SLEIGH BELLS

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  Sleigh Bells

  Legend says that Jingle Bells (originally titled One Horse Open Sleigh) made its debut in 1850, in Medford, Massachusetts.  Composer James Lord Pierpont was a native of the town and wanted to write a song commemorating the town's annual sleigh races that were held around Thanksgiving.  Even though the song is now a Christmas essential, there's no mention of Christmas or any other holiday in the song.
• The song was inspired by the sound of bells jingling on the horse's harnesses, which were used to help avoid collisions in the snow in the mid 1800s.  The bells gave an obvious and early warning of an oncoming sleigh, giving people time to get out of the sleigh's path.
• The name of the horse in Jingle Bells is Bobtail.
• In 1965, Jingle Bells became the first song broadcast from space when the astronauts aboard Gemini 6 decided to play a prank on Mission Control and performed the song on a harmonica and actual jingle bells they had smuggled on board.
• We hear mention of sleigh bells in the first stanza of Winter Wonderland.....Sleigh bells ring, are you listening, In the lane, snow is glistening, A beautiful sight, We're happy tonight, Walking in a winter wonderland.
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  The first U.S. sleigh bell company was opened in 1810 by William Barton in East Hampton, Connecticut, which later became known as Belltown because of its successful bell production.
• American sleigh bells made in the last two centuries are brass or bronze. 
• The jingle sound comes from a small ball bearing, or metal rod, inside the bell that rattles when the bell moves.
• Besides their practical function, sleigh bells were used to decorate and were even plated with gold or silver to signify wealth and status.
• In ancient Babyloia, Assyria and Egypt, small bells were fastened to the harnesses of horses, mules and camels.
• One of the earliest uses of sleigh bells in classical instrumental works was in Mozart's "Three German Dances."  Composed in 1791, in three movements, the last one translates to Sleighride, and features tuned sleigh bells (C-E-F-G-A) played by three percussionists.