(2 Aug 2021) LEAD IN:
The art of bell ringing lies in silence - that's according to one seasoned attendee of the now famed Tutaev bell ringing festival in Russia.
The festival draws tourists from all over the country - who come along to have a go at making music - and silence - using traditional church bells
STORY-LINE:
The sound of bells is filling the air.
Bell ringers from cities across Russia and neighbouring Belarus have gathered in the ancient town of Tutaev on the bank of the River Volga to showcase the ancient skill of bell ringing.
The bell ringers play canonical church bell melodies, but also create their own music.
Dmitry Rozhkov from the Tver region of Russia, has been mastering the art for five years.
Rozhkov explains how the same melody will sound different when played in different belfries.
"The bell tower is a unique instrument, in fact, you do not control it, but it controls you, that is, when you get up, stand up to the bench, when you touch the bell strings for the first time, just like here now, the bell tower leads you," he says.
Thirty bell ringers are taking part today – from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ivanovo and the Tver region.
Anna Malysheva from Moscow considers herself still a beginner, but says her love for playing drums helps her feel the rhythm.
"I had been addicted to heavy metal since long ago, that is, I started playing drums some time in 1998, no, in 1996, I was a drummer, there were no boys in the Teacher Training College, and it just so happened that the rhythm section fascinated me yet back in the wild 1990s."
The festival "Before the Saviour" has become one of the most popular events among residents and guests of Tutaev.
It is taking place for the 5th time and is open to all regardless of professional background or age.
The youngest participant of the festival is 14 year-old Kolya Shekhovtsev.
"When I was listening to this bell ringing, I thought what if I would also become a bell ringer? So, I thought that I could learn this art at last, I have been passionate about it since I was four-years-old," he says.
The festival takes place in one of the most picturesque places in the city - near the Holy Cross Cathedral.
Russian folk instruments are played at the festival and a souvenir trade fair is held.
In 2019, the event won 1st place in the Russian Event Awards - the National Award in the field of event tourism.
It was also included in the top 200 best events in Russia, which is a great source of pride for the organisers.
"People have become more aware of our city thanks to our festival, tourists have begun to come, this is our history, and we are doing it now," says organiser Tatyana Solomatina.
The main instrument featured in the festival - the bells – were cast at the local factory of the Yaroslavl craftsman Nikolai Shuvalov.
Established in 1993, it was one of the first in the post-Soviet period to revive the ancient art of bell manufacturing in Russia.
"They (the bells) do not differ in appearance or sound from the old ones. They fit very well into the old ensemble, and if there is a bell missing somewhere, then we will install it there, and in a year's time you cannot distinguish it from the old bell in appearance, and in sound too," says founder of the bell foundry Nikolay Shuvalov.
The local Bell Casting Art Museum houses both ancient bells and the first bells of the post-Soviet period made in the 1980s-1990s
The display is based on Shuvalov's personal collection.
The key to this art is silence.
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