Though Violet had heard bells ringing many times before, she had never properly listened. She could not make out any pattern in the bells—though each was clearly struck, they seemed to clatter over each other in no particular order. Yet they were deliberate, not chaotic. It was like listening to people speaking German and sensing there was a grammar and structure, a rhythm and logic to it, even if you could not understand the meaning.
Bell ringing has a grammar and logic in it that’s not immediately obvious to the listener. Chevalier has clearly studied this and provides some fascinating history and insight into the mathematics of the patterns created by church bells.
