Listen to the bourdon
Bourdon wav
0:26
PDP-CH - Beniamino Gigli, Tenor with Orchestra - Rosario Bourdon - Occhi turchini -…
3:52
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
From Wikipedia
The bourdon is the heaviest of the bells that belong to a musical instrument, especially a chime or a carillon, and produces its lowest tone. The name derives from the French word for bumblebee.
Although carillons are by definition chromatic, the next bell up from the bourdon is traditionally a whole tone higher in pitch, leaving a semitone out of the instrument. Bells separated from the next higher note by more than two semitones (one whole tone) are called sub-bourdons.
Frequently asked questions
What does a bourdon sound like?
Listen to 2 recordings on this page.
Sources & credits
- Bourdon wav by Culasse – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- PDP-CH - Beniamino Gigli, Tenor with Orchestra - Rosario Bourdon - Occhi turchini -… – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q4950133 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Bourdon (bell) – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Daubigny – Public domain