- Also called:
- electronic chime, electrophonic carillon, or electroacoustical carillon
- Related Topics:
- electronic instrument
- carillon
electronic carillon
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What is an electronic carillon?
An electronic carillon is a 20th-century instrument that uses metal tubes, rods, or bars struck by hammers as an acoustical tone source. These tones are electromagnetically or electrostatically picked up and converted into electrical vibrations. These vibrations are then highly amplified and fed into loudspeakers, which are placed in a belfry or other exterior location.
Played from an electric keyboard, the instrument activates switches that cause small hammers to strike the tone source, creating a ringing sound similar to bells. Although it is considered an instrument replacing cast bells, it is regarded as an independent instrument. The electronic carillon typically ranges from two to five octaves, while the electronic chime has less than two octaves.
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How does an electronic carillon make music?
An electronic carillon is a 20th-century musical instrument that produces sound by converting the vibrations of struck metal into amplified electrical signals. An electric keyboard activates switches, causing hammers to strike metal tubes, rods, or bars. These sounds are then picked up electromagnetically or electrostatically and converted into electrical vibrations. The vibrations are highly amplified and fed into loudspeakers, which are generally placed in a belfry or other exterior location, resulting in a ringing sound similar to bells.
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How is an electronic carillon different from a traditional carillon?
An electronic carillon is a 20th-century instrument that uses metal tubes, rods, or bars struck by hammers as its acoustical tone source. These sounds are converted into electrical vibrations, amplified, and broadcast through loudspeakers, often placed in a belfry. It is played from an electric keyboard that activates switches, creating a ringing sound similar to bells.
A traditional carillon consists of at least 23 cast bronze bells in fixed suspension, tuned in chromatic order. It is typically located in a tower and played from a keyboard with wooden levers and pedals wired to clappers.
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Where are electronic carillons commonly used?
Electronic carillons are used in locations where the installation of traditional cast bells is impractical. They offer a cost-effective alternative, take up minimal space, and their loudspeakers can be easily mounted on rooftops or elevated areas without needing a tower. Electronic carillons can also include indoor speakers, offering greater listening flexibility, and their keyboards can be placed wherever desired. Churches sometimes combine the rods of the electronic carillon with the organ.
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What sounds or melodies can be played on an electronic carillon?
An electronic carillon can play a variety of sounds and melodies by using an electric keyboard to activate switches that cause hammers to strike metal tubes, rods, or bars. The resulting ringing sound mimics that of bells. Some instruments offer a range of musical sounds, such as harp or celesta, produced by selective pickup of partials in the rods. The sounds can be modified electronically, and the instrument may also feature automatic roll play with clock control. A carillon can play compositions specifically written for it.
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How does technology allow electronic carillons to imitate real bells?
Electronic carillons mimic real bells using metal tubes, rods, or bars struck by hammers. These sounds are converted into electrical vibrations, amplified, and broadcast through loudspeakers.
The instrument uses small brass or bronze rods as a tone source to replicate the sound of cast bells. When these rods are struck, they produce sound-wave frequencies that are picked up and amplified. Electronic pickups are placed at specific points to capture only the desired frequencies, modifying the sound to imitate bells, especially in the upper register.
However, replicating the strike tone and the varying decay rates of partials in cast bells remains a challenge for electronic carillons.
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electronic carillon, 20th-century musical instrument in which the acoustical tone sourceāmetal tubes, rods, or bars struck by hammersāis picked up electromagnetically or electrostatically and converted into electrical vibrations that are highly amplified and fed into loudspeakers placed in a belfry or other exterior site. It is played from an electric keyboardāsometimes an organ manualāactivating solenoid (electromagnetic) switches, which throw small hammers against the tone source, resulting in a ringing sound suggestive of bells. Although generally considered an imitative instrument replacing cast bells, it more properly should be regarded as an independent instrument existing on its own merits. The electronic carillon ranges two to five octaves, the electronic chime less than two octaves.
The precursor of the electronic carillon, developed in the United States in 1916, was a set of sizable bronze tubes vertically suspended in a belfry and struck by hammers electrically activated from a keyboard located at will and connected by cable. Closed at one end, these tubes, known as tubular bells, resembled orchestral tubular bells, or chimes, except for size. The outdoor belfry device was an enlarged version of smaller organ chimes of brass tubes, which were introduced in 1888. In 1923 the tubes were given amplifications, and in 1926, automatic roll play.
In the 1930s small rods of brass or bronze were introduced as a tone source and proved more economical than tubes. With the rods, attempts were made to approximate more closely the sound of the cast bell. In āfixed-freeā suspension (one end fastened and the other free) a rod produces two prominent partials a major sixth apart. To produce a given note, two rods are struck at selected points. Only the desired sound-wave frequencies are picked up and amplified, the electronic pickups being placed at nodal (nonvibrating) points in the vibration pattern of unwanted partials. When the composite sound is electronically modified, the result offers a reasonable imitation of bells in the upper register but a superficial one in the lower. Two elements are relevant: larger bells have a pronounced āstrike toneāāa pitch sensation of sharper timbre at impactāthat the rod does not reproduce; and the partials of a bell decay at independent rates, a behaviour characteristic of metal cast in the shape of Western flared-mouth bells and not duplicated in the vibrating rod.
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Irrespective of musical considerations, the electronic carillon or chime possesses certain advantages in comparison with cast bells. It is generally less expensive, its equipment requires little space, and its loudspeakers can be mounted on a roof or other elevated area without need of a tower. It is also possible to include indoor speakers, thus giving more listening flexibility, and the keyboard can be placed wherever desired. For variety, some instruments include other types of musical sound, such as the harp or celesta; the appropriate timbres (tone colours) are produced by selective pickup of partials in the rods. In churches the rods can also be combined with the organ. Automatic roll play with clock control may also be used to operate the instrument.