crotal

Crotal bells, also known as rumble bells, were used on horse-drawn vehicles before motorised vehicles were common. They were often made of bronze with a slot cut down the side. These bells were used to warn other horse-drawn vehicle users (mostly on country roads) that another vehicle was approaching.

crotal, plural crotales, percussion instrument consisting of two small metal plates or clappers that are struck together. The krotalon (Latin crotalum) of ancient Greece and Rome was a pair of finger cymbals - i.e., wooden or metal shells held in one hand and manipulated like castanets, though probably not as rapidly.

small brass or bronze disks. They are typically played. with hard mallets which creates a bright resonate.

Crotales are tuned cymbals, sometimes called antique cymbals and generally come in sets of one octave.

Rumbler or crotal bells in copper alloy and tin became common from the late 13th century. Brass and gunmetal crotal bells generally date to the 13th - 15th centuries, although can be later. They tend to be made of 4 components; a suspension loop, 2 halves of the body and a pea. They can have a join around the middle.

Crotal bells are technically rattles and not true bells (the word comes to us from the Greek crotalon, meaning castanet or rattle), but we don't split hairs here at the National Bell Festival – we ring bells!

It is an auxiliary percussion instrument used sparingly in the orchestra and somewhat more regularly in works for percussion ensembles. This crotales set consists of 26 bronze, disc-shaped plaques, 13 mounted on each of two metal bars.

Crotales (/ˈkroʊtɑːlz/, /ˈkroʊtəlz/), sometimes called antique cymbals, are percussion instruments consisting of small, tuned bronze or brass disks. Each is about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter with a flat top surface and a nipple on the base. They are commonly played by being struck with hard mallets.

Crotales (/ˈkroʊtɑːlz/, /ˈkroʊtəlz/), sometimes called antique cymbals, are percussion instruments consisting of small, tuned bronze or brass disks. Each is about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter with a flat top surface and a nipple on the base.

Crotales have a definite chromatic pitch, produce clear, unblemished notes when played. Crafted from Zildjian alloy, they are used to interpret special sounds in classical percussion ensembles and contemporary music. Crotales have a range from Middle C on the piano up two octaves.

The Tsar Bell The 216-ton Russian Tsar Bell (also known as the Tsar Kolokol III) on display on the grounds of the Moscow Kremlin is the heaviest bell known to exist in the world today.

Many crotal bells carry a maker's mark, invariably located at the centre of the lower hemisphere, and often within a cartouche or dedicated area of the design. The mark may be a symbol, typically a bell-founder's hammer or the initials of the maker, or in some cases both.