Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A stationary set of chromatically tuned bells in a tower, usually played from a keyboard.
  • noun A composition written or arranged for these bells.
  • intransitive verb To play a carillon.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A set of stationary bells tuned so as to play regularly composed melodies, and sounded by the action of the hand upon a keyboard or by machinery.
  • noun A small instrument furnished with bells, properly tuned, and with finger-keys like those of the pianoforte.
  • noun A simple air adapted to be performed on a set of bells.
  • noun The rapid ringing of several large bells at the same time, with no attempt to produce a tune or the effect of tolling.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Mus.) A chime of bells diatonically tuned, played by clockwork or by finger keys.
  • noun A tune adapted to be played by musical bells.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A set of bells, often in a bell tower, sometimes operated by means of a keyboard (manual or pedal), originating from the Low Countries.
  • noun A tune adapted to be played by musical bells.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun set of bells hung in a bell tower
  • noun playing a set of bells that are (usually) hung in a tower

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, alteration of Old French quarregnon, from Late Latin quaterniō, quaterniōn-, set of four; see quaternion.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word carillon.

Examples

  • I think the thing with "carillon" is that it is a whole range of different sounds ... each coins strikes a different note as it hits the others ... a chime is surely a single note?

    At Swim, One Ambassador Sharon Bakar 2005

  • It was a carillon, that is, a continued mass of real music, in which whole tunes, songs, and elaborate pieces of such length, mass and harmony, as only a choir of many voices, a band of music, or an orchestra of many performers could produce.

    Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks William Elliot Griffis 1885

  • It evolved into what is now known as the carillon - the world's heaviest musical instrument!

    Culture | guardian.co.uk David McNamee 2010

  • Come down to Hyde Park Sunday at 6pm for a carillon is a huge, ancient instrument which appears to be made out of bells of varying sizes.

    unknown title 2009

  • Apparently if bells play a recognisable tune, they are different kind of bells and it's called a carillon or something.

    London SE1 community website 2009

  • Come down to Hyde Park Sunday at 6pm for a carillon is a huge, ancient instrument which appears to be made out of bells of varying sizes.

    unknown title 2009

  • Come down to Hyde Park Sunday at 6pm for a carillon is a huge, ancient instrument which appears to be made out of bells of varying sizes.

    unknown title 2009

  • "It's a wonderful opportunity to spend an evening together in the park, and also support this carillon, which is a really rare musical treasure," Walker said.

    The State Journal-Register Home RSS 2009

  • Come down to Hyde Park Sunday at 6pm for a carillon is a huge, ancient instrument which appears to be made out of bells of varying sizes.

    unknown title 2009

  • Come down to Hyde Park Sunday at 6pm for a carillon is a huge, ancient instrument which appears to be made out of bells of varying sizes.

    unknown title 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • A huge number of automobiles.

    December 16, 2008