Carillon

A carillon is a musical instrument composed of at least 23 cup-shaped bells played from a keyboard using fists and feet. Carillon bells are made of bell bronze, approximately 78% copper and 22% tin. Carillons are normally housed in towers. The carillon has the widest dynamic range of any mechanical (non-electric) musical instrument.

Related Topics:
Musical instrument - Bell - Keyboard - Towers

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Carillons originated in the 15th century in the Low Countries of Europe: Belgium, Holland, and Northern France, when bell-makers perfected their art by tuning bells at several points so that they could be sounded together to produce concordant harmonies. The greatest concentration of carillons is still to be found in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the northern regions of France, where they were commonly installed in the grand towers of rich cities as tokens of civic pride and status.

Related Topics:
15th century - Belgium - Holland - Northern France

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They were most often housed in church towers, belfries, or in municipal buildings, and the same holds true for those carillons that have been installed in other parts of the world since the art of casting precisely tuned bells was rediscovered in the late 19th century. In Germany, such a carillon is also called a glockenspiel.

Related Topics:
Church - 19th century - Germany - Glockenspiel

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Since each separate note is produced by an individual bell, a carillon's musical range is determined by the number of bells it has.

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With fewer than 23 (two octaves), the instrument is considered a chime, not a carillon.

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A concert carillon has a range of at least four octaves (47 bells), while the carillon with largest range contains 77 bells, or six and a half octaves (Kirk in the Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States).

Related Topics:
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan - United States

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In comparison, standard grand pianos can play 88 different notes.

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The carillonneur, the musician who plays the carillon, sits in a cabin beneath the bells. The carillonneur presses down, with a loosely closed fist, on a series of baton-like keys arranged in the same pattern as a piano keyboard.

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The keys activate levers and wires that connect directly to the bells' clappers; thus, as with a piano, the carillonneur can vary the intensity of the note according to the force applied to the key.

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In addition to the manual keys, the heavier bells are also connected to pedals. These notes can either be played with the hands or the feet.

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