Campanile
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" (from the word campana, meaning "bell"). The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building (usually a church or a civil administration building) or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.
The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Other notable examples include St Mark's Campanile in St Mark's Square, Venice.
Modern campaniles often contain carillons, a musical instrument traditionally composed of at least 23 large bells which are sounded by cables, chains, or cords connected to a keyboard. These can be found at some college and university campuses. In modern construction, rather than using heavy bells the sound may be produced by the striking of small metal rods whose vibrations are amplified electronically and sounded through loudspeakers.
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