Bells of Pila (PG)
History and visit to the bells of Pila, a town southwest of Perugia along the Settevalli road, with the hospitable participation of Mauro Bigi, a Pila native who has repeatedly reconstructed the history of these bronzes.
The three smaller bells were recast by the Capanni foundry between 1980 and 1985.
The largest, the only original, dates back to July 1867 and was cast by Henricus Sini, the same year he and his family also created the trio from nearby Ponte della Pietra [ • Campane di Ponte della Pietra, Perugia ].
In the video, after a brief summary of the events surrounding the construction of the bell tower and the casting of the bells, we observe the various traditionally performed peals.
✧ Initially (6:51), we see the classic Rinterzo, with two different peals, played on bells 3-2 and 3-4.
✧ The Din Don follows (11:02) with the second bell ringing and the third bell ringing.
✧ Still with the second bell, we move from the Din Don to the Falsetto (11:57).
✧ In the penultimate part of the video (14:35), there is a very particular ringing: traditionally called the "Rinterzo Solennssimo," it was rarely used, and you can count on one hand the number of automated systems in which this ringing was transmitted. To the uninitiated, it might seem like a "plenum," but it isn't. The ringing was composed as follows:
the largest bell was initially rung, and the remaining bells were struck while still, as if starting the ringing of the Rinterzo bells; the first bell, however, was not immediately raised, but stopped shortly after it began ringing; the ringing was then silenced.
The sequence described was repeated a second time, including the second silence.
The bell would then ring a third time, this time reaching the position of the glass, thus initiating the actual ringing.
In cases of maximum solemnity, this ringing could even be followed by the Falsetto, and the whole thing could last up to 20 minutes.
It should be noted that, in the case of Pila, there is a slight inaccuracy in the electronic composition of the ringing due to the fact that, in the two "false starts," the second bell sounds a full peal instead of a hammer.
✧ The video concludes (17:52) with a four-bell arrangement of the song "Ave Maria di Fatima."
In 2016, a clapper system (14:02) was added to the two smaller bells, which was intended to simulate the full pealing of fixed bells.