“C’mon, Ring Those Bells!”, by John M. Grondelski

Over at Crux, John Allen reports on the Italian “battle of the bells.” He notes the new norms issued by the bishop of Savona-Noli to address what is apparently an ongoing controversy over the ringing of church bells.  Opponents criticize their “acoustic pollution” and want curbs. Accommodating bishops—like in that diocese—appear to be adopting acoustic rubrics.

In the case of Savona-Noli, it’s an average of 90 seconds of ringing at a volume “not to be a source of disturbances,” with no peals prior to 7:30 a.m. nor past 9 p.m. and definitely not every hour on the hour. Allen chimes in with the observation that “churches of more recent construction” can adjust volume levels because they have substituted canned bells (i.e., recordings) for the real gong. …

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