Some Notes on a Composition of Stedman Caters

These are some notes on this composition of Stedman Caters that I put together at the request of someone considering calling it, and it was suggested that they may be of interest to others.

231456789  1  2 15 18 
134279586      (a)
1324             4
142376598        s  -
124386957  -  -  3*
134287965        s  -
124357698  -  -  5
134258679        s  -
124398765  -  -  5
134295786        s  -
124365879  -  -  s
124365789  s     6
124365978  -     6
124365798  s     6
134265879  -     5   
4 = - s - -; 3* = s - -;
5 = - - s - -; 6 = - - s - - s.
(a) =  1.7.8.s13.14.16.17.19.20.22.23.s24 (24 sixes)

The peal is built around a scheme for keeping the treble fixed different than that usually used (this alternate scheme has been used previously by others, albeit rarely). By keeping it fixed in first place instead of seconds the little bells 2, 3 and 4 can be interchanged with each other with just calls at 15, leaving the back five bells completely undisturbed. You still only get six courses for any back bell position, unlike the eight you can get with a treble turned-in composition. However, unlike compositions with the treble fixed in seconds, you get all six of them without disturbing any of the other bells.

After the starting course the 2, 3 and 4 are affected only by the calls at 15, all the other calls turning the back bells in one way or another, finally also leaving the 65 fixed for the last 24 courses with the calls at 1 just affecting the back three. One of the goals was to keep the calling as simple as I could manage, and have the most familiar and simplest stuff towards the end.

The basic structure is to start with a regular turning block, with a predictable effect on the coursing order of the back bells, building up to finish with the best arrangements of them (reverse backstroke and then handstroke), with the classic back bell positions then stirred in with the calls at 1 at the end.

The sets of three consecutive bobs (at 18 at the end of a course and at 1 and 2 at the start of the next course) cycle by two the order the back bells are coming down to the front. That is, the two bells that had been coming down first are trapped dodging together at the back as the other three back bells all make a bob in turn. The starting course gets them coming down in the order 9-8-6-5-7. The first turning block cycles that by two to 6-5-7-9-8. Then 7-9-8-6-5. Then 8-6-5-7-9 (which is the reverse backstroke position, 98765). Then finally 5-7-9-8-6 (which is the familiar 65 handstroke position, 65879).

Interpolated into the handstroke position are three more familiar positions, just with calls at 1, similar to the scheme for turning the back bells in Bob Dennis's popular 5,055: 65 backstroke, 65 tittums, and 65 inverted tittums.

Each position of the back bells is maintained for several courses by multiple calls at 15 stirring the little bells around while leaving the back ones fixed. In most cases this is a block of 6, though it is just a block of 4 for the 86957 position, which I reckon is the least interesting musically. And the starting course enters the 79586 position after 15, so there are really only five calls at 15 in that position.

Of course, the 4 at 15 followed by a single at 15 could be notated as a block of five calls at 15, the 3* at 15 followed by s at 15 as a block of four calls, and the two blocks of 5 at 15 followed by a s at 15 as a block of six calls. They are broken open this way so one can at least see what the real course ends are in the middle of the blocks of calls at 15, as otherwise those positions of the back bells are obscured by the course ends appearing in the middle of the calls at 18, 1 & 2 turning the back bells.

A few further notes, mostly on the musical properties of the various back bell positions:

• A slightly long starting course is used to get the minimum peal length possible for a normal start with a treble fixed in first finish in the usual 65 handstroke position. However, this starting course does start with a familiar bob at 1 and then sufficient plain sixes to allow the back bells to course down to the front before any further calls, and ends with four sixes of 680s, including one six of backstroke 4680s and one six of handstroke 9680s.
• In the first section, with course ends 1xxx79586, you get backstroke 8765s in the first six after the course end, and handstroke 9680s in the six before the course end.
• In the second section, with course ends 1xxx86957, you get handstroke 789s two sixes after the course end, and backstroke 765s a six before the course end
• In the third section, with course ends 1xxx57698, you get handstroke 6789s in the six before the course end and handstroke 9680s in the six after the course end
• In the fourth section, with course ends 1xxx98765s, you (obviously!) get backstroke 98765s in the six after the course end, and handstroke 680s two sixes before the course end.
• One of the reasons for the popularity of the 65 backstroke position (1xxx65789), in addition to the obvious six of 657890s at the course end, is that it also contains a six of backstroke 680s in the middle of the course.
• The 65 tittums position (1xxx65978) is probably the single most used position of the back bells in caters compositions. The six after the course end is attractive with its 9780s, much like 7568s in major. And the following six alternates two near-missy sorts of rollups, 76890s at backstroke and 567980s at handstroke. And, of course, the tittums arrangement of the back bells has them coursing in order (7-8-9) for a half dozen sixes around the course end, giving the tittums like effects that are responsible for it being called the "tittums" position.
• The 65 inverted tittums position (1xxx65798) is roughly equivalent to the more commonly used 56 tittums position (that is, 56978). It is used instead of the 56 tittums for simplicity, since it can be gotten into and out of just with calls at 1, leaving the 56 undisturbed. It produces even stronger tittums like effects than the 65 tittums position since it has 9-8-7-6 all coursing around the course end. There are also handstroke 9780s two sixes after the course end.
• The 65 handstroke position (1xxx65879) of course gives a six of 567890 rollups after the course end. The following six contains handstroke 9680s.
• While the coursing music is particularly prevalent when the back bells are in a tittums position, the other classic back bell positions such as handstroke have their own coursing music. The ear does tend to pick out the back bells as they are approaching and leaving a course end. Thus I also suspect that the coursing music in the unusual first few blocks will be interesting, though obviously different from the more familiar positions.

I hope these notes help. If you do call this one, I will be most interested to hear how it really works out in practice.

Don Morrison
30 March 2003

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