The ten bells located at the top of the belfry of Charleville-Mézières' town hall have been ringing every half hour since 1842. They weigh between 70 to 496 lbs (32 to 225 kg) and are tuned according to the F sharp major scale. The city's carillon has played the Chant du départ (Song of departure) melody more than 2.45 million times. An essential song of the French Revolution composed in 1794 by Étienne Nicolas Méhul, born in the region, it is sometimes considered a second La Marseillaise.