Campanology
Campanology is the study of bells and the art and science of ringing them. It encompasses their history, design, acoustics, and performance.
Bellfounding: The craft of designing and casting bells, especially bronze bells for churches and towers. Casting determines a bell’s shape, metal, and initial acoustic properties.
Bell metal: A hard bronze alloy, usually rich in copper and tin, traditionally used to cast bells. Its stiffness and durability suit the repeated impacts bells must withstand.
Ancient Chinese bells: Bronze bells made in ancient China, including tuned sets used in ritual and court music. Their sophisticated tuning shows that bell acoustics were studied long before modern analysis.
Carillon: A keyboard-played instrument of at least 23 tuned bells, usually housed in a tower. Carillons turn fixed tower bells into instruments for melodic performance.
Gong: A metal percussion instrument, usually a broad disc, sounded by striking it with a mallet. Unlike most bells, a gong is a plate-like instrument rather than a hollow vessel.
Bell acoustics: The study of how bells vibrate and radiate sound, including the frequencies that shape their characteristic tone. Its partial tones explain why bell tuning differs from tuning most musical instruments.
Bell profile: The cross-sectional contour of a bell, which influences its strength, tone, and tuning potential. Small profile changes can significantly alter a bell’s sound.
Zhong: A category of ancient Chinese bronze bell, often oval in cross-section and capable of producing two pitches. Its shape and dual-tone behavior illustrate a distinct bell tradition.
Church bell ringing: The sounding of church bells for worship, ceremonies, timekeeping, or community announcements. It is one of the most widespread cultural uses of bells.
Tubular bells: A percussion instrument made of suspended metal tubes struck with hammers. Their tubes produce bell-like tones without using the traditional bell shape.