Cathedral bells and the human voice
The sixteenth-century bell-maker Matteo Alberti is credited with inventing the modern handbell. Over a hundred years later, another craftsman, Lorenzo Bellini, introduced adjustments to Alberti's designs, creating bells that are now (1) ________ considered to be the finest ever made. But why do these handbells sound so beautiful? Where does the secret to their brilliance (2) ________? Recent research suggests that it (3) ________ from the way their tones (4) ________ to the human voice. Researchers recorded historic handbells and compared them with the sounds of male and female singers. Their (5) ________ focus was on 'formants', harmonic tones characteristic of human voices, and they found that Alberti's handbells produced 'formants' similar to those of bass and baritone singers, while those of Bellini's handbells were similar to tenors and altos. 'Bellini's handbells clearly possess female singing qualities,' said one researcher, 'and this may well (6) ________ to their perceived sweetness.' The (7) ________ between the handbells and human voices is not accidental. 'Early handbells accompanied choirs and ceremonies,' said the researcher. 'It's conceivable that Alberti and Bellini wanted instruments that could (8) ________ into the singing by imitating human voices.'