Whittington chimes, also called St. Mary's, are a family of clock chime melodies associated with St Mary-le-Bow church in London,[1]: 5  which is related to the historical figure of Whittington by legend. Whittington is usually the secondary chime selection for most chiming clocks, the first being the Westminster. It is also one of two clock chime melodies with multiple variations, the other being the Ave Maria chimes.

Before the name Whittington became common, the melody used to be referred to as “chimes on eight bells”.[2] However, evidence suggests it was originally a chime on six bells – a melody that has not been in use at St Mary-le-Bow since 1666. In 1905, based on what was known about the six-bell version, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford composed a new melody (still called Whittington chimes[3]) that uses 11 out of the 12 bells in the tower of St Mary-le-Bow;[1]: 5  this 11-bell version is the one now used at that church.[4]

Dick Whittington story

The customary English theatre story, adapted from the life of the real Richard Whittington, is that the young boy Dick Whittington was an unhappy apprentice running away from his master, and heard the tune ringing from the bell tower of the church of St Mary-le-Bow in London in 1392.[5] The penniless boy heard the bells seemingly saying to him "Turn again Dick Whittington". Dick returned to London upon hearing the bells, where he went on to find his fortune and became the Lord Mayor of London four times.

According to tradition, Whittington used the tune as a campaign song for his three returns to the office of mayor. A short version of the campaign song goes:

Turn again Dick Whittington,
Right Lord Mayor of London Town.

Chimes of St Mary-le-Bow

The twelve bells in the tower of St Mary-le-Bow, cast in 1956, all have inscriptions on them; the first letters of each inscription spell out:

D W H I T T I N G T O N [2][6]

Chimes on domestic clocks

One version of the Whittington Chimes.

The Whittington chimes are less well known than the Westminster (Cambridge) chimes, despite being much older. The chimes are found in many early English bracket and longcase clocks. The melody was not given the name "Whittington Chimes" on domestic clocks until the late Victorian period onwards.

Whittington chimes found on domestic clocks are variations on the eight-bell melody,[2] and there are at least four variations of this chime sequence.[1]: 5–6  Currently the Whittington chime is often available on grandfather clock movements that have selectable chimes and some quartz clocks.

Bawo & Dotter Chimes

One of the Whittington chime variations is also known as the Bawo & Dotter chimes, and is usually found on many older German movements such as early models of Junghans grandfather clocks. This version of the chimes is remarkably different and unique from the other three variations; only the first-quarter melody remains the same with the other variations.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Starmer, William Wooding (19 November 1907). "Chimes" (PDF). Proceedings of the Musical Association. 34: 1–24. doi:10.1093/jrma/34.1.1.
  2. 1 2 3 Wilson, Steve (12 February 2005). "The actual melody which became later known as the whittington chimes is much older than the westminster chimes". National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, Inc. (Reply to forum post). Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  3. ↑ Bow Bells: The ring of twelve bells at St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside; dedicated by His Grace The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, The Lord Mayor (Sir Percy W. Greenaway) and sheriffs attending in State, On Friday, the 7th of July, 1933 (PDF). Gillett & Johnston. 1933. p. 11. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  4. ↑ Mikey Bellringer (22 July 2021). "ST Mary Le-Bow 14:00, London". YouTube (Video). Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  5. ↑ Howse, Christopher (22 September 2007). "The bells that made cockneys". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 August 2021.(subscription required)
  6. ↑ "St Mary le Bow, Cheapside". Love’s Guide to The Church Bells of the City of London. 13 October 2019. Inscriptions. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
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