Carillon
About Our Carillon
A carillon is set up like a keyboard, with black and white keys and foot pedals that can help produce different kinds of sound. Each key is connected by wire to a bell clapper so different bells are rung depending on which key is struck. It is a 75-step climb up to Middlebury’s bell tower, atop Middlebury Chapel. The Middlebury Carillon is considered a traditional carillon of 48 bells. The pitch of Middlebury’s heaviest bell is E in the middle octave. It is a 2,300-pound bell; roughly the same weight as the Liberty Bell. In 1915, the instrument was begun with eleven bells by the Meneely bellfoundry in Watervliet, New York. Nine bells remain from that work. In 1986, the instrument was enlarged to its present size with bells made by Paccard-Fonderie des Cloches in Annecy, France. The enhanced carillon was presented as a gift from then Chairman of the Board of Trustees Allen Dragone ‘50 (and his wife Jane) in 1986. 27 bells remain from that work. In 2001, 12 bells were recast or replaced in 2001 by Meeks & Watson of Georgetown, Ohio.
In 1918, the family of former governor John Mead gave Mead Chapel a chime of 11 bells made by the Meneely Company of West Troy, New York (a chime is defined as six to 22 bells. A carillon comprises 23 or more bells.) A note about the chapel name. The Meneely family of that time was the 8th or 9th generation descendants of Paul Revere (a bell cast by Paul Revere is in the tower of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Middlebury). In 1985, through the kindness of donor Allen Dragone, then President of the Board of Trustees of the College, the chime was expanded to a full carillon of 48 bells by the firm Paccard et Fils of Annecy le-Vieux of France. Middlebury’s carillon is one of 183 carillons in the United States (71 of them in colleges or universities) and about 750 in the world.
George Matthew, Jr., has been the College Carillonneur since 1985, and teaches Middlebury College students the art of this unique musical form.
Daily Carillon Performances, 12:30 pm
All performances by Middlebury College Carillonneur George Matthew, Jr., unless otherwise noted. They are best enjoyed on the lawns surrounding the chapel.
Please note: With care for the entire college carillon audience, we are refraining from playing anything that could be provocative or harmful without proper context or explanation.
Wednesday, May 1
- Spring (from the Four Seasons) Antonio Vivaldi
- “De Winter is Vergangen” Henk Herzog
- Spring song Felix Mendelssohn
- Spring song Anton Rubinstein
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Thursday, May 2
- Suite for Carillon Joanna Wagenaar
- Organ Works of Florence Price Transcribed by Tiffany Ng
- Allegretto, Little Melody, Adoration, Offertory, A Pleasant Thought, Festal March
- Song of the Ali Mountains Liling Huang
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Friday, May 3
- Three Poems for Carillon Emilien Allard
- Poem for Arlington, Poem for Chicago, Poem for Ann Arbor
- Medley of Sephardic Melodies
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Saturday, May 4
No carillon
Sunday, May 5 - Program in Memory of Fallen Firefighters
- Patriotic Medley and Memorial Hymns
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Monday, May 6
- Music from the Gdansk Carillon Book
- Preludium and Favorito Diomedes Cato
- Chaconne Johann Valentin Meder
- Fantasia in Three Parts Paul Siefert
- Trio in g Frederick Christian Mohrheim
- Polonaise in C Major, Polonaise in a minor Johann Gottlieb Goldberg
- Romance opus 82, #3 Frederick Wilhelm Markell
- Prelude opus 55, #2 Frederick Wilhelm Markell
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Tuesday, May 7
- Music from the Gdansk Carillon Book
- Reflection Magdelena Cynk
- Epitaph Katarzyna Kwiecien Dlugase
- Impression Anna Recauska Musialczyk
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Wednesday, May 8
- Transcriptions by Georg Köppl
- Two Folk Songs from Tuscany: Mama, Mama Me Sento, Addio Firenze
- Partita by Heinrich Smelszer
- Romantique II Operatic Transcriptions by Leen’t Hart
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Thursday, May 9
- Poemès pour Carillon Emilien Allard
- Poem de l’air, Poem de l’eau, Poem des pierres
- Liebeslied Edward B. Manning
- La Feuille d’érable Albert Larrieu
- Fantasia #6 Percival Price
- Imagerie #1 Emilien Allard
- Haudenosaunee Songs arr. Andrea McCrady
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Friday, May 10
- Seven Fantasias G. F. Handel — C, D, F, d, F, a, C
- Medley of Sephardic Melodies
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Saturday, May 11
- “Come to Canada!” Traditional, Ontario
- Red Jacket (foxtrot) Edward B. Manning (New Brunswick)
- Variations on “Tulips in the Moonlight” Takeshi Inoe
- Medley of Quebec and Nova Scotia folksongs Traditional
- Centennial Hymn Healey Willan
- The Canada Union Waltz (1841) “A Canadian Lady”
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Sunday, May 12
- From the Gdansk Carillon Book
- Dulce Amor Jesu Kaspar Förster
- Freu dich sehr Frederick Christian Mohrheim
- O Sanctissima Frederick Wilhelm Markell
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals
Monday, May 13 – New Brunswick!
- Mayflower Waltz Edward B. Manning
- English Dance Edward B. Manning
- Dutch Dance Edward B. Manning
- Romance Edward B. Manning
- Four Folksongs from Southern New Brunswick
- I will never marry a man who is rich, Out to dark harbor, The Sheffield prentice, The ghostly sailors
- Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
- Traditional Mexican Folksongs
- Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
- Medley of Spirituals