It is a musical instrument that can be played on a keyboard, and it consists of at least 23 cast bronze bells. In some cases, carillons include an automatic system through which the time is announced and simple tunes are played throughout the day. Clappers are played with wooden batons and foot pedals, and wooden batons are used to strike the bells.
Carillonneurs create music out of bells (carillonnerie) traditionally on the market and on festival days. There are programs to preserve carillon culture in over seventy-six cities and villages in Belgium as well as thirty other countries around the globe. Often housed in bell towers, carillons are owned by churches, universities, or municipalities. In North America, a carillon is pronounced "Kerr-lon" or "ka-Rilj-yan".
From the 16th century, the carillon evolved in the Low Countries - today's Belgium, Netherlands, and French Netherlands - as a musical instrument. It was Jacob van Eyck and the Hemony brothers who cast the first tuned carillon in 1644 that gave rise to the modern carillon. It reached a peak during the late 18th century.
During the Middle Ages, bellringers would attach ropes to the clappers of swinging bells and ring them while stationary in a process known as chiming. This gave the ringer greater control than swinging bells and was used to communicate to those nearby. The carillon originated from the use of bells for two earlier purposes: sending messages and indicating the time of day.
Historical carillons have also been preserved, with many historically silent carillons now once again active. In securing transmission, several educational initiatives have been established, of which the Mechelen carillon school is the most important. Efforts are also being made to revive the carillon, including the promotion of new arrangements, genres, and compositions.
Since there has been a lack of interest in traditional performances for carillonneurs, they have been involved in musical collaboration and experiments, collectively referred to as "Carillon Plus". These collaborations and experiments have been explored since the mid-20th century. The main objectives of this project are to preserve historic carillon culture (practices, repertoire, instruments, music, oral and written history) as a living heritage that supports cultural identity, and social cohesion, and to ensure the continuity of carillon music.
Currently, in an effort to safeguard carillon culture in contemporary society, the program strives to combine respect for tradition with a willingness to innovate. Also emphasized is the promotion of best practices and the respect for local players in the field, based on cooperation among multiple actors.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/BSP/safeguarding-the-carillon-culture-preservation-transmission-exchange-and-awareness-raising-01017) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carillon)