Campanology (/kæmpəˈnɒlədʒi/[1]) is the scientific and musical study of bells. It encompasses the technology of bells—how they are founded, tuned and rung—as well as the history, methods, and traditions of bellringing as an art.[2]
It is common to collect together a set of tuned bells and treat the whole as one musical instrument. Such collections—such as a Flemish carillon, a Russian zvon, or an English "ring of bells" used for change ringing—have their own practices and challenges; and campanology is likewise the study of perfecting such instruments and composing and performing music for them.
In this sense, however, the word campanology is most often used in reference to relatively large bells, often hung in a tower. It is not usually applied to assemblages of smaller bells, such as a glockenspiel, a collection of tubular bells, or an Indonesian gamelan.
- ^ "Campanology". Oxford English Dictionary.
- ^ "Campanology: Study of the history, art and science of making and ringing bells." Glossary of ringing terms. Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, 27 April 2016.