The bellfoundry index pages on this Website are unlike all of our other index pages. They are not "lists of ..." instruments which have certain characteristics (size, weight, etc.). Thus they are not "lists of instruments manufactured by" the various bellfounders.
While some of the entries in these indexes do represent complete carillons or chimes, other entries represent only the production of a set of bells (or even just a single bell) which is (or was) only a part of a particular carillon or chime. (There are also entries for each great bell which is not part of a carillon or chime.) Thus instruments which have bells from multiple foundries, or in which bells were installed over a period of years (especially those which developed from chimes into carillons), will have multiple entries in these indexes. Each entry in a bellfoundry index represents one phase in the development of a particular carillon or chime, and links to a site data page for that instrument (if it is extant) which contains a description of each and every phase of its developmental history. Other work by the various bellfoundries is not indexed (e.g., ordinary single bells, peals, clock-chimes, etc.) However, such bells will be mentioned in the Remarks section of a site data page if they were later incorporated into (or associated with) a chime or carillon.
What does not appear in these indexes is major work which did not involve casting, tuning or original installation of bells. (An exception is made for certain keyboard replacements.) Transmission replacements, reconstruction of frames, etc., &c., may be described in the Remarks sections of site data pages, but are not indexed. Carillon builders and rebuilders who are not also bellfounders may likewise be identified, but are not indexed.
There are three categories of bellfoundry index pages:
Typical introduction: The XYZ foundry, now closed, provided bells for various carillons and chimes throughout the world. See the bottom of this page for some historical notes.
Each index of this nature shows all of the work of one bellfoundry, regardless of its destination around the world. There is also an index of the same nature for work by Unknown (though not necessarily anonymous) bellfoundries, as well as one for work by Miscellaneous bellfoundries (those for whom there is as yet no separate index page).
Each index of this nature shows all bellfounders' work which arrived in the particular region.
Each index of this nature shows all bellfounders' work which arrived in the particular region for a site which now has an instrument of a particular type.
These regional indexes are subdivided into sections, one for each bellfoundry whose work is found in the region being indexed. There may also be sections for work of Unknown origin and work from Miscellaneous foundries. At the end of each bellfoundry section is a link to the corresponding Category 1 index.
Typical introduction: This index page, like all bellfoundry indexes on this Website, contains an entry for each set of bells shipped from the foundry for a carillon or a chime, as well as one for each independent great bell.
Within every index (or index section),
sites are listed in order by the year of casting (unknown first),
which may be different from the year of installation in the present location.
For a given year, they are generally in order by country and city.
Following the year is an indication of the founder's contribution to the instrument:
trad - carillon with traditional keyboard
trad# - carillon with traditional keyboard now,
but was a chime at the date cited
trad* - carillon with traditional keyboard now,
but with other mechanism at the date cited
non-trad - carillon with non-traditional mechanism
non-trad# - carillon with non-traditional mechanism,
but was a chime at the date cited
non-trad* - carillon with non-traditional mechanism now,
but with traditional keyboard at the date cited
mech? - carillon with unknown mechanism
chime - chime (any mechanism except rings and zvons)
chimola - chime of hemispheric bells (any mechanism)
ring - bells hung for change ringing (chime-sized)
ring* - ring that has been converted to a chime
zvon - chime hung and rung as a zvon
great - great bell (over 4 tonnes weight) not in a chime or carillon
(...)... - instrument was replaced; link is to a later entry for the same site
[...] - instrument is defunct and was not replaced;
link is to "sites that are no more"
NOTE: For Category 3 indexes, the default instrument type is omitted for clarity.
Note that defunct instruments and great bells appear only in Type 1 indexes, not in regional multi-foundry indexes (Types 2 and 3).
Individual index entries follow this format:
WEST HARTFORD : USA - CT 1969 F trad Gordon Stearns Memorial Carillon First Church of Christ, Congregational WEST HARTFORD : USA - CT 1985 E trad Gordon Stearns Memorial Carillon First Church of Christ, Congregational
Click on any underlined link to go to the site data page for that instrument. Instruments which were built in multiple phases (as this example was) will have multiple links (index entries), all pointing to the same site data page. The Links section of every site data page has references back to where each such index entry occurs, making it easy to see how each instrument is related to other instruments that are similar to it in various ways.
Indexes to the work of individual bellfoundries usually contain some information about the foundry's history. If the foundry is still active, then contact information also appears there. Regional multi-foundry indexes do not contain such information.
Return to Indexes to bellfoundries.
This page was created on 2-Jun-10 and last updated on 12-Jan-11.
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