Standing bell

Standing bells are known by a wide variety of terms in English, and are sometimes referred to as bowls, basins, cups or gongs. Specific terms include resting bell, prayer bowl, Buddha bowl, Himalayan bowl, Tibetan bell, rin gong, In Japan, the name for a bell of the standing type varies between Buddhist sects. It may be called , , among other things. Large temple bells are sometimes called , while small versions for a home altar are known as . The Chinese term (, or historically ), which historically referred to a lithophone used in state rituals, has more recently been applied to this type of standing bell. Early Chinese standing bells are called (). ==Origins and history==

There is evidence that the metal bell originated in China, with the earliest known Shang dynasty (16th–11th centuries BCE) bells being among the oldest bronze objects found in China. Early bronze standing bells called embody some of the highest technical skills of Chinese civilisation and represent the earliest known form of chiming bell. Taking the shape of hollow-stemmed goblets with a curved rim, were made in sizes varying between . They were mounted on their stem, with rim uppermost, and struck on the outside with a mallet. Some writers have suggested that the modern singing bowl developed from bowls originally used for food; The historical records and accounts of the music of Tibet are silent about singing bowls. Such bowls are not mentioned by Perceval Landon (a visitor in 1903–1904) in his notes on Tibetan music, nor by any other visitor. Likewise, though ringing and clanging sounds were noted by missionaries interested in traditional Tibetan healing practices, they make no mention of singing bowls. ==Operation==

Types of operation Musically, these objects are classified as a type of bell (a bell is a hollow object which has maximum vibration around an open rim; a gong on the other hand has maximum vibration towards the centre). They are usually placed on a pillow, to allow the rim to vibrate freely, though small bells may be held gently in the hand. in which case they sound a bell note as a struck idiophone (Hornbostel–Sachs classification 111.242.11). Alternatively, some bells may be capable of 'singing bowl' operation as a friction idiophone, the principle being the same as that of water-tuned musical glasses. and has been widely studied both under friction-induced puja excitation and greater angular velocity. Studies have investigated the behaviour of bowls partly filled with water, the way in which the resonant response varies with temperature, and the characteristics of drop-ejection from the liquid surface. includes slow motion video from one of the studies. ==Usage==

Standing bells are used for religious purposes, music making and meditation, In Chinese Buddhist temples the chanting of prayers may be punctuated by the striking of a , typically a hammered bronze bowl between in diameter. The is usually paired with a (wood block). In Japanese temples, the is used along with a (a small hand bell), and two percussion instruments: an (a set of small gongs) and a (a stone or metal plate). The is also used in household worship. Buddhist ritual makes no use of the 'singing' mode of bell operation. Use in music A 1968 reference mentions the 'celuring-set', said at the date of writing to have been a rare instrument found only in the central Javanese principalities. This consisted of a large ornate frame, on top of which was mounted a set of bronze half-coconut-shaped bowls which were struck with a small iron bar. Bowls that were capable of singing began to be imported to the West from around the early 1970s. The musicians Henry Wolff and Nancy Hennings have been credited with the singing bowl's introduction for musical purposes in their 1972 new-age album Tibetan Bells (although they gave no details of the bowls used in the recording). This was the first in what would become a series of five related releases: Tibetan Bells II (1978), Yamantaka with Mickey Hart (1983), Tibetan Bells III (1988), and Tibetan Bells IV (1991). The albums are based on the concept of taking a spiritual journey, with the music as a guide. Wolff and Hennings' seminal recording was followed by the development of a unique style of American singing bowl music called 'Tibetan music'. This has remained very popular in the US with many recordings being marketed as World music or New-age music since the introduction of those terms in the 1980s. 'Tibetan singing bowls' have as a result become a prominent visual and musical symbol of Tibet, to the extent that the most prevalent modern representation of Tibet within the US is that of bowls played by Americans. Standing bells/bowls are called for in several contemporary classical music scores, including Philipe Leroux's (2001); Spirituality and healing (2019) In the West, singing bowls are sometimes used in alternative medicine, their modern popularity for that purpose perhaps deriving from the modal vibration studies known as Cymatics carried out by the physician Hans Jenny (1904–1972). They are also used in sound therapy and for personal spirituality by those who believe that the sound can work on the chakras. Western recordings of so-called 'Tibetan music' frequently associate the bowls with relaxation, as well as attributing them with healing powers and the ability to create some sort of 'altered state' in the mind of the listener. It has been argued that the altered state (whether meditative, spiritual, drug-related or all three) is a key association with 'Tibetan music' in the US and adds to the market value of that representation of Tibet. ==Manufacture and composition==

Most standing bells are manufactured substantially of bell metal (an alloy of copper and tin), sometimes with impurities or additions, although variability can be inferred from the variety of alloy colours. They are generally bowl-shaped, and exist in a wide variety of sizes, from a few centimetres to one metre in diameter. It is sometimes stated that singing bowls are 'traditionally' made of an alloy consisting of various metals, often seven, each associated with a heavenly body. Those commonly mentioned are gold, silver, mercury, copper, iron, tin and lead (or antimony). This is said to be supported by the results of a 1996 analysis of two bowls by Concordia University, which found them to be essentially of bell metal with small quantities—consistent with impurities—of some of the other metals that were looked for, namely lead, zinc, iron and silver. No gold or mercury was found within the accuracy of the measuring apparatus. Singing bowls are also sometimes said to incorporate meteoritic iron. Some modern 'crystal' bowls are made of re-formed crushed synthetic crystal. The usual manufacturing technique for standing bells was to cast the molten metal followed by hand-hammering into the required shape. Modern bells/bowls may be made in that way, but may also be shaped by machine-lathing. The finished article is sometimes decorated with an inscription such as a message of goodwill, or with decorative motifs such as rings, stars, dots or leaves. Bowls from Nepal sometimes include an inscription in the Devanagari script. ==References==