Munich cathedral bells
The Munich cathedral bells are the ringing of the Frauenkirche in Munich , the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising .
The ringing consists of ten bells from the 14th, 15th, 17th and 21st centuries and is one of the most important bell ensembles in Germany. Characteristic are both the composition of the very different sound patterns of the individual bells and the supporting foundation of the bells, the Susanna or Salvegell weighing around eight tons . It is one of the largest church bells in Bavaria and is praised as one of the most beautiful sounding bells of the Middle Ages in Europe. The bell was cast in 1490 by the Stuttgart bell founder Hans Ernst on behalf of Albrecht IV. In Regensburg.
Bell concerts take place regularly , for example at the Bennofest .
history
Lasted until the First World War
A total of ten bells hung on the cathedral towers up until the First World War:
North tower:
- 1. Susanna, Salve bell of 1490, percussive sound a 0
- 2nd women's bell from 1617, striking note c 1
- 3. Guldein Kron, rosary bell from 1452, strike tone c 1
South tower:
- 4th Benno bell from 1617, strike note d 1
- 5. Winklerin from 1451, strike note e 1
- 6. Presence bell from 1492, strike tone f 1
- 7. Aveglocke, midday meal from 1847
- 8. Early measurement bell from 1442, striking note b 1
- 9. Canons bell, bell from the 14th century , strike note e 2
- 10. Release bells from the 14th century.
The rosary bell, weighing around 2,500 kilograms , was sold to the Munich City Museum in 1929 for 5,500 Reichsmarks , where it is still intact today. For what reasons she got there at the time is not clear. Perhaps because the lighter Avebell took over its function as a rosary bell, because there were no city gates for a long time, or because it doubled the sound of the women's bell ; according to a sound analysis carried out, it has the tone c 1 . The following inscription is on the bell:
- O REX GLORIE VENI CUM PACE. / ANNO DM M CCCC LII / AND IS FULL OF PRACHT PEI HER KASPERN AINDORFFERN. /
- I PRAISE JESUS MARY JOHN AND SAND KASPERN. / I HAIS THE GULDEIN CROWN /
- GOT GEB MAISTER PAVLSSEN DER ME GOS DEN EBIGEN LON.
As an ornament it bears reliefs of the crucified with Mary and John. The crown stirrups carry human heads. In terms of its design, the Guldein Kron , cast in 1452 - as it is called in the inscription - resembles the Winklerin cast a year earlier, also by Master Paulus .
The designation as locking bells comes from the fact that they were originally rung when the city gates were closed every evening ("curfew"). Meanwhile, the rosary is said to have been prayed, according to which its function as a rosary bell is to be explained. In addition, it must have rang when all cathedral bells were ringing, as a contemporary report from 1530 mentions that "everyone glogged" when Emperor Charles V visited Munich. According to Matthias Seanner, "[gave] this [...] bell earlier the sign to lock the gate and open the old city, where it may come from that it was considered unconsecrated." In its place in the belfry of the north tower hangs her "sister" today, the Winklerin from 1451, who probably hung in the south tower until the 20th century. With her and in 1442 also cast by Master Paul early measuring bell , with the Klingl and the Aussetzglöcklein she was already hanging in the south tower of the former building of the present cathedral and was the then tontiefste bell. It was only with the new building that she reached the Susanna in the north tower and was used as a locking bell and rosary bell.
Also on the whereabouts of the allegedly in the 14th century (Gothic Majuskelinschrift ) cast, about 115 kilograms Aussetzglöcklein nothing is known. According to its inscription, this bell was consecrated to St. Anne and rang for the holy walk (from the 17th / 18th century also called Wandlgloglog ) or for the suspension of the Holy of Holies ; hence their name. Anton Mayer writes that this smallest cathedral bell was rung “when the prayers for the dying were performed in front of the Holy of Holies”.
In 1847 Wolfgang Hubinger cast a new bell weighing around 900 kilograms from a medieval predecessor, the old Aveglocke or Mittagerin . What happened to this bell after 1913 is not known. It bore a portrait of Maria Immaculata and the inscription:
- ME RESONANTE PIA LAUDETUR VIRGO MARIA
Interwar period
As a replacement for the lost Aveglocke and Aussetzglöcklein came in 1929 two new bells on the South Tower. You should sound skips one hand between Praesenzglocke and breakfast measuring bell and secondly between early measuring bell and Klingl fill. In addition, the was the Rosary bell from the north tower dismantled, sold to the City Museum and the Winklerin reassigned to the vacant chair tray.
North tower:
- 1. Susanna, Salve bell of 1490, percussive sound a 0
- 2nd women's bell from 1617, striking note c 1
- 4. Winklerin from 1451, strike note e 1
South tower:
- 3rd Benno bell from 1617, strike note d 1
- 5th presence bell from 1492, strike tone f 1
- 6. Sebastian bell from 1929, strike tone g 1
- 7. Early measuring bell from 1442, striking note b 1
- 8. Joseph's bell from 1929, striking note c 2
- 9. Canons bell, bell from the 14th century , strike note e 2
After the Second World War
The two bells from 1929 had to be delivered. The other bells remained intact. In 1958, Karl Czudnochowsky from Erding cast a new bell weighing 650 kilograms for the south tower, which replaced the Sebastian bell from 1929. The cathedral bell thus comprised eight bells.
North tower:
- 1. Susanna, Salve bell of 1490, percussive sound a 0
- 2nd women's bell from 1617, striking note c 1
- 4. Winklerin from 1451, strike note e 1
South tower:
- 3rd Benno bell from 1617, strike note d 1
- 5th presence bell from 1492, strike tone f 1
- 6. Pius bell from 1958, strike tone g 1
- 7. Early measuring bell from 1442, striking note b 1
- 8. Canons bell, bell from the 14th century , strike note e 2
The cathedral has been ringing since the 2003 expansion
In order to expand the cathedral bells to its previous range of ten bells, the then cathedral music director Karl-Ludwig Nies had his choir singers collect donations and in 2003 commissioned the Rudolf Perner bell foundry in Passau to cast three new bells. Instead , the Pius bell was removed in spring 2004, as it was considered to be unsuitable for sound; the rosary bell of 1452 was not made to ring again.
The ringing of bells in the south tower was temporarily turned off from Friday, March 6, 2020. During investigations as part of an ongoing construction project, weather-related impairment of the beam structure was found on the historic bell carrier in the southern tower. There is no danger. As a precaution, however, additional loads from the vibrations of the bell ringing are dispensed with while the hour strike is maintained. When the bell has stopped, the stability of the bell carrier is ensured so that the ongoing maintenance work on the south tower can continue. Work is underway to upgrade the bell carriers as soon as possible.
| No. | Surname | Audio | Casting year | Foundry, casting location |
Diameter (mm) |
Mass (kg) |
Strike tone (a 1 = 435 Hz) |
tower | |
| 1 | Susanna ( volley bell ) |
|
1490 | Hanns Ernst, Regensburg |
2,060 | ≈8,000 | A 0 | North | |
| 2 | Women bell |
|
1617 | Bartholomaeus Wengle, Munich |
1,665 | ≈3,000 | c 1 | North | |
| 3 | Benno bell |
|
1,475 | ≈2,100 | d 1 | south | |||
| 4th | Winkler |
|
1451 | Master Paulus, Munich |
1,420 | ≈2,000 | it 1 | North | |
| 5 | Presence bell | 1492 | Ulrich von Rosen, Munich |
1,320 | ≈ 1,600 | e 1 | south | ||
| 6th | Cantabona |
|
2003 | Rudolf Perner, Passau | 1,080 | 870 | g 1 | south | |
| 7th | Early measurement bell |
|
1442 | Master Paulus, Munich | 1,050 | ≈800 | a 1 | south | |
| 8th | Speciosa |
|
2003 | Rudolf Perner, Passau |
890 | 540 | h 1 | south | |
| 9 | Michael's Bell |
|
840 | 440 | c 2 | south | |||
| 10 | Klingl (Canons Bell) |
|
14th century | anonymous | 740 | ≈350 | it 2 | south |
Ringing order
There is a differentiated ringing order , which partly falls back on historical ringing customs. The daily angelus bell rings in the morning at 7, noon at 12 and in the evening at 8 p.m. or at 9 p.m. in the summer. Different bells are rung at the individual prayer times: the Winklerin rings in the morning , the women's bell in the afternoon and the Benno bell in the evening . Every evening the morning measurement bell joins in memory of the dead of the day. On Thursday night after the ringing early measuring bell the Praesenzglocke as so-called fear Bell ( Mt 26.36 to 46 EU ). On Saturday evening, in addition to the presence bell , the Cantabona will also sound . The great Susanna closes the evening bell on the evenings of the high holidays. It also gives the prelude to pontifical services and solemn feasts. According to the foundation's stipulation to ring the choir at the Salve Regina , hence its name, it has been played every Sunday evening at the end of Vespers since 1994 (shortly before 6 p.m.). In addition, the Susanna announces the difference of the Pope or Archbishop. The death knell of the cathedral parish is the small bell . As baptism bell which serves Cantabona . The early measurement bell no longer rings for the first Holy Mass of the day, but still in the morning at 8:55 a.m. for the 9 o'clock mass. Until 1997, the "Salve Regina" motif with the bells c 1 - e 1 - g 1 - a 1 was heard during May devotions .
Sundays and public holidays are rung in the day before at 3 p.m. with the bells for high mass. The ringing time for the masses is between 5 and 15 minutes. For Sunday masses there is an advance ring 30 minutes before the start, and 60 minutes before the start of high holidays. In the following there is an overview of the chimes in liturgical times, a list of special motifs as well as occasions on which the full ringing of all ten bells is intended. A special feature up until 2004 was the ringing of Palm Sunday the day before at 3 p.m. For this purpose, the partial ringing of the five medieval bells Susanna, Winklerin, Praesenzglocke, Frühmessglocke and Klingl rang out once in the church year .
| occasion | Audio |
Number of bells |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 10 |
| Christmas mass , Christmas Day , New Year's Eve , Easter Vigil (Gloria / Excerpt), Easter Sunday , Pentecost Sunday , Assumption of Mary , All Saints' Day | 10 | a 0 | c 1 | d 1 | it 1 | e 1 | g 1 | a 1 | h 1 | c 2 | it 2 | |
| Easter Monday, Corpus Christi , Benno festival, Kirchweih festival , Stephanus festival , pontifical mass on weekdays, Primiz | 8th | a 0 | c 1 | d 1 | e 1 | g 1 | a 1 | h 1 | c 2 | |||
| Saturdays at Easter time | 7th | a 0 | c 1 | d 1 | it 1 | g 1 | c 2 | it 2 | ||||
| Epiphany | 7th | a 0 | c 1 | d 1 | e 1 | g 1 | a 1 | h 1 | ||||
| Pontifical Requiem | 6th | a 0 | c 1 | e 1 | a 1 | h 1 | c 2 | |||||
| Cathedral consecration | 5 | a 0 | c 1 | d 1 | e 1 | a 1 | ||||||
| Saturday before Palm Sunday 3:00 p.m. | 5 | a 0 | c 1 | it 1 | c 2 | it 2 | ||||||
| Ash Wednesday | 3 | a 0 | c 1 | it 1 | ||||||||
| Maundy Thursday | 3 | a 0 | e 1 | a 1 | ||||||||
| Catechumens admission ceremony for adult baptism | 3 | a 0 | c 1 | e 1 | ||||||||
| Pontifical year-end devotion on New Year's Eve | 3 | a 0 | c 1 | d 1 | ||||||||
| Christmas and Easter Sundays | 9 | c 1 | d 1 | it 1 | e 1 | g 1 | a 1 | h 1 | c 2 | it 2 | ||
| Sundays in the annual cycle | 7th | c 1 | d 1 | e 1 | g 1 | a 1 | h 1 | c 2 | ||||
| Lent Sundays | 5 | c 1 | d 1 | it 1 | g 1 | it 2 | ||||||
| Sundays of Advent | 5 | c 1 | it 1 | g 1 | c 2 | it 2 | ||||||
| May devotion | 5 | c 1 | e 1 | g 1 | a 1 | c 2 | ||||||
| Baptismal service | 3 | c 1 | g 1 | c 2 | ||||||||
| Lent Saturdays | 3 | c 1 | d 1 | it 1 | ||||||||
| Christmas and Easter working days | 5 | d 1 | e 1 | g 1 | a 1 | h 1 | ||||||
| Working days in the annual cycle | 4th | d 1 | e 1 | g 1 | a 1 | |||||||
| Working days of the Advent season | 4th | d 1 | g 1 | a 1 | h 1 | |||||||
| Lent working days | 3 | d 1 | e 1 | g 1 |
Individual evidence
- ^ Sigrid Thurm: Ernst, Hans. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1959, ISBN 3-428-00185-0 , p. 628 ( digitized version ).
- ↑ a b c d Karl-Ludwig Nies: The bells of the Munich women's cathedral . Sankt Michaelsbund, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-920821-48-3 , pp. 21-29.
- ↑ a b Karl-Ludwig Nies: The bells of the Munich women's cathedral . Sankt Michaelsbund, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-920821-48-3 , p. 31.
- ↑ Frauenkirche - Starting tomorrow, different bells will ring ; Süddeutsche Zeitung, online article from May 10, 2010.
- ^ Archbishop's Ordinariate Munich: Bells in the south tower of the cathedral stopped for the time being. Retrieved March 7, 2020 .
literature
- Karl-Ludwig Nies: The bells of the Munich women's cathedral . Sankt Michaelsbund, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-920821-48-3 .
See also
Web links
- The Munich Cathedral: the bells
- Full bells of the Munich Cathedral (as of October 31, 2012 3:00 p.m.) on YouTube .