Exciting news over here! I’ve got more info on the bells of Grace Episcopal Church of Chicago! You may recall in my first post on these bells that these formed a chime for the church in the early twentieth century and later formed the basis of the carillon at the Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, then later … Continue reading Laurance Hearne Armour Memorial Carillon, Part II
Laurance Hearne Armour Memorial Carillon
Staying true to my city, I’ve been doing some investigation on the carillon at Northwestern University. A few years ago Northwestern bought the buildings owned by the Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. Included in those buildings were a chapel and a tower with a 35-bell carillon. These bells have changed hands more than once…so our story will … Continue reading Laurance Hearne Armour Memorial Carillon
Rockefeller Memorial Carillon
Yesterday I made the climb to revisit two friends, the Rockefeller Memorial Carillon and Jim Fackenthal, the associate university carillonneur. This carillon is a real treasure—it is easily one of the most beautiful in the world (listen here) and the second largest by weight (72 bells weighing in at over 100 tons!). John D. Rockefeller, … Continue reading Rockefeller Memorial Carillon
Belgian Bells to Stanford
The folks at Stanford rhapsodized about their bells even before they had arrived! This poem was published in the Stanford Illustrated Review, vol. 42, no. 8 in 1941. The carillon was installed later that year in the spring, and it was obtained from the Belgian exhibition at the New York World’s Fair in 1939-40. “The … Continue reading Belgian Bells to Stanford
The Sensation of Earth
NPR’s All Tech Considered on Monday tuned me into a recent bell performance at UC-Berkeley. “Natural Frequencies” features carillon bells played via a computer program that uses seismological data to generate the music. Two live carillon performers play the bells at the same time.That kind of project takes a lot of manpower, and a whole … Continue reading The Sensation of Earth
The Harkness Chimes at Yale
Ah! When I hear those bells, I feel nostalgic for my college days! Or when I hear that glee club sing or marching band play! And THAT, my friends, is my dissertation in a nutshell. I’m sure I’ll come back to the topic of bells and nostalgia more on this blog. As part of my … Continue reading The Harkness Chimes at Yale
Saved by the Bell
Bells regulated daily life in European monasteries, then European churches, cities, and universities. New World colleges were fashioned after those of the Old World, and so bells found a home on our campuses. I love this depiction below of the college bell in the lives of Yale students in the nineteenth century. Under the elms … Continue reading Saved by the Bell
With Bells On 