Traveling Carillons and Chimes
- ️Sat Aug 03 2013
Traveling carillons and chimes
worldwide
Early in the 20th century, the first traveling or mobile carillon was constructed using conventional tower bells. Since then, several more transportable instruments have been produced. Most were originally intended to publicize the work of a particular bellfoundry. Some have been built on trucks or trailers, while others have been built with independent frames that can be carried by trucks or trailers. In the most recent development, small bells are hung in several small frames which can be rolled off the transport vehicle and reassembled with the keyboard at an indoor or outdoor concert venue.
This index page lists all known mobile or transportable carillons and chimes, both past and present.
Existing traveling carillons and chimes
These instruments are listed in approximate order of establishment at the present center of operations (unknown first). Links are to the site data pages which describe the instruments.
OSAKA - Mobile : JAPAN 19?? C trad Traveling carillon (unknown) ROSTOCK - Mobile : GERMANY-DDR 19?? C trad Konzertglockenspiel Olaf Sandkuhl SIGTUNA (Mobile) : SWEDEN 19?? C trad Traveling Carillon Bergholtz Klockgjuteri MECHELEN - OLVVH (mobile) : BELGIUM 1955 C trad Procession carillon (traveling) Basiliek OLV-van Hanswijk NAUEN (Mobile) : NORWAY 1971 F trad Traveling Carillon Olsen Nauen Bellfoundry (home) HERENT (traveling) : BELGIUM 1972 C trad Traveling Carillon (Reizende Beiaard) (home base) CASTELNOVO - Mobile/1 : ITALY - RE 1975 C chime Transportable chime Capanni Bellfoundry MONS - T : BELGIUM 1988 C trad Carillon Reine Fabiola (traveling carillon) Association Catiau Montois et Carillons de Mons POTTSTOWN - Mobile/1 : USA - PA 1991*C trad CariBelle * bells cast in 1980 DAYTON - BW : USA - OH 199? * chime The Bell Wagon (mobile, currently in storage) * bells cast in 1923&26 as trebles of Andover carillon SASEBO - HTB/4 (Mobile) : JAPAN 1992 C trad Self-propelled carillon Huis ten Bosch SOEST : NETHERLANDS 1996*C trad Travelling Carillon 'de Paltz' (was Papageno Traveling Carillon) 'de Paltz' (private estate) * bells cast 1965-67 for another site BETHUNE - SC/Mobile : FRANCE - 62 1998 E trad Carillon mobile "Christophe" Église Saint-Christophe de Béthune PRAHA - Mobile : CZECH REP. 2000 C trad Prazská Mobilní Zvonohra (Prague Mobile Carillon) SYDNEY - Mobile : AUSTRALIA 2002 C chime (Mobile trailer) DORDRECHT - Mobile : NETHERLANDS 2003 C trad "Bell Moods" Concert carillon DOUAI - Mobile/2 : FRANCE - 59 2004 C trad Carillon ambulant de Douai, Région Nord, Pas-de-Calais (mobile) LOGUMKLOSTER - Mobile : DENMARK - J 2006 C trad Travelling carillon Church Music School PASSAU - P/1 : GERMANY 2009 C trad Mobile carillon Glockengießerei Perner POTTSTOWN - Mobile/2 : USA - PA 2010 E trad DellaPenna Travelling Carillon MAASTRICHT - Mobile : NETHERLANDS 2011 C hybrid Mobile carillon Frank Steijns BELGOROD - Mobile : RUSSIA 2012 C non-trad WW2 memorial of Prokhorovka tank battle (Mobile) CONSTANCIA (mobile) : PORTUGAL 2015 C trad CICO Lvsitanvs Traveling Carillon NORFOLK - VAF/mobile : USA - VA 2016*C non-trad VAF mobile carillon Virginia Arts Festival (VAF) * bells cast 1928 for another site AMES - 2 : USA - IA 2018 C trad Traveling demonstrator Iowa State University
Former traveling carillons which no longer exist
Links are to the relevant paragraphs of regional pages about defunct instruments. Instruments without links are not further described elsewhere, though they do have entries in the appropriate foundry index pages.
CROYDON - Mobile : ENGLAND 19?? C [trad] Travelling carillon HEILIGERLEE - Mobile : NETHERLANDS 1??? C [trad] Van Bergen's Traveling Carillon
The Eijsbouts bellfoundry built a 35-bell travelling carillon in 1949, with a bass bell of C2; this was in use until at least 1954. In 1955 it was replaced with a new instrument of 37 bells, having the same size bass bell. In 1967 it is believed to have been replaced with another new 37-bell instrument having the same size bass bell. The dispositions of these three instruments are all unknown, though it is reported that one of them may have been installed at Bolsward, Netherlands.
Former traveling carillons and chimes
which have been transferred or transformed
These instruments are listed in approximate order of original manufacture. Links are to the site data pages which describe the present instruments, or to the relevant paragraphs of regional pages for relocated instruments.
Some time between 1967 and 1970, the Petit & Fritsen bellfoundry built the "Pepsi Carillon", which travelled around the USA as publicity for the Pepsi-Cola Company. It was disassembled in 1982; the frame was re-used (see below), while the bells went to the Cathedral of the Assumption, Louisville, Kentucky.
In 1982, the Verdin Company put new bells from the Petit & Fritsen bellfoundry on the frame from the Pepsi Carillon to make a new traveling carillon for John P. Hall, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1992 that instrument was reported sold to a private investor to become the basis for the Pennsylvania-based "CariBelle" (see above). But the evidence is somewhat confusing, because that instrument is also reported to have been installed on its present frame in 1991, and a former travelling carillon is reported to have provided the bells which are now at St.John's Westminster Union Church, Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 1981, Paccard made a travelling carillon of 49 bells which was based in Douai, France. A 50th bell was added by Paccard in 1989. This instrument was used by the carillon school there, as well as for special events, and also travelled all across Europe. In 2005, it was disassembled, and the bells were installed in the city hall of Dordrecht, Netherlands.
In 1986, Eijsbouts constructed a travelling carillon of 47 or 48 major-third bells, and made it available for display and use at the World Carillon Congress which was held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that year. In 1991, these bells (and the main frame) were used to form the core of a 53-bell carillon in Dallas, Texas.
The Papageno travelling carillon was built in 1990 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the Swiss Federation, using bells cast in 1967 for Libingen, Switzerland. It was later sold to a private owner, and was based in Soest, Netherlands.
Eijsbouts built a travelling carillon of conventional bells in 1991-92; it traveled all over Europe for many years before being transferred to the USA in 2008. In 2019 it was settled in Venice, Florida.
A 16-bell traveling chime constructed by Taylor in 2001 was dismantled in 2008, and its bells were incorporated into the York Minster carillon.
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This page was created on 2008/03/13 and last revised on 2020/06/24.
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