The Diversity of a Musical Term

glockenspiel instrument

Music has occupied and influenced people since the beginning of time. Just like the way of life, the music they produced also evolved. In the beginning, the melodies consisted of only a few tones and were often only created with the voice. It was only in the course of time that individual instruments developed and people learned to play on them. With them they could create a wide variety of tones and melodies. In today’s era there are numerous musical genres, all of which have their supporters and critics.

The musical instruments used by the musicians are just as diverse. One of them is the glockenspiel, which consists of metal plates arranged in a row. Due to their different lengths, they each produce different tones. It is played with two wooden sticks. To make a note sound, a pedal has to be pressed. It is often confused with the xylophone. But this is a stick game, which is made entirely of wood.

glockenspiel instrument

But the term carillon has other meanings as well. Among other things, it is also used for music boxes that are located on historical buildings. These generate tones at a specified time using bells, which produce a specific melody. Furthermore, a carillon is a very large carillon that is explicitly installed in a tower or a comparable structure.

Unlike the music box version, a carillon can be played and can produce almost any melody. The assembled bells are played through a keyboard located in the tower. Another type of glockenspiel is the orchestral bell chimes. The tones are similar to those of the Carillon, but the equipment is significantly smaller.