Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-09-08
FIRST CONCERT TODAY ~. ""a*3
ACari||onneur 7 a|ks of Bells and Bells
BY MYRA MACPHERSON
star Staff Writer


the belfry tower of the Ma
tional Shrine Of the Immacu-
late Conception.
Up there, where a man could
seemingly get away from 1t all,
bellmaster Arthur L. Bigelow
heard the sounds Of traffic
drifting up from 325 feet below.
He was somewhat obliviouS
to them as he worked at his
Notwithstanding and kneel-
ing on all fours as he wired the
bells to his keyboard, preparing
for today's Carlton concerts.
Nevertheless, he said, II think
Washington's one Of the nois-
lest cities. Listen"
A truck changed gears and 1t
was hard as clearly as II 1t
were on the same level. Mr..
Bigelow, who has spent a major
portion of his last 80 years up
in the air, has installed and
played carlton bells in several
dozen towers throughout Ameri-
ca and Europe.
He will come down to earth
next week when he returns to
his working world Of % years.
In a neat business suit, he will
conduct classes in graphics as
professor of engineering at
Princeton University.
Thinks best Working
But yesterday, there was
grease and tar on his work
trousers and the hands that
will play the bells for the first
time at 4 and 8 pm. concerts
today, were twisting bolts with
wrencheS.
People sometimes say I'm
out of my frame here, but I've
found I've done some of my
best tn in king when working
this mechanically. 1t is relaxa-
ton and pure JOY. Resides /
find it less difficult, as a con-
sultant, to do the work rather
than tell someone else how"
Mr.. Bigelow has spent
months on the 56-bell caril-
whose total weight Is
37,l50 pounds beginning when
he went to the foundries In
France and Holland to super
wise the casting.
THE bells are tuned in the
foundry when they are cast. If
the founder knows his business
they will never get out of tune.
But If they're installed when
they're not in tune, no amount
of playing or working with
them will rectify this" he said.
Cites Childhood Appeal
Mr.. Bigelow is a slim, muscu-
lar man who, at 81, darts up
and down the ladders and in
the small corners Of the tower
with the quickness Of a child.
II liked to listen to the bells
ringing when I was a child. I
wondered why there was this
long ring of a bell, and when I
got a bit older I proceeded to
find out" he said.
AS a student at the Univer-
sity Of Pittsburgh he played the
carlton, then went abroad to
study at the School Of CarillonS
in Mechlin, Flanders. In the
Belgian town of Louvain he
rang out the music Of the bells
for II years. The tower in
which he played was destroyed
by bombs in the war and has
since been rebuilt.
Mr.. Bigelow counts the in
stalling and playing of the bells
as his only hobby, and a sum-
mer one at that. He said "at
least my wife sno golf wi
dow"
He added that his wife, who
was working at the University
of Louvain when he was there,
practically met me in the bel
fry, anyway"
Ignores Bells Din
He will play the bells sitting
at a bench in front Of the con-
trolling keyboard. in a cabin
between two belfries. The three
base bells are in the lower, the
medium and treble bells in the
upper.
1T Is ordinary to have a split
belfry. Then the bellmaster has
all the bells within easy reach
or control. ! I he were on top of
or below all the bells, he would
not have the sound surround
ing him.
"All the feelings. sentiments
and moods of the bellmaster
can be expressed by this con-
tact between the keyboard and
the clapper of the bells" Mr..
Bigelow said.
AS he touched one wire OF a
bell, 1t pealed a gentle treble
note into the air. Asked If all
the bells going at once ever
deafened or frightened him
Mr.. Bigelow said with q salts
fled smile, "no-be cause I'm
making them CO."