Freising cathedral bells

The eleven bells of the Freising Cathedral were cast in the Renaissance and Baroque periods , as well as in 2007.

The renaissance chimes of the 16th century

The completely preserved eight-part renaissance bell is considered to be a unique piece in terms of bell and sound. It is one of the most important historical bells in Central Europe. The eight bells were donated by the Freising Bishop Moritz von Sandizell in 1563 after a previous bell (also eight bells) had been destroyed by a tower fire on June 15, 1563 . Founder was Wolfgang Steger the Elder. J., Munich in the years 1563/64. The cathedral bells were delivered on November 1st, 1564. In 1583, the small peace bell was cast around. It survived almost undamaged the destruction of bells during the secularization and the First and Second World Wars (seven Freising cathedral bells in the Hamburg bell cemetery from 1943 to 1947). Only the women's bell was tuned about a semitone lower in the post-war period . The bells (depictions of the Madonna and the Crucifixion), episcopal coats of arms and inscriptions (capital) are partly still Gothic, but mostly in the Renaissance style. The texts on the inscription panels (destruction and rebirth of the cathedral bells by fire), as well as on the upper and lower bell rims come from the Freising humanist Joachim Haberstock. Three bell models for the inscription panels made of Jurassic marble, which are considered to be the oldest bell models in Bavaria, are still preserved. The stonemason was Sebold Hering from Munich in 1563/64. The regained fullness of the sound of the Sigismund bell, which can be counted among the most beautiful sounding bells of the 16th century in Germany, is remarkable . It sounds as a soloist every Friday at 3 p.m. to commemorate the hour of Christ's death.

Korbinians Bell

Korbinians bell : detail of the shoulder inscription

To celebrate the millennium of the arrival of the diocese patron and first Freising Bishop Korbinian in Freising in 1724, Elector Max II Emanuel of Bavaria donated the large Korbinian bell . At around 5200 kg it is the largest of the eleven cathedral bells and was cast in 1724 by the court bell founders Johann Matthias Langenegger and Anton Benedikt Ernst from Munich. The material comes from Turkish cannons from the siege of Belgrade in 1688; the elector had captured them.

It hangs as the only bell in the south tower of the cathedral, while the remaining ten cathedral bells hang in the north tower. As a holiday bell, it is only rung on special church or other festive occasions. It forms the supporting foundation of the entire cathedral bells and is one of the deepest and heaviest tin bronze bells of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. It impresses with its tart, metallic tone and unfolds a great richness of tone for a baroque bell. The bell ornament includes numerous inscriptions on the foundation and consecration of the bell reliefs of the Bavarian electoral coat of arms, as well as the Hll. Maria, Korbinian, Florian, Benno and Michael.

In the 1980s, the Korbinians bell was not allowed to ring for more than seven minutes at a time due to the load on the tower, and it was only since 1967 that it was not rung by hand (two ringing motors).

Restoration of the renaissance peal and new casts

Part of the renaissance bells for restoration in the courtyard of the Perner bell foundry: (from left) Sigismund, Marien, Lantpert, Nonnosus, peace and cross bells .

Structural defects led to the demolition of the baroque wooden bell chair in 1955 and two bells to be shut down. A steel bell cage with an electric bell was installed in the north tower.

On August 31, 2006, Rudolf Perner from Passau cast the Friedrichsglocke in a showcase on Freising's Marienplatz , which is intended as a sacristy bell for high festivities .

Since October 2007, the two bells from 1563/64, awarded in 1955, have returned to the north tower. Until the summer of 2007 they hung in other church towers in Freising, those of the Wieskirche ( Justinusglocke , until summer 2007) and the Pallottine Church ( Alexanderglocke , until September 2007).

On October 13, 2007, Friedrich Cardinal Wetter inaugurated the two new cathedral bells of the Perner bell foundry: Benedikt von Nursia ( strike note a ¹ ) and Otto von Freising (strike note c ² ). They allow further partial bells that are useful for the numerous ringing occasions of a cathedral church.

Since November 2007 the "largest and completely preserved Renaissance bell in the world from a single foundry" has been reunited. All bells were fitted with oak yokes (the yokes of the four large Renaissance bells also had upper weights), and the clappers were fitted with soft iron buffers. A new bell cage made of over ten cubic meters of the best oak replaces the old steel construction from 1957. The sound radiation (wooden sound blinds) and the bell chamber have been structurally optimized.

As originally planned, the new, supplemented full bells should only sound for the celebration of the Korbinians Festival on Saturday, November 24, 2007, the first time after the renovation. The funeral of Prelate Friedrich Fahr brought this premiere forward by three days. So it rang not only on Saturday, but also on Wednesday, November 21, 2007, the day of penance and prayer , on which the Korbiniansfest was celebrated in Freising in earlier years when this day was a public holiday.

The eleven-part Freising cathedral bell with a total weight of over 15,000 kg and a range of over one and a half octaves is unique and represents an international cultural object of the first order: “The juxtaposition of the major and minor scales means that two complete worlds of sound can be represented in one bell , and this with original sounds from the 16th century. "

Data on the ringing of the Freising Cathedral

South tower

Bell 1 - Korbinian

No.	Surname	Casting year	Foundry, casting location	Mass (kg)	Diameter (mm)	Percussive ( HT - ¹ / ₁₆ )
1	Korbinian (holiday bell)	1724	Johann Matthias Langenegger & Anton Benedikt Ernst, Munich	≈5,200	2,100	g ⁰ 0 ± 0

North tower (supplemented renaissance bell)

No.	Surname	Casting year	Foundry, casting location	Mass (kg)	Diameter (mm)	Percussive (HT- ¹ / ₁₆ )
2	Sigismund (striker)	1563	Wolfgang Steger the Elder J., Munich	2,864	1,675	c ¹ 0 -3
3	Maria (women's bell)			1,964	1,427	it ¹ –3
4th	Cross (six woman)			1,518	1,327	e ¹ 0 ± 0
5	Lantpert (five woman)			1,032	1,158	g ¹ 0 -8
6th	Nonnosus (foursome)			743	1,057	g ¹ 0 -6
7th	Benedict	2007	Rudolf Perner, Passau	612	960	a ¹ 0 -2
8th	Alexander (threesome)	1563	Wolfgang Steger the Elder J., Munich	446	910	b ¹ 0 -2
9	Otto	2007	Rudolf Perner, Passau	402	825	c ² 0 -1
10	Justinus (two)	1564	Wolfgang Steger the Elder J., Munich	290	756	d ² 0 +1
11	Peace	1583	Wolfgang Steger the Elder J., Munich	187	665	e ² 0 -6

Bell 2 - Sigismund
Bell 3 - Mary
Bell 4 - cross
Bell 5 - Lantpert
Bell 6 - Nonnosus
Bell 7 - Benedict
(consecration day)
Bell 8 - Alexander
Bell 9 - Otto
(consecration day)
Bell 10 - Justinus
Bell 11 - peace

Sacristy bell

Sacristy bell - Friedrich

Surname	Casting date	Foundry, casting location	Mass (kg)	Diameter (mm)	Percussive (HT- ¹ / ₁₆ )
Friedrich ( sacristy bell for solemn festivals)	08/31/2006	Rudolf Perner, Freising	122	540	g ² 0 +2

Ringing order

A large part of the variety of sounds of the Freising Cathedral bells comes into its own in the ringing order .

The Sundays and feast days in the church year are usually rung in the day before at around 2:55 p.m. The same ringing sounds as at high mass of the day (see below). First of all, the bells involved sound one after the other from small to large and then sound together from 3 p.m.

On weekdays at early mass, different bells ring depending on the church season. For the Angelus , the Mary's bell is rung at 12 noon . In the evening at 18.30 sounds the Cross bell ; afterwards the smallest bell calls for prayer for the poor souls . On Fridays at 3 p.m. the striker rings the bell at the hour of Christ's death on the cross.

The Lantpert bell is used for partial chimes in minor and church modes , the Nonnosus bell for major motifs.

The large Korbinian bell is only intended for solemn festivals and pontifical services.

occasion	Number of bells	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	designation
Easter Sunday , Christmas Eve ( Christmas mass ), Pentecost Sunday , Dompatrozinium Mariä Birth , priestly ordination , Korbiniansfest, New Year's Eve , Gloria on Maundy Thursday , special occasions	11	g ⁰	c ¹	it ¹	e ¹	g ¹	g ¹	a ¹	b ¹	c ²	d ²	e ²	Full plenary
1st Christmas Day , Easter Monday , Corpus Christi , Youth Basketball Festival	10	g ⁰	c ¹		e ¹	g ¹	g ¹	a ¹	b ¹	c ²	d ²	e ²	Great major plenary
Solemnity of the Mother of God , Holy Three Kings	8th	g ⁰	c ¹		e ¹		g ¹	a ¹		c ²	d ²	e ²	Big salvo Regina
All Saints Day	8th		c ¹	it ¹	e ¹	g ¹	g ¹		b ¹		d ²	e ²	Renaissance plenary
Palm Sunday	6th		c ¹	it ¹		g ¹		a ¹	b ¹	c ²			Doric
Sundays of Advent	4th							a ¹		c ²	d ²	e ²	Preface motif
–– Advent Sunday Gaudete	4th					g ¹			b ¹	c ²	d ²		Preface motif
Christmas Sundays	7th		c ¹		e ¹		g ¹	a ¹		c ²	d ²	e ²	Small major plenary
Lent Sundays	5					g ¹		a ¹	b ¹	c ²	d ²		Minor scale
–– Lætare Lent Sunday	5			it ¹		g ¹		a ¹	b ¹	c ²			Lydian
Easter Sundays	9		c ¹		e ¹	g ¹	g ¹	a ¹	b ¹	c ²	d ²	e ²	Major plenary
Sundays in the annual cycle	6th				e ¹		g ¹	a ¹		c ²	d ²	e ²	Griesbacher's ideal sextet
Working days of the Advent season	3									c ²	d ²	e ²	Magnificat (6th psalm tone )
Business days of Christmas	5						g ¹	a ¹		c ²	d ²	e ²	pentatonic
Christmas / Easter octave working days	4th				e ¹		g ¹	a ¹		c ²			Griesbacher's ideal quartet
Lent working days	3					g ¹		a ¹	b ¹				This is iræ
Easter working days	4th						g ¹			c ²	d ²	e ²	Westminster
Working days in the annual cycle	3						g ¹	a ¹		c ²			Gloria

References and comments

^ Historical Association of Upper Bavaria / Inscription Commission of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.
↑ sound analysis of the Sigismund Bell (detail): percussive c ¹ -3, undertone of ⁰ -10, Prim a ⁰ -4, third it ¹ -8, Quint ges ¹ -9
↑ Hubert Koch: To the story . In: Archbishop's Office Munich (ed.): Freising cathedral bells. Restoration of the renaissance peal . Ernst Baumann, Freising 2007, p. 18.
↑ sound analysis of Korbinian bell (detail): percussive g ⁰ ± 0, Gis undertone +2, Prim g ⁰ +7, third b ⁰ +3, Quint e ¹ +6
↑ Gerald Fischer: Freisinger Glockenmusik . In: Archbishop's Office Munich (ed.): Freising cathedral bells. Restoration of the renaissance peal . Ernst Baumann, Freising 2007, p. 35.

literature

Archbishop's Office Munich (ed.): Freising cathedral bells. Restoration of the renaissance peal . Ernst Baumann, Freising 2007.

Web links

[1] Historical Association of Upper Bavaria / Inscription Commission of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.

[2] sound analysis of the Sigismund Bell (detail): percussive c ¹ -3, undertone of ⁰ -10, Prim a ⁰ -4, third it ¹ -8, Quint ges ¹ -9

[Geschichte_Domglocken-3] Hubert Koch: To the story . In: Archbishop's Office Munich (ed.): Freising cathedral bells. Restoration of the renaissance peal . Ernst Baumann, Freising 2007, p. 18.

[4] sound analysis of Korbinian bell (detail): percussive g ⁰ ± 0, Gis undertone +2, Prim g ⁰ +7, third b ⁰ +3, Quint e ¹ +6

[Glockenmusik_Domglocken-5] Gerald Fischer: Freisinger Glockenmusik . In: Archbishop's Office Munich (ed.): Freising cathedral bells. Restoration of the renaissance peal . Ernst Baumann, Freising 2007, p. 35.