Sound f/x Metropolitan Opera Bar Bells

[Hugtrain]

I went to the Met for the first time a couple of weeks ago to see Carmen, and about 5 minutes before curtain, the bar bells rang. I had known about bar bells before, and that they tell people that it's now or never (never being intermission), but I was confused by the tones of these bells. It sounded like a random assortment of pitches on a poor-quality recording. The notes changed at intermission as well, being seemingly randomized again. I have never heard any other bar bells in any other theater, is this normal? Is it a tradition at the Met?

(P.S. I put this in Technical Theatre History as it seemed like the most appropriate place to ask about the history of the bar bells)

 

[derekleffew]

For the sake of clarity, let's call them "lobby chimes" rather than "bar bells". Okay?

A good research project/history paper topic here. Add in flashing of the lobby lights. Add in "House to Half". I once learned, but have since forgotten who was first to darken the auditorium during the performance. It was much later than I would have guessed, around 1901 IIRC.

 

[Hugtrain]

For the sake of clarity, let's call them "lobby chimes" rather than "bar bells". Okay?

There are many names for it: Bar Bells, Lobby Chimes, etc. The Met's website calls them "warning chimes." The point is that the meaning was understood.
Also, I am asking specifically about the Met's bells, not bells in general.

 

[TimMc]

There are many names for it: Bar Bells, Lobby Chimes, etc. The Met's website calls them "warning chimes." The point is that the meaning was understood.
Also, I am asking specifically about the Met's bells, not bells in general.

You might contact the house manager at the Met for a more thorough answer. I have Local 1 friends there but they're clueless about anything that happens outside the auditorium doors.

 

[macsound]

Maybe it's just a thing in my area, but every theatre for plays, musicals, ballet, symphony, etc. all seem to use this same handheld bell https://www.musicarts.com/schlagwerk-power-chimes-8-piece-set-c-major-1551018?
While I assume they have them in different keys, I'm not sure how they decide.

 

[derekleffew]

There are many names for it: Bar Bells, Lobby Chimes, etc. The Met's website calls them "warning chimes." The point is that the meaning was understood.
Also, I am asking specifically about the Met's bells, not bells in general.

Let's ask @rochem and @JohnHuntington . Being the MET I suspect there's overly complicated show control and audio distribution involved. https://gilderfluke.com/ or https://alcorn.com/ sounds right. Some will miss seeing the little old House Manager lady with the 4-pack bells in hand in the lobby during intermission.

 

[TimMc]

Let's ask @rochem and @JohnHuntington . Being the MET I suspect there's overly complicated show control and audio distribution involved. https://gilderfluke.com/ or https://alcorn.com/ sounds right. Some will miss seeing the little old House Manager lady with the 4-pack bells in hand in the lobby during intermission.

When I was new at our PAC I was told to "chime the lobby" so I went down stairs and asked where the chimes were. The HM pointed at the 8" speakers in the ceiling and I was looking for the little hand chimes.

For those not of a certain age, it was common for high end hotels to have "pages" with a placard on a stick, on which a person's name would be written. The page would play the chime as they walked through the lobby to alert patrons to check for their name. I guess it was less intrusive than having someone just shouting out names.

 

[SteveB]

I have seen it in video somewhere, the women wandering around the lobby at the end of intermission, doing the chimes. Might have been in Moonstruck, they had extensive Met Opera scenes. Cannot find anything on YT yet.