About range requirements

Music published by The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America is available for purchase online at the GCNA Music Store. The online catalog allows you to search for music and add items to your shopping cart for online orders. A downloadable PDF version of the catalog is also available (last updated in 2020).

Carillons come in all kinds of sizes, and they're nearly always custom built for each site that buys one. That means music for carillon is written for a wide variety of instruments. You will often learn that music you enjoy playing at one tower is impossible to play at another.

To help you navigate this variability, the GCNA Music Store lists a "range requirement" for the titles we sell. This guide goes through real examples to explain how the notation system works.

A quick disclaimer

We've expended a lot of effort to verify and provide complete and detailed information about the range requirements of each title we sell. We cannot, however, guarantee 100% accuracy. Ultimately, examining the music itself is the only way to be sure. If you find errors in our store, please let us know at info@gcna.org. These range requirements are a community resource!

Basic ranges

4

A range of 4 means the music is playable on a 4-octave carillon whose notes from lowest to highest are C0—D—E—F—[chromatic]—C4, which adds up to 47-bells. This range is missing the low C♯ and E♭ notes. These bells are often left out of many carillons because it's a common money- and/or space-saving technique. Those bells are two of the largest and most expensive in a set.

3

A range of 3 means the music is playable on a 3-octave carillon whose notes from lowest to highest are C0—D—E—F—[chromatic]—C3, which adds up to 35 bells. Like the above example, the range is missing the low C♯ and E♭ notes.

2

A range of 2 means the music is playable on a 2-octave carillon whose notes from lowest to highest are C0—D—E—F—[chromatic]—C2, which adds up to 23 bells, the minimum size of a carillon. Like the above examples, the range is missing the low C♯ and E♭ notes.

3.5 or 2.5

Often times, 2- and 3-octave music will ask for an additional half octave above the default range for those instrumtents, meaning they call for notes up to a high G.

Extended bass ranges

When the music requires bass notes outside the basic ranges we described above, we have a system of uppercase letters inside parentheses or curly braces:

3(Eb)

This range means the music fits on a 3-octave carillon, but it requires a low E♭ note (C—D—E♭—E—[chromatic]—C3; 36 bells). For simplicity's sake will always write "Eb" even if according the music, the required note is technically a D♯.

4{Eb}

This range means the music fits on a 4-octave carillon, but it requires a low E♭ note (C—D—E♭—E—[chromatic]—C4; 48 bells). The curly braces, rather than parentheses, means that, in the opinion of the GCNA, it can be readily modified so that you no longer need the low E♭ note.

4(C#)

This range means the music requires a fully chromatic 4-octave carillon (49 bells). Since it is very unusual for a carillon to have a low C♯ but no low E♭, you should assume that you will need both of these bass notes. For simplicity's sake, we will always write "C#" even if according to the music, the required bass note is technically a D♭.

4(Bb)

This range means the music fits on a "4(Eb)" carillon but it also requires a low B♭ note (B♭—C—D—E—[chromatic]—C4; 49 bells). It's common for carillons (especially those in Europe) to swap out the low C♯ on a fully chromatic carillon with a low B♭ note. Since it is unusual for a carillon to have the low B♭ but not also the low E♭, you should assume you need both notes. For simplicity's sake will always write "Bb" even if according the music, the required note is technically an A♯.

4.5(G)

This range, sometimes called "G-compass," means the music requires a 4-octave carillon with a "full" extended bass range (G—A—B—B♭—C—[chromatic]—C4; 53 bells). The music writers of many pieces will provide their own substitutions so that their music can be played on either a 4.5-octave carillon or a basic 4-octave carillon. In that situation, our range requirement will list "4," because this system marks the minimum number of bells needed.

3{C#}(Eb)

This range means the music requires a fully chromatic 3-octave carillon. However, in the opinion of the GCNA, it can be readily modified so that you no longer need the low C♯ note, but the low E♭ remains essential.

Extended treble ranges

Occasionally, some music written for will ask for just a few notes above that range. In this situation, we have a system of lowercase letters with a plus sign, sometimes inside curly braces:

3+d

This range means the music mostly fits a 3-octave carillon, but it also calls for a "d" just above that range.

3.5{+a}

Piece mostly fits a 3.5-octave carillon, but also calls for an "a" above that range; in the opinion of the GCNA, the music may be readily adapted to fit a carillon lacking notes above the highest G note.

Special cases

3, 4

The comma is used in a collection of pieces. In this example, at least one the pieces is written for 3 octaves and at least one is for 4 octaves. In collections of several multi-movement works (such as the Telemann Fantasias), the range requirement is usually figured based on all the movements belonging to a single work (a Fantasia, in this case).

3.5/4

The slash means that the music comes with multiple versions. This is not used where the music writer provided quick and easy substitutions; it means the versions may be in 2 different keys or have passages that are not completely identical. In this example, one version requires 4 octaves and the other requires 3.5 octaves. For the sake of standardization, we will list the smaller range first.

16 bells

Certain pieces of music are written so specifically for one instrument that they cannot be categorized with our shorthand range requirement system. In those cases, we simply list the number of bells.