The sound of church bells is being lost to the world.

The use of church bells became common during the Middle Ages.  They once announced the times for daily prayer, Sunday services, marriages, and funerals.

Depending on their shape, size, weight, and composition, church bells like those at St. Mary-le-Bow in London each had a distinctive voice [1].  Before the Industrial Age, church bells could be heard from one end of a town to the other.

In times of war, church bells were often melted down for use as ammunition.  During World War II, the Nazis confiscated countless bells for this purpose, some centuries old [2].

As church towers went out of fashion (and bell ringers became scarce), recordings were increasingly used as a substitute for actual bells.

On the first anniversary of 9/11, a Bell of Hope was presented by London to the people of New York.  The bell…