Carillon Sound Download Fix
Wade Hendryx
The long-needed work consisted of cleaning, repairing, or replacing the many components that make up the carillon. It also got some improved technology with the installation of an electric control system that allows for remote programming.
The carillon has 48 bells of different sizes and shapes, ranging from 28 pounds to more than 5,000 pounds, housed in a chamber at the top of the tower held up by three levels of wood and steel support beams.
A carillon specialist who examined the instrument last year recommended the maintenance work, describing grease buildup in the transmission pads and clappers while some foot pads and hand and foot pedals had fallen loose.
To fully appreciate the art of the carillon, it is essential to understand both its intricate structure and its construction process. We will begin by examining the shape and acoustics of an individual bell, followed by an exploration of the carillon's overall structure and playing techniques, which include the two primary methods of playing.
In comparison with contemporary standards, the carillons of earlier times were quite basic in their construction. The quality of the bells varied significantly, and their musical potential was often limited by rudimentary playing mechanisms. Despite these initial challenges, those dedicated to the craft eventually gained international acclaim as master bell makers, testament to their evolving skill and the growing sophistication of carillon construction.
The hollow sphere form, or "closed bell," shares an equally ancient origin and is available in as many shape variations as the open bell. The sound of the closed bell is produced by a loose pellet that moves within its interior. A well-known example of this type is the sleigh bell (French: grelot, German: Schlittenglocke).
The mechanism for attaching or suspending the bell is usually a loop or crossed loops ("crown") at the vertex, although many modern bells simply use a bolt hole. The sound is generated either by an internal clapper, typically a rod with a knob, which strikes the sound bow (commonly used for manual playing or swinging the bell), or by an external hammer, activated by the automatic clock chime mechanism. This hammer is usually fixed near the bell and operated via remote control. Consequently, in a carillon performance, the bells themselves do not move.
In a carillon bell, the five principal tones are meticulously tuned by the bell founders after the casting process (for more on this, see Jacob van Eyck and the Hemony brothers). The lowest of these partial tones is known as the "hum tone" (French: bourdon, German: Unteroktave), which resonates throughout the bell. An octave higher lies the "prime" or "fundamental" (French: principal, German: Prime), the most prominent tone heard when the bell is struck. This is often referred to as the "slagtoon" or "strike note," and its pitch determines the bell's note.
Above the fundamental is the "tierce" (French and German: Terz), a minor third higher, imparting a somewhat melancholic quality to the bell's tone.Following unsuccessful attempts in the past to cast a bell with a major third partial, the Technical University of Eindhoven conducted extensive research to develop the appropriate profile for such a bell. Through a highly successful collaboration with the "Koninklijke Eijsbouts" foundry in Asten, they achieved a significant milestone in 1985 by creating the first authentic major third bell. In 1988, the first larger hand-played carillon featuring these innovative bells was installed in Our Lady's Church in Deinze, Belgium. Around the same period, a substantial carillon comprising 52 bells of this kind found its place in the Cristal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, USA. Today, all generations of these major third bells, including the latest design resembling a sun-helmet, can be explored at the Nationaal Beiaardmuseum Asten. Source: -museum.nl/index_01.htm
This particular tone, located above the sound bow, has historically sparked extensive discussions and research due to its unique effect. The next tone is the "quint" (French: quinte, German: Quinte) or "fifth," and finally, the "nominal" (French: nominal, German: Oberoktave), which sounds an octave above the fundamental and two octaves above the hum tone.
These partials fade at varying rates, with higher frequencies diminishing more quickly than lower ones. As a result, the bell's tonal decay experiences a subtle and continuous transformation, varying with the size and specific profile of each bell. This dynamic evolution of sound contributes to the unique character and richness of a bell's tone.
Carillons from the seventeenth century, especially the exquisite ones crafted by the Hemony brothers, typically featured about three chromatic octaves, encompassing around thirty-six bells. In contrast, an average modern carillon generally spans four to four and a half chromatic octaves, which translates to approximately forty-eight to fifty-six bells. In America, some carillons boast an impressive range of up to six octaves, featuring as many as seventy-seven bells.
The arrangement of bells within a carillon is usually determined by the bell chamber's space, the number and size of the bells, and the height and structure of the tower. When the bass bells are particularly large, they are often positioned below the playing cabin. This placement is preferred to achieve a more balanced and effective tonal distribution.
The Princeton University carillon is mammoth, even by the standards of the largest family of musical instruments in the world. Carillons, a group of no fewer than 23 bells typically housed in a tower or belfry, are the great-granddaddies of all other percussives. Princeton's carillon tips the scales at 36.5 tons, has a clapper that weighs 200 pounds, and with 67 bells is the fifth largest in North America. It rings out from atop the Graduate College's Cleveland Tower, and you can hear it a mile away.
Installed in 1927, the carillon has long been part of Princeton's soundscape, played every Sunday from 1 to 1:45 p.m. and often on Wednesday afternoons as well, except during Ph.D. exam periods. During the summer, its music comes from a series of guest musicians, sitting in as part of Princeton Summer Carillon Series, now in its 22nd year. But during the academic year, University carillonneur Lisa Lonie alone sits in the "cabin" where the carillon controls are housed.
To get there, she climbs 137 spiraling stone steps, careful "to not look down." Appointed in 2012, Lonie is only the fourth University carillonneur, and she is the first woman to hold the title. "It takes some oomph" to play this instrument, she said.
The bells are "hung dead," explained Lonie, meaning they don't swing. Instead, the batons she strikes with her hands move the clappers for the mid- and high-range notes; pedals leverage the low ones. The lowest note (known as the "bourdon") on Princeton's carillon is a 12,880-pound G. Like a piano, the carillon is tuned chromatically. Unlike a piano, it only needs tuning once every century or so.
Princeton's carillon was a 35th reunion gift from the Class of 1892, inspired by a member's trip to Europe. The plan was to house it atop Holder Hall on Nassau Street, but even its original layout of 35 bells was too heavy for the space.
That was the experience of visiting Fulbright scholar Johannes Rothe, an astrophysicist and talented new carillonneur who never expected to learn the instrument as part of his Princeton education. "To start playing the carillon up in a tower," he said, "you have to just jump in and hope people don't mind too much."
"The carillon is a public instrument," explained Lonie. And even though its players high up in towers appear to be anything but public, feedback is not only important, it travels. Through narrow stone windows at the end of each recital, she said, "I can hear the applause."
Installed in 1927, the carillon has long been part of Princeton's soundscape, played every Sunday from 1 to 1:45 p.m. and often on Wednesday afternoons as well, except during Ph.D. exam periods. During the summer, its music comes from a series of guest musicians, sitting in as part of Princeton Summer Carillon Series, now in its 22nd year.
The University's 13th annual Summer Carillon Series -- featuringPrinceton carillonneurs and guest performers from across the nation andEurope -- will be held at 1 p.m. each Sunday from July 3 through Sept.4 at Cleveland Tower on the Graduate College campus
The Duke community stands in support of our friends and colleagues at UNC-Chapel Hill. The university paid tribute to our Research Triangle neighbors during the daily 5 p.m. carillon recital at Duke Chapel Tuesday.
A carillon (US: /ˈkɛrəlɒn/ KERR-ə-lon, UK: /kəˈrɪljən/ kə-RIL-yən[2][3]) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are cast in bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniously together. They are struck with clappers connected to a keyboard of wooden batons played with the hands and pedals played with the feet. Often housed in bell towers, carillons are usually owned by churches, universities, or municipalities. They can include an automatic system through which the time is announced and simple tunes are played throughout the day.
Carillons come in many designs, weights, sizes, and sounds. They are among the world's heaviest instruments, and the heaviest carillon weighs over 91 metric tons (100 short tons). Most weigh between 4.5 and 15 metric tons (5.0 and 16.5 short tons). To be considered a carillon, a minimum of 23 bells are needed; otherwise, it is called a chime. Standard-sized instruments have about 50, and the world's largest has 77 bells. The appearance of a carillon depends on the number and weight of the bells and the tower in which it is housed. They may be found in towers which are free-standing or connected to a building. The bells of a carillon may be directly exposed to the elements or hidden inside the structure of their tower.
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