Facts about Bristol Surprise Major - Revision history

GACJ: Missing word "one" added.

2011-07-10T21:56:00Z

Missing word "one" added.

GACJ: Opinion on whether Bristol Royal is a valid extension of the Major reverted, as this is intended to be a factual page, based upon current CC Decisions.

2011-07-08T17:27:27Z

Opinion on whether Bristol Royal is a valid extension of the Major reverted, as this is intended to be a factual page, based upon current CC Decisions.

GACJ: cps qualified to say tenors together

2011-07-04T11:58:39Z

cps qualified to say tenors together

GACJ: Spelling corrections

2011-07-04T09:16:41Z

Spelling corrections

Helen: Paragraph on extension corrected.

2011-07-03T20:13:56Z

Paragraph on extension corrected.

GACJ at 19:10, 3 July 2011

2011-07-03T19:10:24Z

GACJ: Corrections pointed out by others - thanks!

2011-07-03T19:09:42Z

Corrections pointed out by others - thanks!

TonyL: spelling correction

2011-07-03T17:22:07Z

spelling correction

GACJ: Created page with 'How well do you know a method, and how much do you know about it? Bristol Surprise Major is probably the most popular and admired method, so what is there to know? This page list…'

2011-07-03T15:59:36Z

Created page with 'How well do you know a method, and how much do you know about it? Bristol Surprise Major is probably the most popular and admired method, so what is there to know? This page list…'

New page

How well do you know a method, and how much do you know about it? Bristol Surprise Major is probably the most popular and admired method, so what is there to know? This page lists the many properties of the method and provides some associated facts and figures.

{| style="color:black;background-color:white;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="0"
! Feature || Description
|-
| Bristol Surprise Major|| the '''Title''' of the method; by combining name, class and stage, it is unique - no two methods can have the same title.
|-
| Bristol|| the '''Name''' of the method. Unique within class and stage;
|-
| Surprise||the '''Class''' of the method. Surprise is a class that means that it is a treble-dodging method (i.e. has a treble-bob hunt bell) and has an internal place made at every cross-section (when the treble moves up or down from one dodge to the next).
|-
| Major|| the '''Stage''' of the method. Major means that it is a method for 8 bells.
|-
|
x58x14.58-58.36.14x14.58x14x18x14x58.14x14.36.58x58.14x58x18<br>
-58-14.58-58.36.14-14.58-14-18,18 (Central Council XML spec.)<br>
&-58-14.58-58.36.14-14.58-14-18,18 (MicroSiril)<br>
&-5-4.5-5.36.4-4.5-4-8,8 (Abbrev. MicroSiril)
|| the '''Place notation''' for a lead of the method, a short hand way of defining the changes. It uniquely defines the method.
|-
| 14263857 || the '''Leadhead'''; the row that starts the second lead. It is a Plain Bob, or regular, leadhead which is the same as Kent Treble Bob Major.
|-
| m or mx || the '''Leadhead Group'''; a label given to 8ths place methods with the Plain Bob leadhead 14263857. When written mx, it explicitly signifies the use of fourths place bobs.
|-
| 24365871 || the '''Half-leadhead'''; also the same as Plain Bob, each being an inverted leadhead.
|-
| 32 || the '''Length of a lead''' in changes or rows.
|-
| 224 || the '''Length of a plain course''' in changes or rows.
|-
| 7 || the number of '''Leads in a plain course'''; and the number of '''Working bells'''.
|-
| 1 || the number of '''Hunt bells'''.
|-
| 14 || the place notation for the standard '''Fourths place bob''', which gives the method its extending lead feature i.e. the back four bells repeat the lead.
|-
| 16 || the place notation for the alternative '''(n-1)ths place bob''', as used more commonly with 8ths place methods of other Leadhead Groups.
|-
| 1234 || the place notation for the standard '''1234 single''', used in short touches, quarters and some peal-length compositions.
|-
| Three leads || a popular and very musical short three-lead touch where a bob is called every lead.
|-
| Hunter || one of four '''Types''' of method. In a Hunter all of the working bells do the same work in the plain course and the number of leads is the same as the number of working bells.
|-
| Treble-Dodging || the hunt bell has a well-formed path, strikes more than two but the same number of blows in each position of the path within the lead and makes only two places within the lead.
|-
| Palindromic|| it is has '''Palindromic symmetry''' i.e. is the same when rung backwards.
|-
| Double || it has '''Double symmetry''' i.e. is the same when reversed, when the places within each change are inverted.
|-
| Rotational || it has '''Rotational symmetry''' i.e. is the same when it is simultaneously reversed and rung backwards. If two types of symmetry are present, then the third must be also.
|-
| Wrong place method || it is a '''Wrong-place method''' (as opposed to a right place method) i.e. its place notation does not have the cross change every alternate change, causing wrong hunting and point blows.
|-
| 87654321 || '''Back rounds''' is the half way row in the plain course. Because the method is Double, all the rows in the plain course are the reverse of another.
|-
| cps || the method is '''Clean proof scale''' - a term meaning that there is no internal falseness when composing with bobs alone.
|-
| c || the '''False Course Head Group''' - it only has falseness group, the out of course group "c". This limited internal falseness, combined with the extending lead feature means that there are many millions of ways of producing touches.
|-
| Extensions || the method can been extended indefinitely and has been rung on all stages up to 16 bells, but it does not contract to Minor.
|-
| Music || it is one of the most musical of methods. See [[Music in Changeringing]] for details.
|-
|
[[Image:Bristol_Surprise_Major.png|left|thumb|400px|Bristol Surprise Major]]
|| the '''Blue line''' for the plain course; the pattern which ringers learn to be able to ring the method from memory. Also shown underneath the left hand panel of the Wiki.
|-
|
[[Image:Bristol_Surprise_Major_(grid).png|left|thumb|100px|Grid]]
|| the '''Grid''' for a lead; the pattern of all bells - an alternative view to help understand how the method fits together.
|-
| 8642357 || the '''Order of work''' i.e. the sequence in which the place bells occur on the blue line of the plain course.
|-
| Course bells work closely together || Working bells always meet and work with their course bells on the front, the back and in the internal points / Stedman places
|-
|
[[Image:Point.png|left|thumb|100px|Point blow]]
|| its blue line contains '''Point blows''', a sequence of right hunting followed by wrong hunting and visa versa creating a point in the blue line.
|-
|
[[Image:Fishtail.png|left|thumb|100px|Fishtail]]
|| '''Fishtail''' is the name given to the work in the blue line that looks like a fish's tail, or two adjacent points with hunting either side.
|-
|
[[Image:Stedman.png|left|thumb|100px|Stedman]]
|| '''Stedman''' is the name given to the work in the blue line than contains the place-point-place feature occurring in Stedman's principle. In Bristol Surprise Major,
they occur in every pair position.
|-
|
[[Image:Lightning.png|left|thumb|100px|Lightning work]]
|| '''Lighting work''' is the name given to the blue line where it passes from a point blow at the back to a point blow on the front and visa versa.
|-
| Rev. E Bankes James|| the '''Creator of the method''' in 1897. He published unnamed in Bell News of 11 December 1897 (16/394) in reply to an article by Frederick Dench.
|-
| 22 March 1901|| date of the '''First peal''' (but at the seventh attempt) at St Peter's, Brighton, conducted by G Williams.
|-
| 1 October 1907|| date of the '''First peal on handbells''' (rung at the first attempt, after 25 practices) at Romford, conducted by William Pye.
|-
|
5,088 Bristol Surprise Major
Composed by Stephen J Ivin
23456 M B W H
42356 1
35426 1 1
24536 2 2
25346 1 - 2 2
26543 2 1
23645 2 1
3 part; 144 crus.
|| There are many hundreds of '''Peal compositions''' of Bristol Surprise Major. The best-known is a three-part '''5088 by Stephen J Ivin''', containing 144 combination roll ups (crus), first rung at Felmersham on 29th September 1956, conducted by Mark S Lancefield.
|-
| 5000+ || the number of '''Peals of Bristol Surprise Major''' rung over the last 30 years, including over 300 on handbells.
|-
| 26880 || the '''Longest composition''' produced for the method, by Roderick W Pipe. The longest length rung was a reduction of this composition.
|-
| 23296 || the '''Longest peal''' rung, at Llanfeugan, St Meugan in 13 hours 10 minutes on 15 Jun 1974 (RW 1974-0612), composed by Roderick W Pipe and conducted by Brian J Woodruffe.
|-
| 12000 || the '''Longest peal on handbells''', rung at Aston Rowant in 5 hours 12 minutes on 28 Dec 2002 (RW 2003-0104), conducted by Bernard F L Groves.
|-
| Standard 8 || it is the only 8ths place method in the '''Standard 8''' Surprise Major methods.
|-
| Pitman’s 4 || it is a member of '''Pitman’s four''' compositions of Spliced Surprise Major, with Cambridge, London and Superlative.
|-
| Nottingham 8 || it is a member of the '''Nottingham 8''' group of methods used in peal compositions of Spliced Surprise Major.
|-
| Horton’s Four || it is a member of the tricky collection of standard methods known as '''Horton's four''' i.e. Belfast, Bristol, Glasgow and London faturing in an all-the-work (atw) peal composition by Roddy Horton.
|-
| Smith’s 23 || it is a member of '''Norman Smith’s''' popular series of peal compositions that work up to 23 Spliced Surprise Major all-the-work.
|}

@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 | cps || the method is '''Clean proof scale''' - a term meaning that there is no internal falseness when composing with bobs alone and tenors together.
 |-
-| c || the '''False Course Head Group''' - it only has falseness group, the out of course group "c". This limited internal falseness, combined with the extending lead feature means that there are many millions of ways of producing touches.
+| c || the '''False Course Head Group''' - it only has one falseness group, the out of course group "c". This limited internal falseness, combined with the extending lead feature means that there are many millions of ways of producing touches.
 |-
 | Extensions || The method can be extended indefinitely, and has been rung on all stages up to 16 bells. However there is no contraction to Minor. Those wishing to learn Bristol Major might benefit from looking at [[Bristol Surprise Maximus | Maximus]] and Royal to understand how they are constructed. It may change how they learn the Major!

@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 | c || the '''False Course Head Group''' - it only has falseness group, the out of course group "c". This limited internal falseness, combined with the extending lead feature means that there are many millions of ways of producing touches.
 |-
-| Extensions || A similar method known misleadingly as "Bristol Surprise Royal" can be extended indefinitely, and has been rung on all stages up to 16 bells, but it does not contract to Major or Minor. However there is a recognisable family relationship to Bristol Major, and those wishing to learn the latter might conceivably benefit from looking at the [[Bristol Surprise Maximus | Maximus]] and Royal to understand how it is constructed. It may change how they learn it!
+| Extensions || A similar method known misleadingly as "Bristol Surprise Royal" can be extended indefinitely, and has been rung on all stages up to 16 bells, but it does not contract to Major or Minor. However there is a recognizable family relationship to Bristol Major, and those wishing to learn the latter might conceivably benefit from looking at the [[Bristol Surprise Maximus | Maximus]] and Royal to understand how it is constructed. It may change how they learn it!
 |-
 | Music || it is one of the most musical of methods. See [[Music in Changeringing]] for details.
@@ Line 91: / Line 91: @@
+|
 [[Image:Lightning.png|left|thumb|100px|Lightning work]]
-|| '''Lighting work''' is the name given to the blue line where it passes from a point blow at the back to a point blow on the front and visa versa.
+|| '''Lightning work''' is the name given to the blue line where it passes from a point blow at the back to a point blow on the front and visa versa.
 |-
 | Rev. E Bankes James|| the '''Creator of the method''' in 1897. He published it unnamed in Bell News of 11 December 1897 (16/394) in reply to an article by Frederick Dench.

@@ Line 114: / Line 114: @@
 | 5000+ || the number of '''Peals of Bristol Surprise Major''' rung over the last 30 years, including over 300 on handbells.
 |-
-| 28512 || the '''Longest composition''' produced for the method to date, composed by Brian Price. The longest length rung was a reduction of this composition.
+| 28512 || the '''Longest composition''' produced for the method to date, composed by Brian Price.
 |-
 | 23296 || the '''Longest peal''' rung, at Llanfeugan, St Meugan in 13 hours 10 minutes on 15 Jun 1974 (RW 1974-0612), composed by Roderick W Pipe and conducted by Brian J Woodruffe. The composition was a shortened version of a 26880.

@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 | 87654321 || '''Back rounds''' is the half way row in the plain course. Because the method is Double, all the rows in the plain course are the reverse of another.
 |-
-| cps || the method is '''Clean proof scale''' - a term meaning that there is no internal falseness when composing with bobs alone.
+| cps || the method is '''Clean proof scale''' - a term meaning that there is no internal falseness when composing with bobs alone and tenors together.
 |-
 | c || the '''False Course Head Group''' - it only has falseness group, the out of course group "c". This limited internal falseness, combined with the extending lead feature means that there are many millions of ways of producing touches.
@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
+|
 [[Image:Stedman.png|left|thumb|100px|Stedman]]
-|| '''Stedman''' is the name given to the work in the blue line than contains the place-point-place feature occurring in Stedman's principle. In Bristol Surprise Major,
+|| '''Stedman''' is the name given to the work in the blue line than contains the place-point-place feature occurring in Stedman's principle. In Bristol Surprise Major, they occur in every pair position.
 |-
+|

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 | 14 || the place notation for the standard '''Fourths place bob''', which gives the method its extending lead feature i.e. the back four bells repeat the lead.
 |-
-| 16 || the place notation for the alternative '''(n-1)ths place bob''', as used more commonly with 8ths place methods of other Leadhead Groups.
+| 16 || the place notation for the alternative '''(n-2)ths place bob''', as used more commonly with 8ths place methods of other Leadhead Groups.
 |-
 | 1234 || the place notation for the standard '''1234 single''', used in short touches, quarters and some peal-length compositions.
@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 | Treble-Dodging || the hunt bell has a well-formed path, strikes more than two but the same number of blows in each position of the path within the lead and makes only two places within the lead.
 |-
-| Palindromic|| it is has '''Palindromic symmetry''' i.e. is the same when rung backwards.
+| Palindromic|| it has '''Palindromic symmetry''' i.e. is the same when rung backwards.
 |-
 | Double || it has '''Double symmetry''' i.e. is the same when reversed, when the places within each change are inverted.
@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 | c || the '''False Course Head Group''' - it only has falseness group, the out of course group "c". This limited internal falseness, combined with the extending lead feature means that there are many millions of ways of producing touches.
 |-
-| Extensions || the method can been extended indefinitely and has been rung on all stages up to 16 bells, but it does not contract to Minor.
+| Extensions || the method can been extended indefinitely and has been rung on all stages up to 16 bells, but it does not contract to Minor. Those wishing to learn Bristol Major would benefit from looking at the [[Bristol Surprise Maximus | Maximus]] and Royal to understand how it is extended. It may change how they learn it!
 |-
 | Music || it is one of the most musical of methods. See [[Music in Changeringing]] for details.
@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 || '''Lighting work''' is the name given to the blue line where it passes from a point blow at the back to a point blow on the front and visa versa.
 |-
-| Rev. E Bankes James|| the '''Creator of the method''' in 1897. He published unnamed in Bell News of 11 December 1897 (16/394) in reply to an article by Frederick Dench.
+| Rev. E Bankes James|| the '''Creator of the method''' in 1897. He published it unnamed in Bell News of 11 December 1897 (16/394) in reply to an article by Frederick Dench.
 |-
 | 22 March 1901|| date of the '''First peal''' (but at the seventh attempt) at St Peter's, Brighton, conducted by G Williams.
@@ Line 114: / Line 114: @@
 | 5000+ || the number of '''Peals of Bristol Surprise Major''' rung over the last 30 years, including over 300 on handbells.
 |-
-| 26880 || the '''Longest composition''' produced for the method, by Roderick W Pipe. The longest length rung was a reduction of this composition.
+| 28512 || the '''Longest composition''' produced for the method to date, composed by Brian Price. The longest length rung was a reduction of this composition.
 |-
-| 23296 || the '''Longest peal''' rung, at Llanfeugan, St Meugan in 13 hours 10 minutes on 15 Jun 1974 (RW 1974-0612), composed by Roderick W Pipe and conducted by Brian J Woodruffe.
+| 23296 || the '''Longest peal''' rung, at Llanfeugan, St Meugan in 13 hours 10 minutes on 15 Jun 1974 (RW 1974-0612), composed by Roderick W Pipe and conducted by Brian J Woodruffe. The composition was a shortened version of a 26880.
 |-
 | 12000 || the '''Longest peal on handbells''', rung at Aston Rowant in 5 hours 12 minutes on 28 Dec 2002 (RW 2003-0104), conducted by Bernard F L Groves.

@@ Line 126: / Line 126: @@
 | Nottingham 8 || it is a member of the '''Nottingham 8''' group of methods used in peal compositions of Spliced Surprise Major.
 |-
-| Horton’s Four || it is a member of the tricky collection of standard methods known as '''Horton's four''' i.e. Belfast, Bristol, Glasgow and London faturing in an all-the-work (atw) peal composition by Roddy Horton.
+| Horton’s Four || it is a member of the tricky collection of standard methods known as '''Horton's four''' i.e. Belfast, Bristol, Glasgow and London featuring in an all-the-work (atw) peal composition by Roddy Horton.
 |-
 | Smith’s 23 || it is a member of '''Norman Smith’s''' popular series of peal compositions that work up to 23 Spliced Surprise Major all-the-work.
 |}