Carillon, << KAR uh lon, >> is a set of 23 or more stationary bells arranged to play music. The bells vary in size from a diameter of 31/2 inches (9 centimeters) and a weight of 7 pounds (3.2 kilograms) to a diameter of 101/4 feet (3.1 meters) and a weight of 20 short tons (18 metric tons). A carillon has a range of two to six octaves. Most carillons are located in bell towers in Europe and North America. American carillons have from 23 to 77 bells.
A carillon may be played either manually or mechanically. When a carillon is played manually, the musician usually sits at a keyboard below the bells. The keyboard consists of rounded wooden keys for the hands and short pedals for the feet. The keys and pedals are connected to metal clappers. By pushing down on the keys and pedals, the musician moves the clappers, which strike the sides of the bells to produce sound. A mechanical carillon has a rotating barrel with projecting pegs that automatically cause the clappers to strike.
The carillon originated in the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern France in the 1500’s. Some modern electronic devices try to reproduce bell sounds through loudspeakers, but they are not true carillons.
