About Paccard Bells

Each Paccard bell is meticulously crafted by hand, carefully cast using the lost wax process, and finely tuned to exacting musical standards. Cast only of bronze, Paccard bells are composed of pure red copper and block tin. Although the ratio of copper to tin is different depending on the size of the bell, most bells are approximately 78% copper and 22% tin.

By working, studying, and experimenting over generations with the shape of the bell and the thickness of the bell at the "sound bow", the Paccard Foundry has developed the acoustically balanced carillon. Consider the great strength and volume of a large bourdon bell, such as a 5,000 pound C3, in relation to a 29 pound C7. (For reference, a C3 is C below middle C on a piano - middle C on a piano is identified as C4). Without any adjustments, the C7 is overpowered by the C3. To help overcome that size / volume disparity, the C3 would be cast in a medium profile, incorporating a thinner structure at the sound bow (striking point), while the C7 uses a heavy profile that requires a much thicker sound bow. This difference in thickness at the sound bow helps the smaller bells ring louder, preventing them from being overpowered by the larger bells, creating the rich soundscape that is characteristic of the Paccard carillon.

In addition to thickness, Paccard’s bell profiles have two other important characteristics that impact acoustic balancing. First, the Paccard profile, (or shape), which has been developed over two centuries, is designed to intensify the bell’s prime note while subduing its minor third. Second, as bell sizes decrease, the amount of tin used in their construction increases. Increasing the ratio of tin to copper allows the smaller bells to ring for a longer period of time, which also helps prevent the larger bells from overpowering them. The end result is a musically wonderful tower instrument of cast bronze bells – the acoustically-balanced Paccard carillon.