Editor's Foreword |
The Chinese "钟琴", the name of this instrument, whether it is Baidu Translate or Google Translate, its English is “carillon”. When editing this webpage, the author found that there are big problems between Chinese and English. Search for "钟琴" , whether it is a Baidu web page or Baidu picture, results in a percussion instrument as shown in the picture below. It weighs about 10 kilograms and can be easily carried |
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However, if you search for Carillon in English, it mostly refers to a row of bells composed of several bells (smaller bells) in a cathedral or bell tower. Its total weight ranges from one to twenty tons, and the heaviest one is even nearly 100 tons. There is a huge difference between the two. |
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After many experiments by the author, the "钟琴" in Chinese can be used in English as Glockenspiel (from German, literally translated as bell or iron harp), or concert bells, orchestral bells (01, 02) , the final result can be got for the previously mentioned light percussion instrument "carillon" (see image below) |
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In order to give readers a more comprehensive understanding of their situation, this page will introduce these two different types of "carillon" respectively. |
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01 "Carillon" in Chinese（ Glockenspiel， Orchestral bells) |
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1 History: The carillon is a percussion instrument that produces notes and melodies by striking small, tuned bronze bells with drumsticks. In the 17th century, these small bells were replaced by soundboards made of metal. In the 18th century, soundboards were arranged like a keyboard, with a hammer striking each metal plate to produce a sound. The use of the gavel developed in the 19th century, in conjunction with Romantic sentiments. Non-metal mallets are used for general playing, while metal mallets produce a brighter sound. A rubber mallet can be used to create a warmer sound. When used in military bands, these soundboards were mounted in portable cases and mounted vertically, sometimes in a lyre-shaped frame.（ 01， 02） |
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2 Structure: It consists of a set of flat steel bars with different lengths fixed on the frame and tuned according to the scale. The frequency of the steel bars is proportional to the thickness and inversely proportional to the square of the length. . The steel bars are arranged in semitones in the order of the piano keys, and the player strikes the steel bars with a pair of hammers, producing a soft, clear sound. The hammer head is made of rubber, glass, metal or wood. In order to improve the pronunciation effect of modern carillons, some add resonance tubes under each steel bar (similar to a marimba, but the soundboard of a marimba is made of wood). The glockenspiel is rarely used solo, but mostly in conjunction with other instruments in the orchestra, providing a bright, transparent effect. |
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3. Features: It can play single tone, double single tone and portamento. The sound is bright and sweet, and the tone is beautiful and crisp. The carillon with resonance tube device has a long, loud and beautiful pronunciation, much like a bell. |
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02：Carillon （A large carillon in a church or bell tower）
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1. History: The carillon has existed in people’s lives since the beginning of human civilization. The oldest carillon in the world was unearthed from the ruins of Babylon and has existed in human life three thousand years ago. Originally the clock was only used to tell time, but in the Middle Ages, due to changes in the size and weight of the clock and the formation of scales, it developed into a combination of different intervals, from single tones to melodies, and could play musical bells. This is also This is the origin of the carillon or playing bell. Whether it is practical or religious, the carillon has always struck people's hearts. In Europe during the Middle Ages, the carillon was also very developed. Initially, there was the bell tower in Belgium, and later in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, etc., you can see large carillons. In Japan, the carillon of the Tokyo National University of Music is also very famous. The carillon was introduced to the United States in 1922, and two of the world's largest carillons, each with 72 small bells, were later built for the Riverside Church in New York City and the Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago.（ 01， 02） |
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The Bruges Belfry was built around 1240 as a bell tower in the Market Square in the center of Bruges, Belgium. It is one of the city's most prominent symbols and was formerly home to the treasury and municipal archives and served as a site for the discovery of fires and other dangerous observation posts. Over the next few hundred years, it was struck by lightning or destroyed by fire and rebuilt three times. The bells of the bell tower regulated the lives of city residents, announcing the time, reporting fire alarms, and various social, political, and religious activities. In the 16th century, a carillon was added to the bell tower, which consisted of 35 bells that were played from a hand keyboard and became the forerunner of the modern carillon. After the fire of 1741, it was replaced by a recast carillon set with 26 bells, increasing to 48 bells by the end of the 19th century。 ( 01） |
2. Structure: The carillon is usually placed in the bell tower of a church, a municipal building, or an independent bell tower. Carillon bells are made of bell bronze, and the outline (shape) and weight of the bell determine its pitch and timbre. Apart from changes in shape (such as chipping or corrosion), bells never lose their original sound. It produces a series of pleasant, harmonious sounds with overtones, and the range of the carillon is proportional to the number of bells it has. It is generally believed that a carillon must have at least 23 bells, otherwise it can only be called a bell. The carillon, with its 23 to 27 bells and 35 to 39 bells divided into two and three octave bells respectively, often used music written specifically for the limited range. A "concert carillon" or "standard carillon" usually has 45 to 50 bells, covering approximately four octaves. Carillons with more than 50 bells are often called "grand" carillons. The key arrangement of the carillon is the same as that of a general keyboard instrument or a pitched percussion instrument, but the keys are in the shape of a stick. The lower keys are the basic tones; the upper keys are the Variable tones. The keys strike the bell through the connected hammers. Players can slap the keyboard bars with their fists, or control the bass with their pedals on the keyboard. Along with the church organ, the carillon is one of the heaviest instruments in the world. The weight of most carillons (counting only the weight of the bells) is between 4.5 and 15 tons, with the smallest individual bells weighing about 1 kilogram and the largest nearly 1 ton. The heaviest one weighs 91 tons, with the entire fixed and swinging bell, clapper and steel frame weighing in at over 226 tons. Not all carillons use keyboards. Some of them are automated, meaning they play music without a human being present. They can be controlled using a clockwork mechanism similar to that in Big Ben so that music plays at specific times each day. Two examples of this type of carillon are the Spasskaya Tower in the Moscow Kremlin and the Montoron in Amsterdam. More recent carillons, such as the one in Ottawa's Peace Tower, are computer controlled.（01，02)
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3. Features: The bell is sometimes incorrectly called a carillon, which is incorrect because a true carillon has at least 23 different bells. Most carillon music is arranged for a specific instrument by its players. Baroque music from the 17th and 18th centuries, for example, and much of the work by Vivaldi, Couperin, Corelli, Handel, Bach and Mozart is well suited to the carillon. The Romantic music of the nineteenth century must be used selectively, and this is especially true for contemporary music. Improvisation is also used extensively, especially in folk songs and on familiar themes. Its timbre is generally slow and deep, showing a solemn atmosphere. Its overtones are endless, with a sense of tranquility and mystery. This is difficult to achieve with ordinary musical instruments。
Carillon playing at the Peace Tower of the Canadian Parliament in 1927  （See here）
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4. Example of Morricone music
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2024.3.24 |
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