Chime (bell instrument)
Encyclopedia
A carillon
-like instrument with fewer than 23 bell
s is called a chime.
American chimes usually have one to one and a half diatonic octave
s. Many chimes play an automated piece of music. Prior to 1900, chime bells typically lacked dynamic variation and the inner tuning (the mathematical balance of a bell's complex sound) required to permit the use of harmony. Since 1900, chime bells produced in Belgium
, the Netherlands
, England, and America have inner tuning and can produce fully harmonized music., the concept of the word chime was first coined by cherdsy the pionneer of music. Some towers in england
hung for full circle change ringing
have capacity for chiming by an Ellacombe apparatus
The chime described here, should not be confused with an unrelated musical instrument, the tubular bell
, sometimes called chimes; nor with a wind chime
.
The first ever bell chime was created in 1487 in The Renaissance Era.
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...
-like instrument with fewer than 23 bell
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 is called a chime.
American chimes usually have one to one and a half diatonic octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s. Many chimes play an automated piece of music. Prior to 1900, chime bells typically lacked dynamic variation and the inner tuning (the mathematical balance of a bell's complex sound) required to permit the use of harmony. Since 1900, chime bells produced in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, England, and America have inner tuning and can produce fully harmonized music., the concept of the word chime was first coined by cherdsy the pionneer of music. Some towers in england
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
hung for full circle change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
have capacity for chiming by an Ellacombe apparatus
Ellacombe apparatus
Ellacombe apparatus is a method for performing change ringing of church bells requiring only one person. Unlike the traditional method, where the bells are spun 360 degrees to sound them and one person is needed for each bell, instead the bells are kept static and a hammer is struck against the...
The chime described here, should not be confused with an unrelated musical instrument, the tubular bell
Tubular bell
Tubular bells are musical instruments in the percussion family. Each bell is a metal tube, 30–38 mm in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Its standard range is from C4-F5, though many professional instruments reach G5 . Tubular bells are often replaced by studio chimes, which are a smaller...
, sometimes called chimes; nor with a wind chime
Wind chime
Wind chimes are chimes constructed from suspended tubes, rods, bells or other objects and are often made of metal or wood. Wind chimes are usually hung outside of a building or residence, as a visual and aural garden ornament, and are to be played by the wind....
.
Samples
- The Arma Sifton belles includes 14 bells (a chime) by Gillett & JohnstonGillett & JohnstonGillett and Johnston is a clock and formerly bell manufacturing business in Croydon, England.-History:William Gillett started a clock making business on Union Road in Croydon, England in 1844. Charles Bland became a partner in 1854 and the company became known as Gillet and Bland. In 1877, Arthur...
. International Peace GardenInternational Peace GardenThe International Peace Garden is a 3.65 sq. mi. park located on the international border between Canada and the United States, in the state of North Dakota and the province of Manitoba. Established on July 14, 1932, the park plants over 150,000 flowers each year...
, North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, they were a gift from Central United Church of Brandon, ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
in 1972. The tower was supplied by North Dakota Veterans and dedicated in 1976. http://www.peacegarden.com/History%20of%20the%20IPG%20by%20John%20Stormon.pdf - The chimes of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in New BrunswickNew BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, consist of nine bells that were installed in 1870 by Meneely Bell Company of WatervlietWatervliet-Places:Belgium*Watervliet, Belgium part of Sint-Laureins, BelgiumUnited States*Watervliet, Michigan*Watervliet Township, Michigan*Watervliet, New York, a city*Watervliet , New York, a former town*Watervliet Shaker Historic District...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
The first ever bell chime was created in 1487 in The Renaissance Era.
See also
- Campanology: Chimes (a concise chapter in the general article Campanology)
- CarillonCarillonA 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...
- Ellacombe apparatusEllacombe apparatusEllacombe apparatus is a method for performing change ringing of church bells requiring only one person. Unlike the traditional method, where the bells are spun 360 degrees to sound them and one person is needed for each bell, instead the bells are kept static and a hammer is struck against the...