THE MICRIGAN DAILY
AND LETTERS:
i. Program
rillonneur Tells History, Qualities ofInstrument Notes S.G.C.
__ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ ~ _ __ _ __ _i
v
ICHAEL HARRAH
sence of the strong min-
overtone in each bell
laying of the bells in
results in the u,4que
ant music,. often heard"
e campus from the
aird Memorial Carillon
urton. Memorial Tower,
Giles, assistant carillon-
in a recent interview.
ment consisting of cast bells with
a very wide range of dynamic,
tonal and rhythmical effects. "The
tones within each bell are accu-
rately tuned so that each bell will
give a harmonious tone and blend
with the group."
He said that the overtones pos-
sible in each bell constitute a min-
or chord which gives the carillon{
its unique tonal effect and rich-
ness.
According to musical authori-
ties, the earliest medieval attempts
at bell music, as distinguished
fron mere noise, consisted of strik-
ing a row of bells by hand with
a hammer in the 12th or 13th cen-
tury. Here only a few bells could be
used.
The introduction of mechanism
in the form either of a barrel set
with pegs or studs and revolving
h sonorous tones of the
s provides a sharp con-
different tonal effect to
er, shorter-lasting tones
all bells."
qlualities make up the
the University's carillon,
nks among the largest
:est on the North Ameri-
ient, Giles said.
illon is a musical instru-
In connection with the machinery
of a clock, or of a keyboard struck
by hand (clavier), was largely
responsible for the gradual in-
crease of the number of bells.
Belgium is credited as the ori-
gin of the art of the carillonneur.
There the art reached its great-
est perfection prior to the twenti-
eth century.
In Belgium, Holland and France,
the number of carillons of all sizes
runs into the hundreds.
Single Notes
The University's Baird Carillon
consists of 53 bells (each sound-
ing one note, as opposed to some.
carillons which double up in the
higher octaves) giving a range of
four and a half octaves, from E-
flat below middle C up chromatic-
ally through A-flat above high
C, excepting only E below middle
C, Giles pointed out.
The largest bell weighs some 12
tons, while the smallest weighs
only about 12 pounds.
The mechanism employed is
quite similar in general to that
used in an organ, with the ex-
ception that levers take the place
of the usual ivory keys.
Plays Treble
'rThe manual keyboardrin gen-
eral, plays the music written in
the treble clef of the music staff,
and the foot pedals play the bass
cleff notes.
The keyboard and the pedals
are attached to the clappers. in
the bells by a mechanical con-
nection, and the force required to.
play the big bells is reduced by
means of counterbalancing
weights.t
Giles said that the Burton Tow-
er houses a genuine bell carillon,
operated mechanically, with no
electrical or pneumatic assistance
in the force with whicheach bell
is struck.
Six' at .Once
US LANDMARK -- This is Burton Memorial Tower, the
g Which houses the University's carillon, a bell-playing
It is possible to play six notes at
one time comfortably, two with
each hand and one with each foot,
he rioted. Rapid forceful playing
on the keys, however, is accomp-
lished by striking the levers with
closed fists, as opposed to the
four-note chord, struck with the
open hand.
He also pointed out that there
is only a limited amount of caril-
lon music published, requiring
carillonneurs to compose or ar-
range their own pieces. 'A wide
variety of music, however, can be
effectively played on the carillon.
The University's carillon'neur,
Prof. Percival Price of the music
school, who is also professor of
campanology (science of the bells),
is on leave during the'current aca-
demic year, but when he is on
campus, Giles said, the carillon is
played more regularly.
Belgian Graduates
Both Prof. Price and Giles
graduated from the carillon school'
in Malines, Belgium. Prof. ,Price
was the first carillonneur at the
Massey Memorial Carillon in the
Metropolitan United Church in
Toronto, where later Giles first
worked as a carillonneur.
The Massey Carillon and the
carillon in Fisherman's Church,
Gloucester, Mass., were the first
ones-on the North American con-
tinent, both installed in 1922.
The Baird Carillon was installed
in Burton Tower in 1936 and Prof.
Price joined the faculty in 1939.
Both Price, a Pulitzer Prize win-
ner in music in 1934 and Giles are
past presidents of the Guild of
Carillonneurs in North America, of
which Price is a co-founder.
BELLS, BELLS, BELLS-These are some of the 54. cast bells
which spread their music from the University carillon in Burton
Tower. The University instrument is a true bell-tower, since there
is no electrical or pneumatic aid in applying the force to the
bells, but the strength of the carrillonneur must suffice, Assistant
Carrillonneur Sidney Giles has noted.
RUSSIAN TOUR:
'U' Band Changes Program
To Include More Gershwin
The popularity of George Gershwin's music in Russia has forced
the University symphony band to change its repertoire in the middle
of its USSR-Near East tour, James D. Shorti, Jr., on-campus busi-
ness manager for the band said yesterday.
Frederick E. Moncrieff, tour business manager for the band,
cabled Shortt from Moscow for additional Gershwin- orchestrations.
The band's repertoire had been heavily weighted with classics, but
was being changed to satisfy the -
Russian demand for lighter selec-
tions. Lea ue Sets
Shortt said the additional Ger-
shwin pieces had been shipped by Petition Date
air express to Helsinki, Finland.
They will be picked up by diplo-+"
matic courier and should be de- For Positions
livered in a week or ten days, he
said. Petitions and information on
Moscow audiences also couldn't Soph Show 1961 are available in
get enough of football songs, Mon- the Michigan League undergradu-
mrieff said. At Thursday night's ate office for members of the
concert, "The Victors" had 6,000 class of '64.
Russians clapping in the aisles. Details on committee offerings
The audience, including members and petitions from previous years
of the USSR State Symphony, de- are on hand. Petitions are due
manded 45 minutes of encores. from March 6 to 20, after which
Conductor William D. Revelli call- petitioners will sign up for inter-
ed the concert the best since the views.
tour began Feb. 21. The twelve committees, each
In a letter to University offi- with co-chairmen, one male and
cials, Moncrieff also said that the one female, are: general chairman,
symphony band members have director, music, cqstumes, dance,
had to accustom themselves to 'make-up, productions, proggams,
hearing boos in Russia where "a properties, publicity secretary, and
boo means approval and a whistle treasurer.
the reverse.' It was also "discon- Soph Show began five years ago
certing to see the audience leave as a coed class project and has
their seats as the -concert is end- presented "Good News," "Girl
ing and come down to the front Crazy," "Anything Goes," "One
of the stage, until one sees the Touch of Venus," and "Bells are
smiles and hears the applause," Ringing."
he said.
He added that the instruments6 m lOse
which were lost at the beginning Un +U
of the tour caught up with the r' .J
band in Leningrad. The instru
ments had disappeared in the ie Burns
transfer of cases from an Air In-
dia jet to two Russian planes at William F. Bertz, pharmacy
London Airport. supervisor at the University Hos-
Through Tass, the official Rus- Pital and president of the Michi-
sian news agency, more details on gan Society of Hospital Pharma-
the band's schedule in the Soviet cists, died yesterday as a result of
Unioi had been released burns suffered in a steam accident
at the hospital Feb. 22.
Bertz, 38, had been on the criti-
: lScal list ever since the accident.
A member of the American Phar-
maceutical Association and the
Tally on 'Elite' AmericanSociety of Hospitl
Pharmacists, Bertz was working
Challenge will present its third on a master's degree in the phar-
pre-colloquium program at 2':30 macy college.
p.m. today in Aud. B on "The Role
of the Elites: Intelligentsia, Mili-
tary and Traditional." Continuous
The main speakers for the dis- TODAY
cussion will be Professors Robert From 1 o'clock
Crane of the history department
and Morris Janowitz of the sociol- A S T
ogy department. +
Prof. Crane has written "Aspects Amid the hustle and bu
of Economic Development in South Piraeus-where Aristotle
Asia" and "India's Role in Asia."
Prof. Janowitz served with the Ilia plies the trade which
State Department in 1953, and is Her encounter with the
the author of "Sociology and the becomes a joyous and ribc
Military Establishment" and "The we suspect Aristotle woulf
Professional Soldier."
Ann Arbor's Most Exciting
and Authentic Folk Season
THE
FOLK ARTS GUILD
PRESENTS
L n'
Now!
4
MALYN
;MonroeIClift
i the Johuston production
i
Thelma Ritteri
Eli W allach B NIEX
NOTE!
4 SHOWS DAILY AT
1:05 - 3;35 - 6:05 and 8:40
FEATUREi20 MINUTES LATER
(' (i
YJ2
T he U. of M.
GILBERT & SULLIVAN SOCIETY
presentsf
TRIAL BY JURY
and
ODETTA,
FRIDAY, March 10
Tickets on sale now
at the Disc Shop
and Hi Fi and TV Center
RUIIPIGORE
or THE WITCH'S CURSE
MARCH 16, 17, 18
LYDIA MENDELSSOHN
I11
I
I
I
__
I
THURS. NITE FRI., SAT. NITES
$1.25 $1.75
SAT. MAT.
$1.00
3 Ld r a Dial NO 6290 *' ' I
" '' HIS TRUE-LIFE STORY MAKES FICTION SEEM TAME!
Quarlef*%I
.ure aTON CURTIS/
FRIDAY, March 24 "s
Mail Orders Box 454, A.A ::.:..
I~~~~~~~ ; ............
1"'
I . ,
TICKETS ON SALE STARTING MONDAY
at ADMINISTRATION BUILDING: 9-5
I
NI
I
I