Bourdon (bell)
Encyclopedia
The bourdon is the heaviest of the bell
s that belong to a musical instrument, especially a chime
or a carillon
, and produces its lowest tone.
As an example, the largest bell of a carillon of 64 bells, the sixth largest bell hanging in the world, in the Southern Illinois town of Centralia
, is identified as the 'bourdon.' It weighs 11,000 pounds and is tuned to G. The Centralia Carillon was a single-handed project of the late William V. Joy, publisher of the Centralia Evening Sentinel, and was completed in 1986.
The biggest bell serving as bourdon of any carillon is the low C bell at Riverside Church
, New York City
. Cast in 1929 as part of the Rockefeller
Carillon, it weighs 41,000 pounds and measures 10 feet, 2 inches across. This is also the largest tuned bell ever cast.
Although carillons are by definition chromatic, the next bell up from the bourdon is traditionally a whole tone higher in pitch, leaving a semitone out of the instrument.
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
s that belong to a musical instrument, especially a chime
Chime (bell instrument)
A carillon-like instrument with fewer than 23 bells is called a chime.American chimes usually have one to one and a half diatonic octaves. Many chimes play an automated piece of music. Prior to 1900, chime bells typically lacked dynamic variation and the inner tuning required to permit the use of...
or a carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
, and produces its lowest tone.
As an example, the largest bell of a carillon of 64 bells, the sixth largest bell hanging in the world, in the Southern Illinois town of Centralia
Centralia, Illinois
Centralia is a town located in Marion, Washington, Clinton, and Jefferson Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 13,032 at the 2010 census. The town was founded because it was the point where the two original branches of the Illinois Central Railroad, built in 1853, converged....
, is identified as the 'bourdon.' It weighs 11,000 pounds and is tuned to G. The Centralia Carillon was a single-handed project of the late William V. Joy, publisher of the Centralia Evening Sentinel, and was completed in 1986.
The biggest bell serving as bourdon of any carillon is the low C bell at Riverside Church
Riverside Church
The Riverside Church in the City of New York is an interdenominational church in New York City, famous for its elaborate Neo-Gothic architecture—which includes the world's largest tuned carillon bell...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Cast in 1929 as part of the Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. was a major philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. He was the sole son among the five children of businessman and Standard Oil industrialist John D. Rockefeller and the father of the five famous Rockefeller brothers...
Carillon, it weighs 41,000 pounds and measures 10 feet, 2 inches across. This is also the largest tuned bell ever cast.
Although carillons are by definition chromatic, the next bell up from the bourdon is traditionally a whole tone higher in pitch, leaving a semitone out of the instrument.