Cohasset Carillon, St. Stephen's Church
How it works
The bells of a Carillon are hung in stationary or fixed position, bolted to a wood or metal frame. The clappers, positioned to rest about an inch from the inside bell wall, are connected to the keyboard through a transmission system of wires attached to roller bars or directed cranks, and adjustable rods. The keyboard at Cohasset is located in an enclosed playing cabin one level below the belfry. The Carillonneur sits on a bench at the keyboard, which consists of small, rounded manual levers as well as larger pedal keys.
 
The normal hand positions are a loosely closed fist for single notes, with the side of the little finger resting on the key, and an open handed position to depress two or three keys at once. The pedals, shorter than organ pedals, and played with the toe only duplicate the lower manual keys in operating the largest bells thereby freeing the players hands for use in the middle and upper ranges. The keys are pressed downward and quickly released.  The amount of energy exerted in depressing a key determines the force of the clappers impact on the bell wall. There is no damping system for a bell as there is for a piano string, so the bell sound continues until it has died away. A sensitive Carillonneur is able to finely control the tone and volume of each bell with each stroke of the hand or foot.


Each bell of a carillon in made of bronze (an alloy of 80% copper and 20% tin ) and sounds five distinct "partial" tones which blend into one note: the fundamental or strike note; the hum tone, one octave below the fundamental; sounding above the fundamental are the tierce or minor third (in a few modern carillons, a major third), the quint or fifth, and the octave. These partials tuned into the newly cast bell by turning it on a lathe and carefully scraping away metal at certain points on the inner wall. A well-tuned bell should never have to be retuned and will last for centuries.
 
True Carillons
There are about 150 true carillons ( with mechanical action as described above ) in North America. In order to be called a "carillon" a bell instrument must have no fewer than 23 bells. Anything smaller is called a "chime", and the player a "chimer". The tradition of "change -ringing" is altogether different from carillon playing and involves 6 to 12 large bells hung in a circle, each attached to its own wheel which rotates 360 degrees in each direction, controlled by an individual ringer pulling a rope. The set of bells is called a "ring" and the performing group is called a "ringing band".
 
 Carillon Links
     Cohasset Carillon (page 1)
     Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA)
     World Carillon Foundation
     Trinity College - Other Bell and Carillon Links
 

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
16 Highland Ave., Cohasset MA 02025 USA
Tel: 781 383 - 1083
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