CARILLON. - Perhaps from Late Latin quadrilio (a group of four bells). A set of bells, generally small, tuned to a scale; used from as early as the thirteenth century in Flanders and northern Germany, and later in England, it was very fashionable around the fifteenth century.
The bells, grouped in a small space, are struck externally; precise sounds and short melodies are thus produced. If large, carillons are operated by a mechanical device; if small, they are played by means of a keyboard struck by a hammer. When a keyboard and pedalboard were added, a genuine literature of compositions specifically for them began. Belgium in particular had families of famous carillon makers and virtuosi, among whom the organist Mattia van den Gheiden was especially renowned. The cathedrals of Bruges, Malines, Tournai, and Lovanio still boast carillons of worldwide fame. The Chinese considered the pien-chua, an instrument very similar to our carillon, ancient since the time of Confucius. The orchestral carillon consists of very small bells, has a keyboard, and produces bright and cheerful sounds. The carillon of metal bars, with an even gentler sonority, is called the celesta. Some large organs or harmoniums are equipped with stops imitating the sonorities of the celesta.
For art, V. CAMPANA.
Anna Maria Gentili