Orchestral bells,bell plates and hemispheric bells
Other
variations that deserve mention are orchestral bells, steel bell plates and
hemispheric bells for church organs. The same computer can also be used to
design orchestral bells. Generally speaking, carillon bells are unsuitable for
orchestras because they are too high pitched and not sonorous enough in relation
to concert hall acoustics. Eijsbouts supplies special orchestral bells with a
substantially lower tone and a milder sound which harmonise better with the
other orchestral instruments. These bells are considerably lighter in weight and
are struck with a soft hammer.
Instead of bronze orchestral bells, bell plates of steel or other alloys can
also be used where the orchestral score calls for a bell. These bell plates
produce a particularly pleasing sound with a longer decay than that of
orchestral bells. They are tuned with extreme accuracy and are available
invarious sets.
Church organs were sporadically fitted with a series of tuned bells as early
as the eighteenth century. A chord of hemispheric bells were and are still used
for the "Zimbelstern" organ register. Royal Eijsbouts supplies
hemispheric bells of up to three octaves to organ builders in particular.
