Chapel Carillon
Summer Sounds: A Brief History of Middlebury’s 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.) . 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 by George Matthew Jr., College Carillonneur
12:30 to 1:30 pm, unless otherwise announced. Mr. Matthew’s final piece of the day is often a surprise and not noted in the following schedule.
Thursday, May 1
La Prima Vera – Antonio Vivaldi
Spring Song – Felix Mendelssohn
Spring Song – Anton Rubenstein
“Come Sweet May and Make the Trees Green Again” – W. A. Mozart
Come, Lovely Springtime – Joseph Haydn
Truckne Blumen – Franz Schubert
Der Mai ist gekommen – folksong
National Anthems of our Students – Thailand, Tibet, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Republic, Ukraine, Uruguay
Friday, May 2
Three keyboard fantasias – G. F. Handel
Fantasia for carillon – Jef Rottiers
Fantasia for carillón – Frans Vos
Three Polish polkas – Traditional
Mini Shabbat:
- Todot El – Spanish/Portuguese
- Five settings of Tzur Mishelo – Calcutta, Four Sephardic tunes
- Yigdal - 19th century Austrian and traditional
National Anthems of our Students - Irish Republic, Macedonia, USA, UK, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Saturday, May 3 – Fifth Annual Bells Across America Program. Patriotic and memorial pieces in tribute to our fallen firefighters.
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Traditional Spirituals
Sunday, May 4
Partita II for violin BWV 1004 – J. S. Bach
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Traditional Spirituals
Monday, May 5 – Cinco de Mayo!
All the national anthems of Latin America –
Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica,
Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,
Venezuela, Uruguay.
Tuesday, May 6
Quelques Riens – Gioacchino Rossini
Carillon – Camille Saint-Saens
Prelude IV – Mathias Van den Gheyn
Suite for Carillon – Gian Carlo Menotti
National Anthems of Our Students - Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Netherlands, Poland
Wednesday, May 7
Hommage à Handel – Georg Köppl
Partita – Johann Heinrich Schmelzer
Courrente Carrigion – Graf Logy
Glockenspiel II – Karl Dietrich
National Anthems of Our Students - Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania
Thursday, May 8
Three Pavanes – Louis Milan
Toccata in C – Josè Antonio Carrio de Seixas
Prelude, Fugue & Chorale – Edmund de Vos
Fugue in G – Johann Pachelbel
Contemplating a Japanese Garden – Ira-Paul Schwarz
Three Polish Polkas - Traditional
National anthems of our students: Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, Ivory Coast, Slovenia, Sweden
Friday, May 9
Minuet from Symphony #104 – Joseph Haydn
Six short pieces – W. A. Mozart
Selection of Syrian folksongs – Traditional
“Let us break their bonds asunder” – from Handel’s Messiah
“If God be for us, who can be against us?” – from Handel’s Messiah
Mini Shabbat:
- Adir Le Yunum – Morocco
- Three settings of “Adon Olom”- Dagestan, East Europe and Traditional
- Cuando el Rey Nimrod – Sephardic
- Rozhinks mit Mandeln – A. Goldfaden
National Anthems of Our Students - Jamaica, Japan, Kenya,
Korea, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mexico
Saturday, May 10 – Student Recital
Angie Como-Mosconi ‘25 and Graydon Hanson ‘25
Sunday, May 11
Partita III for solo violin BWV 1006 – J. S. Bach
Toccata & Fugue in d BWV 913 – J. S. Bach
Traditional Ukrainian Melodies
Traditional Afghanistan Melodies
Traditional Mexican Folksongs
Traditional Spirituals
Monday, May 12
Guaraldi’s Waltz – Joey Brink
Prelude for Peace – Gerald Finzi
Sing for Freedom and Peace – Selim Dogru
Prayer for Peace – Jean Miller
Ballade – Leen’t Hart
Peace and Freedom – Felix Mendelssohn
Prayer for Peace – Jean Sibelius
When the Peace Bells Ring – Clarence Lyndon
Oseh Shalom, Shalom Alecheim and Sim Shalom – Traditional
National Anthems of Our Students - Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia