
and then only for the Sanctus
and Elevations. |
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The Correct Type of Bell
So
what kind of bell should be used
at the altar? The
Roman Missal gives the answer in
its Rubricæ
Generales section
using the term, “parva
campanula,”
which J.B. O’Connell
further explains:
What
the rubrics envisage is a small,
single-tongued bell, and the
correct kind of bell is a simple
hand-bell, in silver or bronze,
with one tongue. It ought to
have a good tone, and, for a
large church, a robust one.
Chiming bells, a carillon[]—used
in some places since the 15th
century—are not forbidden, but
are less correct and cause
distraction…
A
properly-constructed carillon set
exhibiting a single tongue in each
bell. |
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Dom
Matthew Britt adds:
Nothing
can equal in appropriateness a simple,
single, sweet-toned bell. Bishop Van der
Stappen would tolerate a correctly tuned
chime of three or four small bells, but
he hastens to add that the single bell
prescribed by the rubrics is preferable.
As
to what is unsuitable for an altar bell
a few quotes will suffice, starting
again with J.B. O’Connell, who begins
“Indian
gongs are not allowed.”
Very Rev. Laurence O’Connell
continues, “[A] gong is understood by the Congregation [of Rites] as
a cymbal or basinlike instrument affixed
to a wooden shaft,”
and Britt concludes:
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But
no less objectionable are chimes of
plates or tubes mounted on a board, and
so-called electric altar chimes which
consist of tubes operated from a
keyboard sunk in the altar step. Such
devices savor of the theatre, not of the
sanctuary.
The Placement of the Altar Bell
in the Sanctuary
As
indicated by the Missale Romanum
and numerous rubrical
authors,
the bell should be kept on the
credence,
not on the altar step,
when unemployed during
Mass.
During Low Mass,
the acolyte brings the bell to
the foot from the credence after
the Lavabo,
and returns it to the credence
after the celebrant consumes the
Sacred Host.
The bell is also carried up to
the predella in preparation for
the Consecration.
Whenever the bell is carried, it
should be held balanced to prevent any unnecessary rings.
How to Ring the
Bell
Considering
the careful regard given to the altar
bell’s construction, the server should
remember the equally important duty of
ringing it in a dignified and edifying
manner. The correct method of ringing
the bell is with an arched up-down
motion, not side-to-side.
The
Altar Servers’ Handbook of the
Archconfraternity of St. Stephen briefly
describes how this is done:
The
bell is rung with the right hand as
follows: grasp firmly the handle of the
bell, then raise and immediately lower
it so as to sound two distinct strokes
at each time of ringing.
Also,
take care to ring the bell smoothly and lightly,
and when ringing a
set of strokes (as for the Sanctus) keep them spaced evenly apart.
Be also sure to let the sound die out
naturally before you put the bell down
noiselessly.
With
a little practice, the skill of ringing
the bell properly will come easy.
To
be continued...
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The starting position of ringing
the bell; note the bent arm and the bell
being held away from the body.
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A graphic demonstration of the
arc-ring-motion with the bell shown at
the arc’s apex. Note the wrist and
forearm are held stiff, and just the
shoulder and elbow actually make the
arc. |
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Footnotes
“The
voice of the Lord is in power; the
voice of the Lord in magnificence”
(Psalm 28, 4) as quoted in the Pontificale
Romanum for blessing a large
bell.
In fact, as noted by Canon J.B.
O’Connell, “The
sacring bell—unlike the large
church bell—is not blessed.”
Church
Building
and Furnishing: The Church’s Way
(University of Notre Dame Press,
1955),
p 231.
I.e.,
the Roman Mass and its Latin Rite
derivatives such as the Dominican,
Gallican and Sarum Rites.
Previously the only elevation
occurred during the Per
ipsum (Minor Elevation). The
desire of the faithful to see the
Host introduced the major Elevation
of the Host, and later, the Precious
Blood. Cf.
the article by Fr. Herbert
Thurston, S.J. on “The
Elevation” published in The
Catholic Encyclopedia
(Robert Appleton Co.,
1913).
E.g.,
France,
Belgium
and
Germany.
Via the papal bull, Cum sanctissimum, which introduced another missal reform in which
some of the rubrics were updated.
Hence it was missing from the
rubrics of the reformed and codified
Roman Missal promulgated by Pope St.
Pius V’s papal bull, Quo
Primum (1570). For more
historical information cf.
p 130 of Peter F. Anson’s Churches:
Their Plan and Furnishing
(Bruce, 1948) and Thurston’s
article on “Bells” published in The
Catholic Encyclopedia.
This refers to the connected set of
bells commonly used today.
Unfortunately for nearly a century,
liturgical ware manufactures have
been producing rubrically-incorrect
carillon bells containing several
tongues in each bell to enable them
to be rung improperly from
side-to-side (cf.
ff 24 below). Such bells are also
liturgically unsuitable as they
disturbingly ring merely by moving
them. However, such carillons can be
converted to conform to the rubrics
by removing the extra tongues and
hanging a single tongue in each
bell’s center suspended either by
a wire hanger or chain.
Church
Building
and Furnishing: The Church’s Way
(University of Notre Dame Press,
1955), p 231. He repeats this in The
Celebration of Mass: A Study of the
Rubrics of the Roman Missal
(Bruce, 1964—for 1962 Missale Romanum—Preserving Christian Publications reprint, 2006)
on p 160.
How
to Serve in Simple, Solemn and
Pontifical Functions (Bruce,
1934—TAN Books reprint, 2008), p
24. The quote is concluded with ff
38, citing p 116 from volume III of
Bishop Joseph Van der Stappen’s
book, Sacra Liturgia (Dessain, 1911) and an article he published in the
June 1926 issue of the American
ecclesiastical magazine, Emmanuel (published by the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament).
Church
Building and Furnishing, p 231
citing SRC 40003. The
same can be found in The
Celebration of Mass, p 160.
The Book of Ceremonies (Bruce, 1956), p 18, ff 77.
Rubricæ
Generales, n. 528, “Ad
latus epistolæ, super mensa ad hoc
præparata… necnon parva
campanula….”
E.g.,
L. O’Connell, p 17; J.B.
O’Connell (The
Celebration of Mass), pp
159-160; The
Ceremonies of the Roman Rite
Described, Rev. Dr. Adrian
Fortescue (Burns & Oates,
1962—St. Austin’s Abbey Press
reprint, 1996), p 37; Ceremonial for the Use of the Catholic Churches in the United States of
America (aka, Baltimore
Ceremonial), composed by Bishop
Joseph Rosati, C.M. (1829)—revised
by Rev. W. Carroll Milholland, S.S.
(H.L. Kilner, 1926), p 2; et
al.
On an ample-sized credence, the
left-hand, front corner is a
practical placement as it allows the
first acolyte (situated on the left
side of the credence during the
Offertory and Lavabo with the second acolyte on the right) to easily pick up the
bell. If using a carillon set of
bells, situate the largest bell closest
to the front of the credence, as
this will enable the server to more
easily carry the bells balanced.
Peter Anson, p 130: “There
is no reason to leave the bell on
the altar steps. When not actually
in use it is better to keep it on
the credence table.”
At High or Solemn Mass, the bell is
typically rung at the credence.
J.B. O’Connell in The Celebration of Mass, pp 159-160 and 356; it is presumed by all
others in light of ff 16 and 17
above.
Then, either the Communion plate is
retrieved, or if there are no
communicants, the cruets for the
ablutions.
Ibid,
p 359. He should not place it on the
predella’s edge before ascending,
as this looks indecorous and is
completely unnecessary when the bell
is carried balanced.
A
single hand bell is held level by
crooking the arm slightly, while a
set of bells by balancing the handle
under the index finger (as mentioned in ff 18, the
largest should be positioned nearest
the body).
This latter method (even when
lightly rung) produces a mangled
sound resembling a telephone or
alarm bell, which is liturgically
unbecoming and forms a distraction
to both the celebrant and faithful. A
fortiori, a properly constructed
set of bells is practically
impossible to ring in such a
fashion.
Pp 9 and 13-28 (1962
edition—Society of
St.
Pius X reprint, 2002). This double-ring manner is also confirmed by
Britt, p 24 (“A single stroke[*]
of the bell is preferable to a
prolonged ringing”)
[*he
is referring to a single up-down
motion, hence a double-ring, or as
the Guild’s handbook states, “a
double stroke” of the bell’s
tongue],
and Msgr. Pio Martinucci in Manuale
Sacrarum Caeremoniarum (L. Cecchini, 1879), Vol I, p 139. It is presumed by all others per ff 10
and 25 above.
Nearly all rubricians make this
point.
E.g.,
ding-ding
— ding-ding — ding-ding. Britt,
p 24: “…Thus,
at the Sanctus three distinct strokes, not too close together, are given.”
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