Bells

'Bells' is the general name for a wide variety of idiophones, instruments and sound objects that make sound with their own body. A bell is a hollow metal object that rings when struck by the clapper hanging inside it; in the 'svolos' the clapper is replaced by a loose ball. The part of the bell that sounds loudest and clearest is the area around the lip.

The bells made in Greece, used mainly for livestock, fall into two groups according to how and from what they are made: forged bells and cast bells.

Forged bells, also simply called 'koudounia', are the most common type all over Greece, with many variants and names. A special type of forged bell is the tsokani, shaped like an isosceles trapezoid, which does not ring at a definite pitch. In Crete forged bells are called leria and sklaveria, used for sheep and goats respectively: a leri is narrower than it is tall, while a sklaveri is wider than it is tall.

The cast bells of Greece are the kypria, the double bells, the kampanelia and the svoloi. The name kypros, kyprokoudouno or kypri comes from the Latin 'cyprium', copper, one of the main materials used. A kypros is taller than it is wide and is made in many sizes and weights. Its clapper can be another, smaller kypros (the 'parakypros' or 'parakoudouno'), and it is then called a double kypros; there are even triple ones, with two smaller bells as clappers. Variants of the kypros are:

The plakeros kypros or plakoula, with thinner walls and more oval ends.

The single kypros (monokypros or monokypri), whose small upper end sticks out.

The kypros with a domed top and lips turned slightly outwards, found mainly in Epirus. In Kozani it is called kandila, and in the Dodecanese raboun or rabouna.

The kampaneli, with a domed top, lips turned outwards and a round rather than oval mouth, unlike the other kypros variants. The Sarakatsani call it kampanitsa or vlangari.

The svolos is made in small sizes and is found all over Greece under various names. As its name suggests, it is round, with a slit in the lower half that usually ends in two round holes. The sound comes not from a clapper but from a ball inside the hollow sphere. A variant has a lower half shaped like a hemisphere with a slit ending in two small holes, and an upper half shaped like a truncated pyramid.

Forged bells are made of copper or copper-plated sheet metal. First the sheet is cut to a pattern that depends on the size and type of bell. It is then heated in the fire and hammered on the anvil until it curves into the body of the bell. The two edges are joined, and a metal loop is fixed in the crown, from which the animal's collar hangs on the outside and the clapper on the inside. The bell is then copper-plated to protect it from rust, and the iron clapper is fitted inside. Finally the craftsman tunes the bell to the desired pitch by tapping its lip.

Cast bells are made of bronze and copper. First a mould of damp, clean earth is made inside two bronze cases: the 'male' for the inside of the bell and the 'female' for the outside. A small iron piece is placed in the centre, from which the clapper will hang. When the mould is ready it is filled with the molten alloy and left to cool. Finally the bell is filed, smoothing its lip or surface, to give it the desired sound.