The Bells of St Giles
String players are accustomed to looking after extremely old, valuable instruments - and with some members of the Manor House String Quartet owning violins, violas or cellos that are centuries old, we’re all extremely conscious of how carefully they need to be treated if these instruments are to survive and play music for generations to come. Talking to some string players, many of us feel that although they technically ‘own’ (or are more likely mortgaging) their instrument or bow, in a way we are only custodians of them for our lifetimes and one day, another player will own and love them - just as generations of musicians have played and cared for them through the centuries.
This week, a musical evening was held to raise money for some other very old instruments in our village - instruments which are often heard, yet most of us have never seen them. The church bells at St Giles, Cheddington - a venue where we gave a string quartet concert last month - has some very old bells which are in need of repair. Some of the bells are 16th century and the youngest there is about a hundred years old, having been expertly rung out for village, social and church events for centuries. Like all instruments, the bells need maintenance and care if they are going to continue in good working order - and just as we take our violins in to a luthier for maintenance, or a bow for a re-hair, the church bells need to have small problems fixed so that larger more serious damage is avoided.
In essence, the bell ringers need to raise at least £4000 to be eligible for grants towards the total cost of around £11500, so a village concert was organised for this weekend. A mixture of amateur and professional players from the area came together to put on a recital of varied music - including everything from a choir to a saxophone ensemble, with players of all ages and levels of experience contributing to what was a fun and entertaining evening. After the wedding which the quartet had played for had finished, I dashed back in time for the second half and with the help of a terrific local pianist, we were able to add a piece for violin / piano music to the programme.
The bell ringers had publicised the event extensively, and with the church absolutely packed - thanks to the generosity of the audience, the bell fund is now almost a thousand pounds better off and discussions are already happening about other fund raising events which will help towards their total.
In the same way that our antique stringed instruments need to be respected and preserved, these historic church bells are part of our heritage and culture and it’s fantastic that so many people are happy to raise money to take care of them.
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