A percussion stop whose tone resembles the orchestral glockenspiel. It is formed of dish-shaped bells, spiral rods, bars, or tubes made from steel, copper or bronze, and struck by hammers actuated by a pneumatic or electric mechanism. It is usually of short compass. Skinner gives it resonators, and considers it synonymous with the Celesta, and with the Harp, but pitched an octave higher. Grove dates it from around 1720, in Swabia, Silesia and Saxony, but the earliest known example dates from 1709 (see below). According to Maclean, on theatre organs the Glockenspiel sounds a single stroke each time a key is pressed, and Bells is the same stop with a reiterating action.

Campanella and Campanello are also synonyms for Campana, and Campanello is also a synonym for Chimes. There is a mixture stop which goes by the name Glockenspiel.

Variants

Examples

Osiris contains 70 examples of Glockenspiel, of which nearly all are of the percussion variety, two examples of Campanella, both of which are mixtures, two examples of Campanelli, one of which is a mixture and the other of which appears to be a percussion stop, and one example of Stahlspiel. No examples of Campanello, Campanetta or Glockenregister are known. Contributions welcome.

Glockenspiel 4', Pedal; St. Blasius, Mühlhausen, Germany; Wender 1691, 1709. This stop was one of the improvements ordered by J. S. Bach in 1709.

Campanelli (treble), Manual; Pieve di S. Stefano, Serravalle, Italy; Agati 1822.

Stahlspiel, Oberwerk; Dom, Merseburg, Germany; Ladegast 1853. This stop was part of an early 18th century instrument rebuilt by Ladegast. Adlung reports: “steel rods are struck instead of bells. It is located directly above the manual keyboards.”

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Bibliography