"Out of tune" bells

the organology of bells is very complex... and I don't know it well enough to explain it in detail

but, in short, their shape amplifies harmonics immensely. Both in the sense that you hear a very rich spectrum, and in the sense that this spectrum lasts a very long time. If you listen closely, you will clearly hear at least the upper fifth, often the third, especially in village bells. But whether they are well-made bells or poorly-made bells, when the note dissolves you will always have a dissonant "aftertaste," due to all the other upper harmonics, from the seventh upwards, and this aftertaste will persist for a very long time, enough to create actual clusters between adjacent degrees. I have a church in front of my house; the bells ring jingles on 5 notes that are actually series of major third dyads, at least as I hear them. In the pauses, you hear all these prolonged harmonics merging and creating an unbearable maelstrom :-)

And I wouldn't underestimate the "climate factor." Bells are made of metal, and if the temperature affects the organ pipes of a church, it certainly also affects the metal of the bells, which however cannot be tuned, so...

I will add that, being formed by the fusion of a metal alloy, their structure is not homogeneous, so every small part behaves as if they were different metals (therefore with different resonance and harmonics, sometimes not even very harmonic).

...apart. every quarter hour ?!

I think the scorching heat of these days is doing its part, between Scipione, Charon and Minos ... poor bells :?

Eagle wrote:

I think the scorching heat of these days is doing its part, between Scipione, Charon and Minos ... poor bells :?

It's certain that if they are especially dark in color, under the direct solar radiation of these days, they will reach temperatures exceeding 60 C.!