It is known as the Rochester Carillon since the Mayo brothers intended that its music would be enjoyed by people throughout the community of Rochester, Minnesota. Mayo Clinic is the only medical center in North America to have a carillon. The largest bell is nearly 6 feet high and weighs 7,840 lbs. To learn more, visit websites for The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, The World Carillon Federation and Tower Bells for detailed information on similar instruments found around the globe.
Most are located at places of worship and educational institutions. There are more than 180 carillons in the United States and Canada. These are located at Kirk in the Hills, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Daejon Institute of Science and Technology, in Daejon, Chungchon, South Korea. The world’s largest carillons each have 77 bells. The carillon at Mayo Clinic contains 56 bells. Instruments with at least 48 bells are considered “concert” carillons and are suitable for the majority of music written for the instrument. Though the minimum number of bells for an instrument to be considered a carillon is 23, many instruments contain a larger number of bells. Therefore, popular tunes are just as appropriate as classical music in the carillon repertoire. While many people today associate the carillon with rich, majestic melodies, this instrument began as an accompaniment to market days and folk festivals in the Middle Ages.
The art of playing the carillon originated more than 500 years ago in the area of Europe that now comprises the Netherlands, Belgium and northern France. Wooden batons serve the same purpose as a keyboard. When correctly tuned, the numerous tones that make up the bell’s sound, known as its partials, are in harmony with one another to such a degree that many bells may be sounded together, in a variety of chords, with a pleasant result. The bells are precisely tuned by paring the interior surface, a process that involves shaving metal from various points along the bell’s profile, or shape. He or she sits at a keyboard console called a clavier (“cla-VEER”) that has a double row of wooden keys, known as batons, and a pedalboard.ĭuring a performance, the carillonneur presses the batons and pedals. Clappers, pulled by wires that are activated by pressing the batons and pedals, strike the inside surface of the bells to create music. The person who plays the carillon is called a carillonneur (“care-uh-lawn-NUR”). They are rigidly fixed to supporting beams that are housed in a tower. The carillon is dedicated “To the American Soldier.”Ī carillon (“care-uh-lawn”) is a musical instrument that consists of at least 23 bronze, cup-shaped bells.
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