The Carillon - Keyboard Instruments

A carillon is an idiophone percussion instrument played with a keyboard. It consists of at least 23 cast bronze bells suspended in chromatic order and sounded harmoniously together.

The word carillon derives from the Old French "carignon" (a variant of quarregon), which means "four bells". At the same time, the first crafted bells came from the Bronze Age; only in the 15th century did Flemish bellfounders discover the method of properly tuning them. This method happens solely at the bell foundry. Unlike most musical instruments, bells do not lose their tuning over time.

Carillon Manufacturing

The 17th century was a golden period for the manufacture of excellent carillons. Later, by the 19th century, the practice of tuning carillon bells had almost died out, only to be resurrected at the turn of the 20th century. Then, it gradually surpassed the accuracy and tuning of old 17th-century bells and contributed to developing fine contemporary instruments. As a result, many historical instruments with the appropriate number of bells and playing mechanisms are referred to as carillons. This sometimes happens regardless of whether they are fully harmonious to the ear. The Guild does not rank carillons according to their tuning characteristics. However, individual members discuss other aspects of carillon quality and encourage different refinements.

Construction

A carillon is a type of keyboard instrument. Players use their hands on a manual keyboard made of rounded wooden batony. Short chromatic, black key, sit raised above diatonic, white keys. All this is arranged in the same way as on a piano. However, keys sit spaced further apart—about 46 millimeters. On the other hand, the chromatic keys rest raised 97 millimeters above the others.

A wire, typically stainless steel, links each key to the transmission mechanism. It is pressing a key pulls on this wire. The wire then connects with other wires and pulleys. This movement allows a clapper to swing against the inner wall of the key's accompanying bell. Clappers sit about 50 millimeters apart from the bell wall while at rest. Gravity is enough to pull the clapper out from the bell on bigger ones. Smaller bells, though, have return springs that bring the clapper back automatically after each keystroke. This prevents the bell from ringing more than once with each keystroke.

A wire adjuster known as a turnbuckle is located directly above each key. This enables the performer to adjust for wire length due to temperature-related shifts.

A frame made of steel or wooden beams, which sits at the top of a tower, houses the carillon's cast bronze cup-shaped bells. The number and size of these bells, the available space, and the height and structure of the tower determine the bells' arrangement. Heavy bells, in particular, often rest underneath the playing cabin to improve tonal distribution.

Repertoire

The carillon repertoire heavily skews against newer compositions. Additionally, just about 15 pieces of carillon music composed before 1900 are known to exist today. As with the early history of the pipe organ, performers relied heavily on improvisation. Archival evidence shows that many early carillonneurs had to instruct others, especially as they neared retirement. Also, keyboard music in the Baroque period was not composed for a specific keyboard instrument. As a result, the carillon's repertoire is similar to that of the harpsichord, organ, and piano.