A carillon ( KARR-ə-lon, kə-RIL-yən) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are cast in bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniously together. They are struck with clappers connected to a keyboard of wooden batons played with the hands and pedals played with the feet. Often housed in bell towers, carillons are usually owned by churches, universities, or municipalities. They can include an automatic system through which the time is announced and simple tunes are played throughout the day.
A carillonneur plays the 56-bell carillon of the Plummer Building, Rochester, Minnesota, US
The 56-bell carillon of Saint Joseph's Oratory, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Console of the carillon at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Cholet [fr] in Maine-et-Loire, France
View of the bells and transmission system of the 49-bell Aarschot Peace Carillon [nl] in Belgium
Bellfounding is the casting and tuning of large bronze bells in a foundry for use such as in churches, clock towers and public buildings, either to signify the time or an event, or as a musical carillon or chime. Large bells are made by casting bell metal in moulds designed for their intended musical pitches. Further fine tuning is then performed using a lathe to shave metal from the bell to produce a distinctive bell tone by sounding the correct musical harmonics.
Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng, dated 433 BCE
Cast Bells Whitechapel Bell Foundry, ca. 1880, State Library of New South Wales
Church Bells in the workshop at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, c. 1880