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.
Sunday, October 1
Alfred University Suite (Kamiel Lefevre)
Chicago University Suite (Kamiel Lefevre)
Square Dance (Kamiel Lefevre)
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Monday, October 2
Two Minuets (Kamiel Lefevre)
Valley Forge Suite (Kamiel Lefevre)
Lullaby (Kamiel Lefevre)
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Tuesday, October 3
No carillon.
Wednesday, October 4
Fantasia on ADG (Jef Rottiers)
Fantasia on FGBb (Gustav Van Der Weyden)
Fantasia on BAEF (Margo Halsted)
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Thursday, October 5
Baroque Suite for Carillon (Raymond Keldermans)
Impromptu in F (Léon Henry)
Fantasia on an old Netherlands Song (Frederick Mariott)
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Friday, October 6
Mini-Shabbat:
Six preludes for organ (Ernest Bloch)
Six settings of “Adom Olam”
Spanish/Portuguese, 18th century German, Ashkenazic, Mizrachi, Traditional
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Saturday, October 7: Simchas Torah
A Klangzspiel in Klezmer Style (Nancy Hoffman)
Shir Hamaalot (Solomoni Rossi)
Night in a Sukkah (Mathieu Daniel Polak)
The Schul Dance (Mathieu Daniel Polak)
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Sunday, October 8
Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor (J. S. Bach)
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Monday, October 9: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Music of the Calumet (H. W. Loomis)
Medley of Penobscot, Passamaquoddy and Maliseet melodies
Three Native American flute songs (R. Carlos Nakai)
Three Kinyaa’aanii songs (Connor Chee)
Three Navajo Preludes (Connor Chee)
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Tuesday, October 10: Canada’s First Peoples
Inuit Chant, Inuit Lullaby
Indian Songs: Temraka Maylih, My Bark Canoe, Wolf Song, White Man Let Me Go, Haudenosaunee Song, and Huron Dance
Poèm pour Canada (Emilien Allard):
Poèm de l’air, Poèm de l’eau, Poèm des pieres
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Wednesday, October 11
Dutch Dance (Edward B. Manning, Canadian composer)
English Dance (Edward B. Manning)
Five Canadian folksongs (arranged Leen’t Hart):
A Canadian Boat Song (Quebec), Land of the Silver Birch (Ontario), Lukey’s Boat (Newfoundland), Nova Scotia Song
Image #2 (Emelien Allard)
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Thursday, October 12: Contemporary Women Composers
Spirals (Katherine Mischell)
Prior to Landing (Chin Chin Chen)
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Friday, October 13
Two Tangos: Milonga Tagueda, Lo Quiero Tango (Astor Piazzolla)
Mini Shabbat:
Fantasia and Fugetta (Robert Starer)
Hassidic Wedding March (Ernest Bloch)
Homage à Schoenberg (Menachem Avidom)
Organ Prelude (Paul Ben-Chaim)
Four settings of “Yah Ribon”: Spanish, Oriental, Iraqi and Jerusalem
Simchu Na
Va’amartem Ka Lechai
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Saturday, October 14
Prelude on “Land of the Silver Birch” (Leen’t Hart)
The Sacredness of Tree (Ellen Lindquist ’93)
Tree Modes: Flowering Japanese Quince, Weeping Willow, Southern Magnolia (Amy Michelle Black)
In Memory of Trees (Enya)
Autumn Leaves (Jacques Prévert, Joseph Kosma)
Moonlight in Vermont (Jack Blackburn)
Weeping Willow Rag (Scott Joplin)
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Medley of Spirituals
Sunday, October 15
Concert by the Wellesley College Carillon Guild