Carillon

What it means

A carillon is a tower instrument made up of many tuned bronze bells and played from a keyboard of its own. The bells hang fixed; only the clappers move, connected by a linkage to baton keys and a pedalboard. The player strikes the keys with a loosely clenched fist and operates the low bells with the feet. A full-fledged instrument spans several octaves in chromatic sequence; smaller installations with few bells do not count.

Musical use

Carillons originated in the Netherlands and present-day Belgium and spread from there; to this day they are part of the sound of many towns. Arrangements, folk songs, and an original repertoire of their own are played. The distinctive feature lies in the sound of the bell itself: its partial structure is not harmonic like that of a string but contains, among other things, a minor-third partial, which lets the sound hover between major and minor. From this follows a texture of its own — dense chords blur, while wide registers and clear lines carry better. The carillon differs from the orchestral glockenspiel in size, placement, and manner of playing.

Performance practice

Dynamics arise solely from the force of the stroke, and they can be graded astonishingly finely; work with the weight of the arm, not with force. Expect a long afterring and therefore plan rests and thin textures so that the harmonies do not overlap. Take into account the delay between the stroke and the audible sound outside, and the fact that in the playing cabin you hear a different sound picture than the audience below. For the deep bass use the pedals and keep the upper body calm. Consideration for the surroundings is part of the practice: playing times and volume are usually regulated by binding rules.

Bear in mind that the sound of a bell changes its colour with volume: forceful strokes emphasize the inharmonic partials and make the chord seem restless. In dense textures, therefore, work rather softly and use forceful strokes selectively. Check the mechanism before playing, because warped linkage delays the response of individual notes. For pieces with pedal bass, it is worth practising the foot part separately. Find out about the local regulations for playing times before you plan a performance.