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Westminster Quarters
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The Westminster Quarters, from its use at the Palace of Westminster, is a melody used by a set of four quarter bells to mark each quarter-hour. It is also known as the Westminster Chimes, Cambridge Quarters, or Cambridge Chimes, from its place of origin, the Church of St Mary the Great, Cambridge.[1]: 7–8
Description
[edit]
The Westminster Quarters are sounded by four quarter bells hung around Big Ben in the Elizabeth Tower belfry, in the Palace of Westminster. These are:[2]
| Quarter bell | Pitch | Weight | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | G♯4 | 1.1t | 1.1m |
| Second | F♯4 | 1.3t | 1.2m |
| Third | E4 | 1.7t | 1.4m |
| Fourth | B3 | 4.0t | 1.8m |
The quarters consist of five changes, permutations of the four pitches provided by these quarter bells (G♯4, F♯4, E4, B3) in the key E major. This generates five unique changes as follows:[3]: 95 [4]
- G♯4, F♯4, E4, B3
- E4, G♯4, F♯4, B3
- E4, F♯4, G♯4, E4
- G♯4, E4, F♯4, B3
- B3, F♯4, G♯4, E4
Each of the five changes is played as three crotchets (quarter notes) and a minim (half note) and are always played in the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. This sequence of five changes is used twice every hour as follows:
The number of changes used matches the number of quarter hours passed.
Because the five changes are used twice, and in the same sequence, the mechanism that trips the hammers needs to be programmed with only five changes instead of ten, reducing its complexity.
Both the third quarter and the full hour require the fourth quarter bell, B3, to be rung twice in quick succession (changes 4,5,1 and 2,3,4,5); too quick for the hammer to draw back for the second strike. To address this, the fourth quarter bell is equipped with two hammers on opposite sides and becomes, effectively, a fifth bell for the mechanism to play.
The first and third quarters finish on the dominant, B, while the half and full hours finish on the tonic, E, producing the satisfying musical effect that has contributed to the popularity of the chimes.
The following sounds have been recreated as MIDI electronic files and do not necessarily represent the actual sounds of the bells and that the pitch of the Big Ben clip is closer to F than E in modern concert pitch. An actual recording may be heard in the summary section above.
| First quarter: | ![]() |
| Half-hour: | ![]() |
| Third quarter: | ![]() |
| Full hour (3 o'clock example): | ![]() |
Words associated with the melody
[edit]The prayer inscribed on a plaque in the Big Ben clock room reads:[5][6]
All through this hour
Lord be my guide
That by Thy power
No foot shall slide.
The conventional prayer is:
O Lord our God
Be Thou our guide
That by Thy help
No foot may slide.
An alternative prayer changes the third line:
O Lord our God
Be Thou our guide
So by Thy power
No foot shall slide.
A variation on this, to the same tune, is prayed at the end of Brownie meetings in the UK and Canada:
O Lord our God
Thy children call
Grant us Thy peace
And bless us all. Amen.
History
[edit]

The Westminster Quarters were originally written in 1793 for a new clock in Great St Mary's, the University Church in Cambridge. There is some doubt over exactly who composed it: Joseph Jowett, Regius Professor of Civil Law, was given the job, but he was probably assisted by either John Randall (1715–1799), who was the Professor of Music from 1755, or his undergraduate pupil, William Crotch (1775–1847). This chime is traditionally, though without substantiation,[7] believed to be a set of variations on the four notes that make up the fifth and sixth bars of "I know that my Redeemer liveth" from Handel's Messiah.[8][1]: 8–9 This is why the chime is also played by the bells of the so-called Red Tower in Halle, the native town of Handel.
In 1851, the chime was adopted by Edmund Beckett Denison (an amateur horologist, and graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, who was familiar with the Great St Mary's chime) for the new clock at the Palace of Westminster, where the bell Big Ben hangs. From there its fame spread. It is now one of the most commonly used chimes for striking clocks.[9]
According to the church records of Trinity Episcopal Church (Williamsport, Pennsylvania), this chime sequence was incorporated into a tower clock mechanism by E. Howard & Co., Boston, Massachusetts. The clock and chime in Trinity's steeple base was dedicated in December 1875. It holds the distinction of being the first tower clock in the United States to sound the Cambridge Quarters.[10]
Other uses
[edit]- A London Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams incorporates the half-hour changes, 2 and 3, near the beginning of the work and the first three changes of the hour, 2, 3 and 4, near the end.
- Light music composer Eric Coates incorporated the music into "Westminster", the Meditation and second part of his London Suite (1933).[11][12]
- "The Westminster Waltz", a light orchestral piece by Robert Farnon (1956) uses the music of the chimes.[11][13]
- The theme music by Ronnie Hazlehurst for the satirical TV series Yes Minister (1980–1984) and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister (1986–1988), about a British politician and his interactions with the civil servants who nominally serve him, is largely based on the chimes (though with a longer duration for the first note of each quarter, which arguably makes the derivation less obvious). When asked in an interview about its Westminster influence, Hazlehurst replied, "That's all it is. It's the easiest thing I've ever done."[14]
- A piece called Carillon de Westminster based on the chimes was written for organ in 1927 by the French composer and organist Louis Vierne. It alters the order at certain points and introduces a new variant of chime 3.
- A composition based on the chimes was written in the ladrang form for central Javanese gamelan. It is named variously as ladrang Wesminster, ladrang Wesmister, ladrang Wèsmèster, etc.
- Indonesian train stations play the chimes as a sign of train departures and arrivals.[15] Upon arrival, the chimes are looped continuously until departure, which may last up to 15 minutes.
- Most schools in Japan and East Asia play the chimes to signal the end and beginning of classes.[16][17][18][19][20]
- For the millennium New Year, a recording of the clock was released by London Records in 1999, titled "Millennium Chimes", with the artist labelled as Big Ben. It reached number 53 on the UK singles chart for the week ending 8 January 2000 (which included purchases prior to 31 December 1999).[21][22]
- In the United States, electronic storm sirens commonly use the Westminster full-hour chime in place of a siren tone for regular tests to avoid confusion among the public.
- The chimes are used when the player reaches 6 a.m. in some of the Five Nights at Freddy's games.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Starmer, William Wooding (1907). "Chimes" (PDF). Proceedings of the Musical Association. 34: 7–10. doi:10.1093/jrma/34.1.1.
- ^ UK Parliament (20 May 2022). "The Great Bell and the quarter bells". Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ Starmer, William Wooding (19 April 1910). "Continental Chimes and Chime Tunes" (PDF). Proceedings of the Musical Association. 36 (1): 93–107. doi:10.1093/jrma/36.1.93.
- ^ "Westminster Chimes". Musical Times and Singing Class Circular. 8 (190): 350. 1 December 1858. JSTOR 3369957.
- ^ "photo of plaque from Parliament's flickr account". flickr.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ McKay, Chris (2010). Big Ben: the Great Clock and the Bells at the Palace of Westminster. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191615085. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ Society of Cambridge Youths. "The Cambridge Chimes". Archived from the original on 30 July 2018.
- ^ Claimed for example by
Harrison, Daniel (October 2000). "Tolling Time". Music Theory Online. 6 (4). Note 16. doi:10.30535/mto.6.4.1. - ^ "What tune does Big Ben chime? And everything else you wanted to know about the country's most famous bell". Classic FM. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "History". trinity-williamsport.diocpa.org. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ a b Payne, Michael (3 March 2016). The Life and Music of Eric Coates. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-02563-4.
- ^ "Knightsbridge March". Faber Music. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Robert Farnon: The Westminster Waltz (1956)". Classic FM. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Advice for new TV composers". BBC New Talent. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 September 2006.
- ^ Widiarini (17 February 2017). "Yang Kadang Terlupa dari Stasiun Terbesar di Semarang" [Sometimes forgotten from the biggest station in Semarang]. detik Travel (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 June 2019.
- ^ ja:ウェストミンスターの鐘#日本での使用
- ^ wikt:キーンコーンカーンコーン
- ^ "ウェストミンスターの鐘 学校のチャイムの曲名と歌詞" [The bells of Westminster School chime title and lyrics]. WorldFolkSong.com (in Japanese).
- ^ "『チャイム(ちゃいむ)』の意味と定義(全文) - 辞書辞典無料検索" [Chime meaning and definition - Dictionary Definition: Vocabulary.com]. JLogos.com (in Japanese).
- ^ "ENGLISH DIGEST 實用英語 - Taipei Times". 4 October 2023.
- ^ NME (12 September 2005). "Big Ben : Millennium chimes". NME. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ "MILLENNIUM CHIMES – BIG BEN". Official Charts. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
External links
[edit]- The parish of St Mary the Great with St Michael, Cambridge Archived 5 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- The Straight Dope on the Westminster Quarters
- The Cambridge Chimes
- A music theory article on the Westminster Quarters and other clock chimes
- Rochester Quarters Archived 12 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- 1941 British Horological Institute article on chimes rarely encountered by clock repairers
Westminster Quarters
View on GrokipediaOverview
Melody Description
The Westminster Quarters serves as a quarter-hour chime mechanism, utilizing four bells to audibly mark the progression of time at 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes past the hour in clock towers and similar timepieces.[3] This structured melody provides a gentle auditory cue for public synchronization, distinct from the more emphatic hour strikes that follow the full sequence.[8] Auditorily, the chime presents a concise and memorable tune that conveys a sense of solemnity and enduring tradition, with its resonant bell tones creating an evocative, rhythmic flow suitable for ceremonial and civic environments.[9] Each quarter segment typically lasts 15 to 20 seconds, ensuring brevity while reinforcing temporal awareness without overwhelming the listener.[10] In its role within public timekeeping, the Westminster Quarters facilitates accessible time signaling, particularly in settings where louder hour strikes may be curtailed at night to lessen noise disturbance in surrounding areas.[10] This design balances functionality with consideration for community rest, making it a staple in both historical and modern horological applications.[11]Bell Configuration
The Westminster Quarters chime is produced using four fixed quarter bells, tuned to the pitches G♯ (highest), F♯, E, and B (lowest), which together form the harmonic foundation for the melody in the key of E major.[12] These pitches correspond to the musical notation G♯4, F♯4, E4, and B3, enabling the distinct tonal qualities essential to the chime's recognition.[13] The bells are stationary and sounded by external hammers that strike them in programmed sequences, controlled by the clock's mechanism to mark the quarter-hours.[14] At the Palace of Westminster, the quarter bells were cast by John Warner & Sons in 1857 at their Crescent Foundry in London, with the E bell cast in 1858.[15] Their weights vary to match their pitches, ranging from approximately 1.1 tonnes for the lightest (G♯) to 4 tonnes for the heaviest (B, the tenor among the quarters), ensuring balanced resonance within the tower.[14] The bells underwent conservation work from 2017 to 2022, during which chiming was largely suspended except for special occasions.[16] Following the quarter chimes, the hour is marked by the Great Bell, known as Big Ben, tuned to E3 and weighing 13.7 tonnes; it is struck by a separate hammer mechanism integrated with the quarter system.[14] This configuration of bells and hammers allows for the precise permutations of strikes that distinguish each quarter-hour.[13]Musical Composition
Note Sequences
The Westminster Quarters chime employs four distinct pitches from the four quarter bells of the Elizabeth Tower: B3, E4, F♯4, and G♯4, tuned in the key of E major.[3] These pitches are arranged into five unique permutations, each consisting of four notes, which are struck in sequence to mark the progression of time. The sequences are designed to provide variety while building rhythmic and melodic anticipation toward the hour strike.[17] The specific note sequences are as follows:| Sequence | Pitches |
|---|---|
| 1 | G♯4 – F♯4 – E4 – B3 |
| 2 | E4 – G♯4 – F♯4 – B3 |
| 3 | E4 – F♯4 – G♯4 – E4 |
| 4 | G♯4 – E4 – F♯4 – B3 |
| 5 | B3 – F♯4 – G♯4 – E4 |
X:1
T:Westminster Quarters - First Sequence
M:4/4
L:1/4
K:E
^G ^F E B2
X:1
T:Westminster Quarters - First Sequence
M:4/4
L:1/4
K:E
^G ^F E B2
Derivation from Handel
The Westminster Quarters melody is derived from phrases in the aria "I know that my Redeemer liveth" from George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah (HWV 56), premiered in 1741.[20] Specifically, Rev. Dr. Joseph Jowett drew upon the four-note motifs in the fifth and sixth bars of the aria's opening, adapting them into the chime's structure.[21][22] Jowett's adaptation involved selecting these melodic phrases and rearranging them into permutations suitable for the mechanical constraints of four bells, while maintaining the original contour's ascending and descending patterns to evoke a sense of resolution and familiarity.[20] This process transformed the vocal line into a purely instrumental sequence, ensuring each quarter-hour segment uses distinct combinations of the bells without overlapping strikes. The resulting chime emphasizes simplicity, with each phrase limited to the available pitches, allowing for clear audibility in open-air settings like clock towers.[23] Key differences between the source material and the chime include simplification to eliminate vocal embellishments, orchestral harmonies, and rhythmic variations present in Handel's composition, while retaining the original key of E major. The aria's lyrical expressiveness, intended for soprano solo with accompaniment, is thus reduced to a bare melodic skeleton optimized for automated bell ringing, focusing solely on the core intervallic relationships that define its memorable quality.[8][24]Historical Development
Cambridge Origins
The Westminster Quarters, originally known as the Cambridge Chimes or Cambridge Quarters, were created in 1793 by Rev. Dr. Joseph Jowett, who served as the Regius Professor of Civil Law and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Jowett composed the chime sequence specifically for the new clock installed at Great St. Mary's Church, the university's official parish church, to mark the quarter hours with a melodic sequence rather than the traditional simple hourly strikes.[25][4][20] The chime utilized the church's existing five clock bells, which were tuned for the purpose, with the striking mechanism crafted and installed by local Cambridge clockmakers to enable the quarter-hour melody. The first public performance of the Cambridge Chimes occurred in 1793 upon the clock's activation, providing a distinctive auditory signal for university and town life in Cambridge.[4][25][20] Jowett's composition was motivated by a desire to produce an original tune suitable for the bells, drawing inspiration from a movement in George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah, particularly the aria "I know that my Redeemer liveth," which he adapted into a new sequence to ensure it was distinct and fitting for the clock. It is possible that Jowett collaborated with young composer William Crotch, then aged 18, in refining the arrangement, though this is uncertain.[25][20][26] This early version at Great St. Mary's laid the foundation for the chime's later adoption at Westminster in 1859, where it became widely known as the Westminster Quarters.[4]Westminster Adoption
The Westminster Quarters chime was adopted for the Palace of Westminster's clock tower as part of the extensive reconstruction following the devastating fire of 1834 that destroyed much of the original palace. Architect Charles Barry, who won the commission to design the new Gothic Revival structure in 1836, incorporated a prominent clock tower into his plans, with detailed Gothic elements provided by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin. Horologist Edmund Beckett Denison selected the Cambridge Quarters melody—derived from the chimes at Great St Mary's Church in Cambridge—for the new installation in 1851, ensuring a harmonious and recognizable tune for the quarter-hour strikes.[27][28] The four quarter bells, weighing approximately 1 ton each and tuned to the notes E, G♯, F♯, and B, were cast by John Warner and Sons at their foundry in Spitalfields, London, in 1856, alongside the initial Great Bell. While the Great Bell experienced cracking and required recasting in 1858 at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the quarter bells proved satisfactory after initial tuning adjustments. These issues were resolved by early 1859, allowing integration with the Great Clock mechanism, which Dent constructed to Denison's precise designs for exceptional accuracy, including a double three-legged gravity escapement. The chimes first rang out publicly on July 11, 1859, marking the tower's operational debut and instantly associating the melody with the Palace of Westminster and its Great Bell, known as Big Ben.[28][2] The chime mechanism operated continuously for over a century, with the clock faces unlit during World War II blackout measures from 1939 to 1945, though the bells themselves rang undeterred as a symbol of resilience, broadcast globally by the BBC. In contrast, the chimes were fully silenced from August 2017 to October 2022 during the Elizabeth Tower's major conservation project, which addressed structural deterioration, fire safety, and mechanical wear at a cost exceeding £80 million, protecting workers from noise exposure. Following restoration, the quarter bells and Big Ben resumed striking on November 13, 2022, for Remembrance Sunday, after successful testing, restoring the full Westminster Quarters sequence to public hearing.[29] As of November 2025, the chimes continue without interruption, subject to annual routine maintenance, such as the brief pause on October 26, 2025, for the winter time adjustment, during which the clock was stopped for cleaning, lubrication, and minor repairs before restarting at 2:00 a.m.[2][30]Associated Lyrics
Mnemonic Verses
Mnemonic verses for the Westminster Quarters consist of traditional English rhymes designed to facilitate memorization of the chime's irregular note patterns across the four quarter-hours. These verses emerged in the 19th century, attributed to anonymous poets, and serve as educational tools for learning the melody as well as poetic accompaniments for clock appreciation in both formal settings and casual observation.[21] The standard mnemonic is a four-line prayer that aligns one line with each quarter's sequence, as inscribed on a wooden plaque inside the Elizabeth Tower:- First quarter: All through this hour
- Second quarter: Lord be my guide
- Third quarter: That by thy power
- Fourth quarter: No foot shall slide





