Choosing a Key

To transpose or not to transpose...

There are many reasons why you might consider transposing the original piece to a new key in your carillon arrangement.

Factors to consider when choosing a key for your arrangement:

Range.
Carillons have a fixed range. Depending on what your piece requires, transposing the piece to a new key may help it fit better within the carillon's range.
Missing Bass Semitones.
Many instruments lack certain bass semitones, like the low C-sharp on four-octave carillons, and the low G-sharp on 4.5+ octave grand carillons.
Timbre.
As you move down from the treble to the bass registers, the bells' timbre becomes richer and the longer the bell will ring once struck. The key of the piece will affect the register in which it falls on the carillon.
Ergonomics.
The key a piece is in also affects how it is laid out on the keyboard. As a result, a passage might be easier or more difficult to play depending on what key it's in.
Tuning.
Many historical instruments are in meantone tuning, meaning that keys with more than 3 sharps or 3 flats may sound out of tune. Modern instruments are typically in equal temperament.

Of course it's possible to transpose by any interval. However, the following transpositions can be a good starting point for experimentation:

None (keep the original key), or transpose by octave
Transpose by fourth or fifth
Transpose by semitone

Below, we'll take a look at some existing carillon arrangements and see why the arranger chose the key they did.

Keep the original key or transpose by octave

Example: Wedding Day at Troldhaugen Op.65 No.6

By Edvard Grieg, Arr. Rachel Perfecto

Here are the first few measures of the carillon arrangement, also in D major:

For this arrangement, it was possible to keep the original key by simply transposing the bass up an octave. While this means that the beginning of the piece is quite low, especially on a heavy carillon like the Taylor carillon of the University of Chicago in the recording, it means that you have space to play the phrase an octave higher, as Grieg writes in the repetition of the melody.

Transposition by a fourth or fifth

Example: The Rainbow Connection

By Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher, Arr. Sally Slade Warner

Listen to an excerpt of the original (in the key of A major):

Here are the first few measures of the carillon arrangement in E major:

In this arrangement, the arranger has transposed the original song up by a fifth, from A major to E major. This key better suits the placement of the melody on the carillon. If the piece were kept in the original key of A, the melody would be placed in one of the two registers below:

The first option is much too low if you plan on placing the accompanying chords below the melody. There would be no room to fit any chords between the bass and the melody. Placing the melody in such a low register is only possible when the accompanimet is placed above the melody. The second option, one octave higher, is possible, but a bit on the high side for the first presentation of the main melody.

By transposing the piece up a fifth, the arranger creates space for a middle voice, while still keeping the melody in a register with substantial body to the sound.

Transposition by a fourth or fifth can also be a useful way to bring the bassline into a better range so you can make more effective use of the bass bells. For example, in A major on a standard 4-octave carillon, you can don't have the option to play your tonic (A) in a very low register. By transposing by a fourth or fifth, you are able to place your tonic considerably lower in the pedals (E), allowing for stronger cadences.

Transposition by a semitone

Transposition by a semitone is useful when your piece has a key-signature with many sharps or flats. Since many carillons don't have certain bass semitones, transposing up or down by a semitone can save you from having to rely on the absent bass semitones.

Example: Clair de lune

By Claude Debussy, Arr. Jakob De Vreese

Listen to an excerpt of the original (in the key of D-flat major:

Here are the first few measures of the carillon arrangement in C major:

In this arrangement, the arranger transposed the piece from the original key of D-flat major down to C major, then transposed everything up one octave. Doing so allows the piece to fit comfortably within the range of the carillon, and allows the player to strike one of the lowest bells (C) at the first crucial cadence in the piece.