A carillon is a set of bells controlled by a keyboard. In 1927 Bessie Juliet Kibbey left the gift of a Carillon to the Cathedral in her will. The John Taylor Company was chosen to cast the 53 bells for the Carillon. The largest, which is called the Bourdon, is big enough to hold a table and chairs for four. In the middle of the Carillon is the Carillonneur's Cabin which is a small, heated, and sound-dampened room which holds the keyboard.
Weighted wire connects each key to the bell clapper.
Clappers of the heavier bells are connected to foot pedals. The harder the key is struck on the keyboard, the louder the volume of the bell. The Cathedral's Carillon, which has a range of four octaves, is twice the size of most instruments of its kind. Change ringing is when peal bells are rung at different times to create a melody. The art of change ringing is very difficult to learn.