The tables below form an index to the 63 traditional carillons in France, in order by keyboard range, size and weight. This puts each instrument near those that are most like it in terms of the limitations that their manual, pedal and total ranges impose on what music can be played on them. It is noteworthy that the 26 carillons with known configurations are of 17 different sizes with at least 22 different keyboard configurations. However, there are 38 carillons for which the keyboard ranges are insufficiently known to place them properly in this index, and several for which the manual and/or pedal ranges are not known well enough to determine their exact configurations. Investigations to resolve these situations are ongoing.
The instruments are divided into four major groups by total range, as follows:
Group 1 - grand carillon = at least 4.5 octaves, keyboard G - C
Group 2 - concert carillon = at least 4 octaves, keyboard C - C
Group 3 - medium carillon = at least 3 octaves, keyboard C - C
Group 4 - small carillon = less than 3 octaves
Each group is subdivided according to the configuration of the bass end
of the playing range that defines the group (which often is less than the total range
of the instrument).
Within sub-groups, keyboard ranges are sorted as follows:
-> in ascending order by the visible starting note of the manual,
<- in descending order by number of notes on the manual
(which often is the same as the total number of bells),
<- in descending order by the number of notes in the pedal,
<- in descending order by the weight of the bass bell
(which is equivalent to ascending order by transposition).
Sub-bourdons (shown in parentheses, and usually only connected to the pedalboard) are ignored.
Any piece of music that fits within the defining range of a subgroup can probably be played on all of the instruments in that subgroup. Exceptions might occur if that piece requires unusually high pedal notes that are not available on some instruments.
Any piece of music that can be played on all the instruments of one subgroup can also be played on all the instruments of all the subgroups above that one in the table. The sole significant exception is that music which can be played on all instruments of subgroup 2b+ and which require the bass B-flat cannot be played on instruments of subgroup 2a. Exceptions might also occur if that piece requires unusually high pedal notes that are not available on some instruments.
The key to the five column headings is at the end of the table.
Location (City : Country) Note Chr Nr Transp RngMan/RngPed
Group 1a - fully chromatic within grand carillon range:
[none currently known]
Group 1b - missing bass G# within grand carillon range:
CHAMBERY : FRANCE - 73 G Y 70 0 G F / G C 29 DOUAI - 2/mobile : FRANCE - 59 G Y 53 12 C C 49/ G C 29
Group 1c - missing bass G#,A# within grand carillon range:
[none currently known]
Group 2a+ - fully chromatic within concert carillon range, plus bass B-flat:
[none currently known]
Group 2a - fully chromatic within concert carillon range:
BERGUES-ST.WINOC - B : FRANCE - 59 G +Z 50 7 C C 49/ (G)C G
Group 2b+ - missing bass C# from concert carillon range, but has bass B-flat:
HONDSCHOOTE : FRANCE - 59 D X 61 4 A#C 62/ A#G DUNKERQUE : FRANCE - 59 C +X 50 2 (G )A#C /(G )A#G 21 PAMIERS - STA : FRANCE - 09 A X 49 11 C C 48/ A#G
Group 2b - missing bass C# from concert carillon range:
TOURCOING - STC : FRANCE - 59 C +Y 61 0 (G )C C / ---- BOURBOURG : FRANCE - 59 A# Y 50 12 A#C / A#G CAPPELLE-LA-GRANDE : FRANCE - 59 G Y 48 7 C C / C G BETHUNE - SC/mobile : FRANCE - 62 C Y 48 12 C C / C A LE QUESNOY : FRANCE - 59 E Y 48 4 C C / C G# DEINZE : BELGIUM F Y 48 5 C C / C G SAINT-AMAND-LES-EAUX - 1 : FRANCE - 59 D# Y 48 3 C C / C G SELONGEY : FRANCE - 21 D# Y 48 3 C C / C G VILLEFRANCHE-DE-ROUERGUE : FRANCE - 12 C Y 48 0 C C 49/ C G 20
Group 2c+ - missing bass C#,D# from concert carillon range, plus bass B-flat:
[none currently known]
Group 2c - missing bass C#,D# from concert carillon range:
DOUAI - HDV : FRANCE - 59 C +X 62 2 C C 60/ (G)A#C 26 CARCASSONNE - STV : FRANCE - 11 C X 54 0 C G / C C 23 CHATELLERAULT : FRANCE - 86 C# X 52 1 C F# / C G BLOIS : FRANCE - 41 C +X 48 0 (G) C C / (G)C G LE MAS RILLIER : FRANCE - 01 C +X 50 0 C D 49/(*G)C -- ORCHIES : FRANCE - 59 G X 47 7 C C 49/ C G SEURRE : FRANCE - 21 G X 47 7 C C / C C 23 CHALONS-SUR-MARNE : FRANCE - 51 E X 56 9 G A / C D 26
Group 3a - medium carillons with fully chromatic bass:
BETHUNE - BC/1 : FRANCE - 62 C Z 37 12 C C 49/ C F SAINT-QUENTIN : FRANCE - 02 C Z 37 12 C C / C F FORCALQUIER : FRANCE - 04 F Z 37 17 C C / C E
Group 3b - medium carillons missing one bass semitone:
SECLIN : FRANCE - 59 F# +Y 42 6 E F 38/(G) C G ROUBAIX : FRANCE - 59 A# Y 38 0 C C 37/ A#F SAINT-GAUDENS : FRANCE - 31 D Y 36 2 C C / C C 24
Group 3c - medium carillons missing two bass semitones:
PERPIGNAN : FRANCE - 66 D * 46 2 C C / C G MAGALAS : FRANCE - 34 C# Y 40 13 C F / C F ALBI - ND : FRANCE - 81 B +X 36 11 C C 37/(G) C G 21 REIMS : FRANCE - 51 C X 35 12 C C / C G
Group 4a - small carillons with fully chromatic bass:
LIESSE : FRANCE - 02 B +Z 31 16 (?)G C / ----
Group 4b - small carillons missing one bass semitone:
MAUBEUGE : FRANCE - 59 D +Y 28 - D D 24/ * * 4
Group 4c - small carillons missing two bass semitones:
PARIS - STO : FRANCE - 00 C X 26 12 C C / NONE
ANNECY : FRANCE - 74 - - 37 - ---- / ---- AVESNES-SUR-HELPE : FRANCE - 59 D +X 48 2 C C 47/(G )C G BAILLEUL : FRANCE - 59 F - 35 - ----35/ ----16 BEAUNE : FRANCE - 21 - - 23 - ---- / ---- BETHUNE - BC/2 : FRANCE - 62 - - 28 - ---- / ---- BOURG-EN-BRESSE : FRANCE - 01 C# * 24 - ---- / ---- CAMBRAI : FRANCE - 59 G - 31 - (C )F C 37/(C )F C 7 CARCASSONNE - STN : FRANCE - 11 - - 37 - ---- / ---- CASTELNAUDARY - STM : FRANCE - 11 - - 35 - ---- / ---- CASTRES : FRANCE - 81 G W 34 7 C C / C F CHAMPAGNEY : FRANCE - 70 - - 35 - C G /(??)--E CHOLET : FRANCE - 49 - - 49 - C C / C A DIJON : FRANCE - 21 - - 63 - ---- / ---- GREZIEU-LA-VARENNE : FRANCE - 69 G - 35 - ---- / ---- HAZEBROUCK : FRANCE - 59 - - 48 - ---- / ---- L'ISLE-JOURDAIN - M : FRANCE - 32 - - 23 - ---- / ---- LE CREUSOT : FRANCE - 71 - Z 25 - ---- / ---- LILLE - NDT : FRANCE - 59 G * 41 7 C C 37/ C C 13 ??? LILLE - SC : FRANCE - 59 G * 35 7 C C / ---- LISIEUX : FRANCE - 14 - +- 51 - ---- / ---- LYON - HDV : FRANCE - 69 - - 65 - ---- / ---- MOISSAC : FRANCE - 82 - - 24 - ---- / ---- NARBONNE : FRANCE - 11 - - 36 - ---- / ---- NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES : FRANCE - 21 - - 37 - ---- / ---- PONTMAIN : FRANCE - 53 D Y 39 - ---- / ---- PORTET SUR GARONNE : FRANCE - 31 - - 24 - ---- / ---- ROUEN - C : FRANCE - 76 F V 64 0 F C / F C 28 TANINGES : FRANCE - 74 - - 44 - ---- / ----"???" = The configuration as written is impossible, but which component is wrong is not yet known.
Return to Indexes to traditional carillons in France.
Return to keyboard indexes for traditional carillons worldwide.
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This page was created 2020/07/24 and last revised 2024/09/13.
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