Introduction to the carillon
A carillon is an instrument of bronze bells played from a keyboard. Despite its great size, the carillonneur has delicate control over the volume of individual bells, allowing for musical expression to rival any other instrument. Carillons have 23 or more bells—the largest has 77 (Kirk-in-the-Hills, Bloomfield Hills, MI), while an average instrument contains 48, or four octaves. Carillon bells are fixed in place and struck by clappers from the inside, which are connected by wires to an organ-like keyboard (see photos). The keys are played with closed hands and feet. The bells themselves range from less than 20 lbs. and 6 inches across to 40,000 lbs. and the size of a small car.
Bells produce a profoundly different sound, or timbre, than most other instruments, due to their shape. Most notably, they have a prominent minor third overtone, resulting in the characteristic somber quality. Also, a carillonneur cannot stop the bell's ringing once it has been struck, so music composed or arranged for the instrument must factor in this buildup of sonority, like a piano played with the damper pedal always down. Carillon repertoire includes folk song arrangements, classical transcriptions, and original compositions, with wide variations in style and repertoire across Europe and North America.
A few technical details will help to make sense of the following pages:
- The keys travel about 5 centimeters (2 inches). A player can push the key all the way down (what I refer to as a pressed touch), or he or she can strike it quickly at the top (struck touch), sending the clapper flying to the bell on its own.
- The keys for the treble bells are light and move easily; keys become heavier moving down the range. Bass bells are typically played by the feet, both because they are heavier and so that more notes can be played at once.
- The difference in weight means that carillonneurs must mentally calibrate how much force to use on any given key, and how much time it will take to push the key down—bass notes need to be started rather early in order to sound on time.
- Larger bells have helper springs which lessen the weight on the key and assist the player; smaller bells have return springs that work against the key, mostly to mitigate friction in the system and ensure the clapper bounces quickly away from the bell.
- Handling is the carillon's two-hand equivalent of fingering on a piano. With only two hands and two feet, handling must be carefully worked out when learning a new piece. Occasionally, a player will use one hand to play two notes (thumb on one key, other fingers on the other), but usually notes are played one at a time in each hand. Playing two different notes in a row with one hand is referred to as hooking, an equivalent challenge to playing two notes in a row on a piano with one finger.
- Carillon music is notated like piano music: two staves, one treble clef, one bass clef. The lower staff is typically played in the pedals and the upper staff in the manual (hands).
- Well-composed or -arranged carillon music is most similar in texture to classical guitar repertoire. Many classical guitar pieces can be read directly on the carillon without arrangement (though guitar music is written on one staff).
- Since most of the carillon mechanism is outdoors, metal wires and linkages expand and contract with temperature changes. For this reason, carillonneurs adjust the wire distance between the keys and clappers before playing. With too much wire (too loose an adjustment), a soft press on the key may not make any sound at all. With too little wire (too tight), the player risks holding the clapper against the bell, deadening the sound. The age and imperfect design of most instruments makes a perfect clapper adjustment impossible, so the player must compromise. Unfortunately, some players adjust very tightly to make playing softly easier, which prevents the bells from ringing freely. Even worse, some players never adjust their instruments at all, though it should be done before every performance. The adjusters are typically located inline on each wire directly above the keyboard console.
- Bells are cast from 80% copper and 20% tin. They are cast slightly thick; bronze is removed from the inside of the bell in horizontal bands to tune the various overtones.
- The main carillon bell foundries today are Taylor in England, Eijsbouts and Petit & Fritsen in the Netherlands, and Paccard in France. Bells from various foundries have distinct personalities as the result of slightly different shapes, tuning choices, and alloys.
- Several carillons with bells from the 17th century are still in use in Europe, mostly tuned to quarter-comma meantone. Modern carillons are tuned to equal temperament. A few major-third carillons exist, though they are very strange sounding.
History
Carillons originated in the Low Countries—present-day Netherlands and Belgium—in the 16th century. Before carillons, tower bells were used to signal the community, such as the opening and closing of a town's gates, working hours, fires, and invading armies. When clocks were invented, bells tolled the hours, but people tended to lose count of the number of bell strikes. So, automatic mechanisms were set up to play simple pay-attention! tunes before the hour.
Not long after, the person responsible for striking the bells and winding the clock weights realized he too could play melodies, and keyboards were designed. Even though the carillon towers were typically attached to churches, the towers and bells were traditionally city property, and the carillonneurs civil servants. This is still the case today in much of Europe. Thus, the carillon is historically a folk instrument rather than a religious one.
Several carillons in Europe still use 17th century bells, which were finely tuned centuries ago and are still beautiful instruments. The technology and methods for bell tuning and casting has changed very little since then, as it is not possible to mass-produce bells. The art was lost, though, for most of the 1800's, a century that apparently did not produce any decent bells.
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