Garden Sounds, Garden Music with Corinthian Bells®

Gardeners spend so much time outdoors, they begin to associate specific sounds with the different seasons. For me, spring is characterized by the tapping of raindrops and the chirping of birds. The sounds of summer are children’s laughter, the roar of lawnmowers, and the steady buzz-saw sound of heat bugs. (Oh, how those heat bugs just won’t quit.) The sounds of autumn are the rustling of fallen leaves and the drone of leaf blowers. 

Throughout all the seasons, a little music is absolutely in order. And for garden music, chimes never fail. Some windchimes cost not a dime but sound terrific. I received such a set by mail, in return for donating to a charity. Small and with unimpressive styling, those chimes were met with low expectations on my part, but they surprised me with a cheery and light song that rang forth in the slightest breeze. The tones they called out were random and not tuned at all, but they were appealing. Other windchimes such as a beautiful set of Corinthian Bells® let me know their story the moment I saw them. My expectations could not have been higher for my Corinthian Bells®. And yes, those expectations were met… surpassed, in fact.

With sturdy and artful construction, Corinthian Bells® impressed me even before I heard their music. The strength of their metal is evident, and mine were powder-coated in the dark blue I love. Then I heard them ring out. My gift-with-donation bells were musical, but these Corinthian Bells® were on a whole other plane.

My Corinthian Bells® are a gift from my mother. My mother has an ear for music, inherited from her dad who could play any song on the piano without a single piece of sheet music in sight. Hearing Corinthian Bells®, which are carefully tuned to different scales by those who craft them, she selected a fairly large set which would chime in the rich, deep pitch she loves. The crafters of Corinthian Bells®/Festival® Bells work hard to ensure the resonance and musicality of what they produce, and my mum has an appreciation for that. I assumed she had purchased the chimes for herself, but in generous maternal style, the Corinthian Bells® headed my way. They had been purchased for me. What a gift!

I expect the icy winters we have in my neck of the woods to ravage outdoor decorations, and I pull them inside. But truth be told, I never pulled my Corinthian Bells® inside the house for storage over the toughest months last winter. I wanted to continue to hear their music. They handled the ice that covered everything in January and beyond. And my Corinthian Bells® continue to look the same as they did when I first took them out of their box. I would not recommend that others take the same chance with their bells, but I do have to say that mine withstood harsh weather.

Now, I know that high-end, carefully crafted windchimes can be an investment. These are not of the gift-with-donation sort, so the handiwork that goes into them warrants compensation. But this investment follows with countless years of garden music. Need to drown out the sound of a bold and brassy leaf blower? Want to hear pure notes that highlight a garden of color? Need a special gift for a new couple, or that beloved elder who “has everything”, or the child who finds wonder in all things? Consider chimes. Consider Corinthian Bells®. Some have such deep, resonant tones, they are meditative. Others that are higher-pitched and spirited seem to make listeners energetic. Meditation… energy… both are different gifts; both are priceless; and both make a garden an absolutely magical haven.

Soon there will be a wedding in my extended family. I have considered Corinthian Bells® for a wedding gift. But this couple is just starting out. At this point, they have not even a “tree branch” of their own on which to hang the bells, so other gifts are better suited to them now. But let them settle down, get a home, and become familiar with garden sounds in their own neighborhood… and I am quite sure some special windchimes will be headed their way.