Portable Carillons

[Damian Beasley-Suffolk]

This travelling carillon is owned by the City of Prague and apparently makes regular tours, especially in Holland and Belgium. I know, and have seen, relatively small practice carillons used in carillon schools. Essentially they are a set of tubular bells with a carillon console. They pop up on local news programmes from time to time here in Holland, and one was for sale a couple of years ago. I thought about it, then thought about what my wife might would say, then thought no more. Typically, I cannot find any photographs of one, despite looking for a couple of hours.

 

Traveling Carillon Prague – Reizende Beiaard Praag – Pražká mobilní zvonohra | SingingBells.com (wordpress.com)

[Damian Beasley-Suffolk]

And of course I immediately found this:

Studie in deeltijd (beiaardcentrum.com)

and this

 

[Damian Beasley-Suffolk]

This is a link to the lady herself. She has quite a performing portfolio - ventriloquism, puppet shows, and carillon playing! A short description of her "kamerbeiaard", living room carillon, which explains that it is a carillon console with xylophoone-like tuned bars. Google translate is your friend here. 

Kamerbeiaard – Lydia Zwart

[Rowland Wateridge]

5 hours ago, Niccolo said:

I tried looking for the video Rowland Wateridge mentioned that was of “Wien bleibt Wien” arranged for carillon, organ, trumpet, and pan pipes, but I haven't had much luck.

Fingers-crossed, here it is (Adnosad, take cover!).  There may be an Ad to skip at the start.  There are several organ versions of ‘Wien bleibt Wien’.

https://youtu.be/s0VQHewtgdA

[S_L]

 

Wonderful Rowland - where do you find this stuff from? Clearly something is lacking in my musical education!!!

And, after that, comes the next version!! 

One commentator enjoyed it so much they were thinking of having it for their wedding - which, for some of us, might be a slightly worrying thought!!!!

[Choir Man]

The owner of the carillon in Nicolo's latest video has an extensive website with lots of info about his instrument and other carillon related material: https://en.bellslab.net/over-ons

[Rowland Wateridge]

6 hours ago, S_L said:

Wonderful Rowland - where do you find this stuff from?

Eventually tracked down on the YouTube thread of this very same Mander board, posted by MM on 25th June 2010. He began with the organ chamades from Esztergom, adding “I'm terribly sorry! This is the more refined version:- MM”, and then followed up with the carillon with organ, trumpet and pan pipes.  I suggested this might be from a church in Vienna, but have since wondered whether it could be somewhere in the Netherlands.  I think it’s a masterly piece of coordinated playing!  I think the organist aloft has a CCTV link, but that’s all - like many an English cathedral organist, I suppose.

It’s a rousing piece, but can sound quite elegant in some orchestral versions.  Inevitably there are several Viennese recordings, and others include the Berlin Philharmonic and von Karajan.

[Damian Beasley-Suffolk]

As mentioned above, a practice carillon for sale 🙂 This one appears to be based on a glockenspiel, looking at the last three photos. Others I have seen on Dutch and Belgian TV are based on tubular bells.

Ladach Instruments: Gert Menkveld Study Carillon - Ladach Instruments pipeorgan offer (pipeorgans.eu)