CARILLON

Carillon in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Petersburg.

CARILLON. A carillon is musical instrument consisting of at least 23 cast bronze bells in fixed suspension, tuned in half steps and capable of harmony when sounded together. Usually located in a tower, it is played from a clavier, or keyboard, containing wooden levers and pedals wired to clappers or, less commonly, from an ivory keyboard with electric action operating the clappers. Only the first method permits expression through variation of touch. On some instruments a part of the range can be played by use of perforated rolls. (1)

Dubuque has several carillon. One atop the AMERICAN TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK building in downtown Dubuque was converted to a reel-to-reel tape system when pieces for the original could not be found. The machine relied upon a manual clock that would not keep time when the power was out. When the power returned the bells would chime and then play two or three short songs--even in the middle of the night. Occasionally it played on Sunday. When tapes could no longer be obtained, a Novabell III was ordered in 1997 for ten thousand dollars. (2)

ST. RAPHAEL'S CATHEDRAL has had ringing bells since 1876. A hymn was sounded at 7:00 a.m. with chimes at noon and 6:00 p.m. as calls to worship. Like the one at American Trust, the carillon at the church in 2020 was controlled by a machine. (3)

Most carillons have three to four octaves, a few five and even six. Although the bourdon, or lowest note, can be any pitch, it often sounds around middle C. In heavy instruments the bell producing this note may weigh 6 to 8 tons, occasionally 10 or 12. The world’s heaviest, at the Riverside Church, New York City, weighs 20 tons. Carillon bells decrease in size and weight with the upward scale to extreme trebles of about 20 pounds (9 kilograms). Playing large instruments—using fists and feet—takes considerable physical exertion, as clappers weighing as much as several hundred pounds must be swung. (4)

The word carillon was originally applied in France to four stationary clock bells (hence the medieval Latin name quadrilionem) and later referred to any group of fixed bells. During the 14th century a weight-driven revolving pegged drum was invented that could be connected to clockworks; the pegs tripped levers wired to hammers, which in turn struck the bells. For the next 150 years, clock chimes struck by this method produced simple note sequences or melodies preceding the hour strike in church and town-hall towers. Interest in the musical potential of bells was greatest in Belgium and the Netherlands, where bell founding had reached an advanced stage and a bell profile had been developed that produced a more musical sound than those of foreign founders. The set of bells now known as a carillon originated in Flanders, possibly at Aalst or Antwerp, in about 1480. The Flemish devised a wooden keyboard for use alongside the chiming cylinder. This innovation became popular throughout Belgium and the Netherlands and northern France but was widely adopted elsewhere only in modern times. (5)

Carillon art reached a pinnacle in the latter half of the 17th century with the founders François and Pierre Hémony of the Netherlands. They were the first to tune the bells with precision. During the 19th century, tuning techniques were forgotten as orders for bells decreased; the bells that were made were generally inferior. The rediscovery of the tuning process at the John Taylor and Company foundry in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, in the 1890s began a revival of carillon art. (6)

In August, 1994 hail damaged the American Trust bell carillon which rang popular melodies for fifteen minutes at 9:00 a.m., noon, and 5:00 p.m. daily. The original manufacturer of the carillon equipment had been out of business for years. When it was found that replacement parts were unavailable, bank officials decided to replace the equipment. It took three years to complete the task, but the bells were again ready in May, 1997. (7)

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Source:

1. "Carillon," Encyclopedia Britannica, Online:https://www.britannica.com/art/carillon

2. Goldstein, Bennet, "Ringing Downtown's Routine," Telegraph Herald, February 18, 2020, p. 2A

3. Ibid.

4. "Carillon..."

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid.

7. "Clock Carillon Set to Ring After Repair," Telegraph Herald, May 12, 1997, p. 2