Campanology

Campanology is the study of bells — the methods of casting and tuning them, and the art or science of ringing them.

Types of bell-ringing

There are many sorts of bells around the world of all shapes, sizes, and materials, rung in many different ways. When a set of tuned bells is to be rung, some organizing principle must be used; in Europe two main ways of using a church tower for this sort of bell-ringing developed:

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• In a carillon (popular on the continent of Europe) a large number of bells can be struck by hammers all tied in to a central framework much like a piano keyboard, so that one "carilloneur" can ring them all according to some tune or melody, and even with rudimentary harmony.
• Change ringing (popular in the British Isles) involves a smaller number of bells, each mounted on a wheel and physically swung by its own bellringer pulling on a rope; they are rung not according to melody but following a changing series of mathematical patterns.