Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-04-16
By Blanche S!

restore their idolized possessions; and in the
United States and Canada the war has been
responsible for the erection of hundreds of
memorial chapels and towers. But the empty
towers were like the human body without
voice. and so from time to time voice of
singing BELLS proclaiming from their lofty
tower the praise and unforgettable glory of
Amsricas war dead, has been fitted into these
empty spaces.
Almost every one knows that carlton is
composed of bells, but that seems as far as the
average person has penetrated Very often,
too the word chime is used when in reality q
carlton is meant. Thus general idea of what
a carlton is may be gained by pointing out the
differences between a chime and carillcn.
The chime has few bells, usually or 10,
in the diatonic scale and it usually has COM
pass Of about one octave. The chimer stands
and pulls levers one at time and only the
simplest tunes can be played. True, chimes
are popular form of bell music in this coun-
try, and yet the music of chimes is at best but
child's play as compared to that of a carillcn.
A carlton may be defined a set of bells
tuned to the intervals of the chromatic scale.
proceeding entirely by half tones. The COM
pass of carlton is three octaves or more, the
lowest bell being often many tons in weight,
with each preceding bell smaller, so that in
the highest octaves the weight Of each bell
is but few pounds. All the bells in a CARL
Ion are hung dead of hxed-that is, so as
not to swing. The bells are cast of purest
bell metal being mixture of best quality
copper and tin alloy.
This majestic instrument is played by q
skilled musician, called a carillonneur, sitting
before q keyboard, or clavier, and using, as
does an organist, both hands and both feet and
sounding sometimes six or seven notes at once.
The keys are arranged in sharps and fats like
that Of piano, except that the individual keys
are oak pegs about three-fourths of an inch
wide and spaced farther apart. Each key
or pedal is connected with its bell by an
astounding number of rods and wires, which
move the spring balanced clapper inside the
bell
Unfortunately, there are not many masters
Of this musical instrument in America. 1t is
not an easy instrument to learn and the player
needs to be Of strong, robust constitution,
for it is perhaps the most strenuous of instru-
ments to manipulate Notwithstanding the
difficulties encountered, many musicians in
this country and other parts of the world are
pursuing the study of the carlton with dill
igence and more and more they are coming to
fit themselves for this calling. The Curtis
Institute of Music at Philadelphia provides a
fellowship for its graduate students at the Box
Singing Tower in Florida, with Anton Brees
bellmaster. as instructor.
IN Europe ell-playng became a tradition in
families and the position of carillonneur
was and still is considered one of the highest
musical posts That great living artist, Joseph
Denyn. city carillonneur of Mechln, Belgium,
comes of celebated family of carillonneurs.
With his wide knowledge of bell tones, key
board construction and masterful playing, he
has probably done more to spread the gospel
of carlton music than any other living person.
He IS also director OF the Free School of CARL
Ion Instruction at Mechlin, maintained by the
Belgian government since 1922
There are, in the entire world approximate
ly 200 Of these majestic instruments Even
New Zealand and South Africa have their
singing towers; Canada has S and already
there are 80 notable examples of this art in
the United States.
Probably the most famous carlton in the
world is in St. Rombold's Tower of the Ca
thedral at Mechlin, with which the name of
the great Cardinal Mercier is forever asso-
ciated. One OF great antiquity is in the famous
clock tower of Alkmaar. a province of North
Holland
The year 1892 marks the 10th anniversary
of the first carlton in the Western World
that of the Metropolitan Church Of Toronto,
Canada.
In July, 1922, just three months after the
installation of the Toronto CARLTON the first
modern carlton in the United States was in
stalled in the belfry of the Roman Catholic
Church Of Our Lady Of Good Voyage, Glouces-
ter, Mass. This carlton was erected BY the
church members and q few other citizens Of
that seacoast town rs . fitting tribute to the
memory Of their fellow sailors and soldiers who