A carillon is a musical instrument that makes different sounds and is played using a keyboard and foot pedals. It has at least 23 bells made of bronze. These bells are hung in a fixed way and arranged in a specific musical order so they can create harmonious sounds together. The bells are struck by clappers connected to wooden batons on the keyboard and foot pedals. Carillons are often placed in bell towers and are usually owned by churches, universities, or towns. Some carillons have automatic systems that announce the time and play simple music throughout the day.

Carillons vary in design, size, weight, and sound. They are among the heaviest musical instruments in the world, with the largest weighing over 91 metric tons (about 100 short tons). Most carillons weigh between 4.5 and 15 metric tons (about 5.0 to 16.5 short tons). To be called a carillon, it must have at least 23 bells. If it has fewer, it is called a chime. Standard carillons have about 50 bells, and the largest has 77 bells. The look of a carillon depends on the number and size of the bells and the tower where it is placed. Carillons may be in free-standing towers or attached to buildings. The bells can be exposed to the weather or hidden inside the tower.

The carillon originated in the Low Countries, which are now Belgium, the Netherlands, and parts of France, in the 16th century. The modern carillon was created in 1644 when Jacob van Eyck and the Hemony brothers made the first tuned carillon. Carillons were popular until the late 18th century, then declined during the French Revolution. They became popular again in the late 19th century but declined again during the First and Second World Wars. Carillons have been used more since then. UNESCO has listed 56 belfries in Belgium and France as a World Heritage Site and recognized the carillon culture of Belgium as an important cultural tradition.

According to records, about 700 carillons exist worldwide. Most are in or near the Low Countries, though nearly 200 are in North America. Almost all carillons built today were made in the 20th century. About 500 "non-traditional" carillons are known, but some registries do not count them as carillons because they use electricity or computers. Many of these are in the United States, and others are in Western Europe. A few carillons are "traveling" or "mobile," meaning they can be moved because they are attached to a frame.

Etymology and terminology

The word "carillon" is a borrowed word from French, used since the late 18th century. It comes from the Old French word "carignon," which changed from "quarregon," meaning "a set of four bells." The word "quarregon" is based on the Latin word "quaternionem," meaning "a set of four," which comes from "quater," meaning "four times." The term "carillon" is sometimes said to have originally referred to a set of four forestrike bells that played melodies to signal the time of public hour bells. However, this is not supported by old records. Some evidence suggests the term first described the medieval practice of ringing sets of four church bells by pulling ropes attached to the bells' clappers. In German, the word "carillon" is sometimes called "Glockenspiel," meaning "bells set." This should not be confused with another instrument also called "glockenspiel" in French. Dutch speakers use the word "beiaard," but its origin is unclear.

A person who plays the carillon is often called a "carillonneur" (pronounced KERR-uh-luh-NUR in the US or kuh-RIL-yuh-NUR in the UK), borrowed from French. The words "carillon" and "carillonneur" were adopted by English speakers after the instrument was introduced to British soldiers following the War of the Spanish Succession in the 18th century. The French word "carillonneur" refers to male carillon players, but the French term "carillonneuse" for females is not used in English. Another term, "carillonist," is commonly used in English. Some carillon players prefer "carillonist" because it includes both genders, has simpler spelling, and is easier to pronounce. In 2018, the World Carillon Federation chose "carillonist" as its preferred term for official communication.

Characteristics

The carillon is a keyboard instrument. It is similar to other instruments like the organ or pedal piano, but its playing console is unique. The player uses their hands on a manual keyboard made of rounded, wooden batons. The manual has short chromatic keys (the "black keys") raised above the diatonic keys ("white keys"), arranged like a piano. However, the keys are spaced far apart, and the chromatic keys are about 10 cm (4 in) higher than the others. To play, the keys are pressed with a closed fist. The lowest one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half octaves of the manual are connected to a pedal keyboard played with the feet. When a pedal is pressed, the matching key on the manual moves down automatically. Since the mid-20th century, two keyboard design standards have competed for carillons: the North American standard and the North European standard. These standards differ in details like the shape of the pedals or how far the keys are pressed. In 2006, the World Carillon Federation created the WCF Keyboard 2006, a compromise between the two standards. The organization recommends using this standard as a guideline when building or repairing carillons.

Each key is connected to a transmission system by a wire, usually made of stainless steel. When a key is pressed, it pulls the wire, which interacts with other wires and pulleys to move a clapper toward the inside of the bell. At rest, the clappers are 2 to 4 cm (0.8 to 1.6 in) away from the bell. Small bells have springs to pull their clappers back quickly after each note, ensuring the bell rings only once per keystroke. Large bells do not need this because their clappers are heavy enough. Above each key is a wire adjuster called a turnbuckle. These allow the performer to change the wire length, which may be needed due to temperature changes.

Carillon bells are made of cast bronze and shaped like cups. They are placed at the top of a tower in a structure made of steel or wood. The arrangement of the bells depends on the tower’s size, height, and construction, as well as the number and size of the bells. When the heaviest bells are very large, they are often placed below the playing cabin to improve sound quality. The bells themselves do not move during play; only the clappers swing. Some instruments may have a mechanism that allows the heaviest bells to swing.

Carillons may have an automatic system to play simple tunes or the Westminster Quarters on the lower bells. In Europe, this system often uses a playing drum—a large metal cylinder connected to a clock. Metal pegs on the drum catch levers connected to hammers near the bells. When the drum rotates, the pegs lift the hammers, which then strike the bells. The pegs are arranged to play tunes at specific times. In North America, automatic systems are less common; instead, carillons may use pneumatic systems to produce sound.

Carillons are classified as percussion idiophones in the Hornbostel–Sachs system (111.242.222 – sets of bells with internal strikers). The bells are made of bell bronze, a copper–tin alloy chosen for its strength and sound quality. A bell’s shape and weight determine its pitch and tone quality. Unless damaged, a bell retains its original sound. It produces overtones, or partial tones, which may not be harmonically related. To create a harmonious sound, the bell’s shape must be carefully adjusted. Bellfounders focus on five main tones, especially the minor third overtone called the tierce, which gives carillons their unique sound. Bells are cast slightly thick and then shaped with a lathe to tune them. Older European carillons used meantone temperament, while modern carillons, especially in North America, use equal temperament.

A carillon’s dynamic range is similar to a piano. Performers can vary the volume by adjusting how hard they press the keys. Larger bells have a greater range of volume and naturally sound louder than smaller, higher-pitched bells.

Carillons are among the heaviest musical instruments, along with pipe organs. Most carillons weigh between 4.5 and 15 metric tons (5.0 to 16.5 short tons), with some as light as 1 metric ton (1.1 short tons) or as heavy as over 91 metric tons (100 short tons)—like the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon in New York City. Its largest bell, the bourdon, is the largest tuned bell ever cast for a carillon. The entire carillon, including bells, clappers, and steel framework, weighs more than 226 metric tons (249 short tons).

A carillon’s range depends on the number of bells it has, which is often limited by funding. A carillon must have at least 23 bells to be called a carillon; fewer bells make it a chime. No standard pitch range exists, so carillons are classified into categories:

• Carillons with 23 to 27 bells or 35 to 39 bells are called two-octave or three-octave carillons.
• A "concert" or "standard" carillon usually has 45 to 50 bells (about four octaves).
• Carillons with more than 50 bells are called "great" or "grand" carillons.
• Carillons with 15 to 22 bells built before 1940 may be called "historical carillons" by the World Carillon Federation.

The title of "world’s largest carillon by number of bells" is shared by two instruments: the carillon at Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian Church in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and the carillon at the Daejeon Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea. Both have 77 bells.

A carillon’s lowest note, the bourdon, can be any pitch, depending on location and funding. Many carillons use a C-compass keyboard for simplicity, making them transposing instruments. Transposition can vary from down a perfect fourth to up an octave. In North America, more new carillons are now built in concert pitch to support their use as concert instruments.

Many carillons, following a C-compass, lack the lowest C♯ and E♭ bells (which would be the second- and fourth-largest bells if included). This is often due to financial limitations.

History

The carillon began as a combination of two older uses of bells: ringing them to send messages or show the time. Bellringers tied ropes to the clappers of swinging bells and rang them while staying still, a method known as chiming. Chiming gave the ringer more control than swinging bells, so it was used to send messages. For example, bells were rung to warn people about fires or attacks. At celebrations, a bellringer might tie multiple ropes together to play rhythmic patterns on several bells. By the late 1400s, chimers were recorded as using their technique to play music on bells. A 1478 written account describes a man in Dunkirk creating a "great innovation in honor of God" by playing melodies on bells. Another account from 1482 mentions a jester in Aalst playing bells in Antwerp using ropes and batons, the latter suggesting the use of a keyboard.

In the 1300s, new technology for mechanical clocks, called escapement, spread across European clock towers and slowly replaced water clocks. Early clocks had no faces, so they announced the time by ringing a bell a number of times equal to the hour. Later, these clocks were changed to make a warning sound before the hour to prepare listeners. This warning is called the forestrike (Dutch: voorslag). At first, the forestrike used one or two bells, but the system became more complex over time. By the middle of the 1400s, forestrikes with three to seven bells could play simple melodies.

As late as 1510, these two functions—chiming and forestrike—were combined into the first primitive carillon at the Oudenaarde Town Hall. One set of nine bells was connected to both a keyboard and the clock’s forestrike. The Low Countries (now Belgium, the Netherlands, and parts of France) showed the most interest in using bells to make music. In this region, bellfounding had advanced more than in other parts of Europe.

A new instrument called the carillon developed in the Low Countries during the 1600s. Bellfounders received more financial and technological support because the region traded by sea through ports. Also, the political situation under Margaret of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V brought wealth and power to cities. Carillons quickly became a symbol of civic pride. Cities and towns competed to own the largest and best-quality carillons. This demand led to a successful industry of bellfounding families, such as the Waghevens and Vanden Gheyns. Together, they built over 50 carillons between the 1500s and early 1600s. By 1600, the carillon had become a common feature in the region.

A major development for the modern carillon happened in the 1600s, when Pieter and François Hemony, skilled bellfounders, partnered with Jacob van Eyck, a blind carillonneur from Utrecht. Van Eyck was hired by Dutch cities to improve their clock chimes and carillons. He studied the sounds of bells and discovered that a bell’s five main overtones could be tuned together by adjusting the bell’s thickness. In 1644, the Hemony brothers were asked to cast 19 bells for Zutphen’s Wijnhuistoren with Van Eyck as their advisor. By tuning the bells using Van Eyck’s advice, they created the first carillon by the modern definition. Van Eyck recommended making a full two-octave range (23 bells), a standard that has been used since. Over the next 36 years, the Hemony brothers built 51 carillons. Carillon culture reached its peak during this time and continued until the late 1700s.

The French Revolution had a major impact on the Low Countries and carillons. France conquered the Austrian Netherlands in 1795 and the United Provinces in 1810. France tried to take copper from bell bronze to fix its shortage, leading to efforts to dismantle carillons. Carillon owners resisted by asking new governments to protect their instruments or by hiding bells. During this time, about 110 carillons existed, but 50 were destroyed by war, fire, or dismantling. Most were melted to make cannons for the French Revolutionary Wars.

Between 1750 and the end of the 1800s, interest in carillons dropped. More households had clocks and watches, which reduced the carillon’s role in telling time. As a musical instrument, the carillon struggled during the Romantic era, which focused on music with flowing, story-like qualities. Many carillons used meantone temperament, which made them unsuitable for newer, more complex music styles. Few new compositions were written for the carillon. The skill level of carillonneurs also declined, so much that in 1895, a music publisher claimed no carillonneur of the time could play certain piano pieces originally written for the carillon. Without demand for new carillons, the tuning techniques of the Hemony brothers were forgotten, while Van Eyck’s theory was not used. Later carillons were generally less well-made than earlier ones.

In the early 1890s, an English change ringer named Arthur Simpson wrote articles about bell tuning, arguing that bell founders had used poor methods and suggesting improvements. John William Taylor, who had tried to copy the Hemony brothers’ and Vanden Gheyns’ tuning techniques, worked with Simpson. In 1904, they created the first tuned bells in over a century. This rediscovery started a revival of carillon building.

In Mechelen, Belgium, Jef Denyn played a key role in reviving the carillon as a musical instrument. In 1887, after his father became blind, Denyn took over as the city carillonneur and played the carillon in the tower of St. Rumbold’s Cathedral. He supported better playability of the instrument and improved the tumbler rack system of transmission cables his father had installed. This allowed the player

Usage and repertoire

The carillon music collection includes many newer pieces, unlike the organ’s collection, which has more older works. About 15 sets of carillon music from the 17th and 18th centuries are known to exist. Like the pipe organ, early carillon performances often involved improvisation. During the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods, keyboard music was written to be played on any keyboard instrument, not just one. For this reason, much of the carillon’s early music was likely the same as that of the harpsichord, organ, and piano. One example is the De Gruytters carillon book from 1746. The music in this book was arranged for the carillon but could also be played on other keyboard instruments. Baroque keyboard music, especially by composers like Bach, Corelli, Couperin, Handel, Mozart, and Vivaldi, is well suited for carillon performances.

The earliest original carillon music specifically written for the instrument, rather than any keyboard, is the 11 preludes by Matthias Vanden Gheyn. His compositions suggest he had played non-specific keyboard music on the carillon for many years and wanted to create music that works well with the instrument. His preludes are technically difficult and have been a standard part of carillonneurs’ performances since the early 1900s.

Jef Denyn promoted carillon music by encouraging composers to write for the instrument. He influenced his students, including Staf Nees, Léon Henry, and Jef Rottiers, as well as other composers like Jef van Hoof. In 1925, Denyn’s school began publishing carillon music. He was an early supporter of the “Mechelen style,” which includes fast, showy techniques and elements from the Baroque and Romantic periods.

Ronald Barnes helped develop the North American style of carillon music in the 1950s and 1960s. He encouraged his colleagues at the University of Kansas to compose for the carillon and created many of his own pieces. His efforts were most successful with Roy Hamlin Johnson, a piano professor who introduced music using the octatonic scale, which is unique to the carillon. Johnson’s works are considered masterpieces. Barnes composed 56 original pieces and created hundreds of arrangements to expand the carillon’s repertoire. Other important 20th-century contributors included Albert Gerken, Gary C. White, Johan Franco, John Pozdro, and Jean W. Miller. The North American style contrasts with the Mechelen style by focusing on slow, simple harmonies and impressionist themes that highlight the natural sound of the bells.

Carillon music was first published in North America in 1934. G. Schirmer, Inc. published works by Curtis Institute of Music students Samuel Barber, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Nino Rota as part of a short-lived series. In 1961, the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America opened the first dedicated publishing house for carillon music in the United States. In 1968, the Anton Brees Carillon Library was created at Bok Tower Gardens in Florida. It holds large collections of carillon music and related materials.

In the late 2010s, Tiffany Ng, a professor at the University of Michigan, studied the diversity of carillon music. She noted that while African-American spirituals are common in carillon arrangements, few of these works were written by African-American composers. In another study with Emmet Lewis, she found that many works by women, transgender, and non-binary composers exist but are often not published through traditional methods, and gender inequality remains common in carillon performances.

Carillon performances are usually divided into two types: recitals and concerts. Recitals are traditional performances that follow fixed schedules and may occur alongside other events or at the carillonneur’s convenience. This method has been the foundation of carillon performance since the instrument’s creation. Concerts are special performances with a planned program and seating for the audience. Some carillonneurs livestream these events. The first carillon concert took place on August 1, 1892, as part of Jef Denyn’s Monday-evening concert series.

Because the general public often shows little interest in traditional performances, carillonneurs have explored new ways to perform, such as collaborations and experiments known as “Carillon Plus.” Some carillonneurs perform in duets or create new music for two players. Others have played the carillon in orchestras, bands, and other ensembles. These performances are not new but have become more common since the mid-20th century.

Organization and education

The World Carillon Federation is the main group for carillon players and people who enjoy carillons. It brings together existing groups from different regions, countries, and international areas. As of 2025, it has 15 member organizations.

Every three years, the federation holds an international congress in the home country of one of its member groups. These congresses include lectures, workshops, and meetings where people discuss carillon-related topics, such as news, tutorials, demonstrations, and research updates. Most member organizations share regular updates with their members about carillon culture in their areas.

Training to play the carillon is available at several institutions. The Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn" is the most well-known. The LUCA School of Arts in Leuven, Belgium, offers a master's degree in carillon. The Utrecht School of the Arts in Amersfoort, Netherlands, has a special program. The Scandinavian Carillon School is in Denmark, and there are schools in the United Kingdom and France.

The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America organizes carillon exams during its annual meetings. People who pass these exams are certified as members of the guild. The guild works with the North American Carillon School, which was started in 2012 as a partner of the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn." Some American universities include carillon programs in their courses. For example, the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Santa Barbara; the University of Denver; the University of Florida; and the University of Michigan offer full programs. Clemson University, Indiana University, Iowa State University, the University of Kansas, and Marquette University offer limited credit for carillon performance. Carillonneurs who are employed often teach private lessons at their carillons. Universities with carillons but no course credit often have student groups or education programs, such as the Yale Guild of Carillonneurs, which manages performances on the Yale Memorial Carillon, and the University of Chicago Guild of Carillonists.

Music competitions for carillons are held often, with the international Queen Fabiola Competition being the most important.

Distribution

Several groups around the world keep records of carillons. Some of these groups focus on specific types of carillons. For example, the War Memorial and Peace Carillons registry tracks carillons that are used as war memorials or were built to promote peace. Another group, TowerBells, classifies carillons into two categories: "traditional carillons," which are played using a baton keyboard, and "non-traditional carillons," which use computerized or electronic systems. TowerBells also creates maps, technical details, and summaries about carillons. The World Carillon Federation does not include non-traditional carillons in its count and only records carillons played with a baton keyboard and without electronic systems.

According to TowerBells and the World Carillon Federation, there are about 700 traditional carillons. These carillons are found on every continent except Antarctica, but only six countries have more than 20 traditional carillons. The Netherlands, Belgium, and the United States are known as the "great carillon" countries and together hold two-thirds of all traditional carillons. More than 90% of traditional carillons are located in Western Europe, especially in the Low Countries, or in North America. In North America, about 80% of carillons are owned by religious or educational institutions, while in Europe, nearly all are owned by local governments. Most traditional carillons were built in the last 100 years; only about 50 date back to the 18th century or earlier. TowerBells also reports that there are 483 non-traditional carillons, mostly found in the United States and Western Europe.

Traveling carillons

Traveling or mobile carillons are not placed in towers. Instead, their bells and playing console are mounted on a frame that can be moved. These carillons must be much lighter than those that stay in one place. Nora Johnston developed the idea of a traveling carillon between 1933 and 1938. She attached a traditional baton keyboard to a system of chime bars and secured the structure to a portable frame. Johnston visited the United States twice to perform in radio shows, orchestral concerts, and commercials. Later models created by others used real carillon bells.

According to reports from the World Carillon Federation and TowerBells, there are about 20 existing traveling carillons, with only three being non-traditional. Many were or are owned by bell foundries as a promotional tool. Almost all traveling carillons are located in Western Europe and the United States. Two American traveling carillons are part of the musical group Cast in Bronze, which includes the "Spirit of the Bells" performing the carillon alongside other instruments or a recording. Cast in Bronze is recognized for introducing the carillon to the public in the United States and for promoting and preserving the instrument.