Sixty-five separate bells. The largest weighs six tons and the smallest weighs ten pounds. All these parts make up the University of Denver carillon that sits up in the Williams Tower, the symbol of the university.
The carillon is a musical instrument that is made up of 23 or more bells which are tuned to the chromatic scale like a piano. The instrument also gives the musician the ability to play with dynamics, to make it as loud or as soft as needed. A carillon is played with both the musician’s hands and feet. There are a series of pedals on the bottom and or the hands two levels of levers that mimic a piano. The top level is the black keys on a piano keyboard and the lower level are the white keys.
The carillon was popular during the 17th century. And a majority of carillons are located in the Netherlands which has about 180 in the country, which is half the size of South Carolina. There are 180 in all of North America.
And DU has one. It was donated by Carl Williams, and when he was asked why he donated the carillon, he told a local newspaper, “because Dan Ritchie asked me too.”
It came from discussions about what exactly goes in a tower. And the carillon was the natural choice despite its obscurity. The carillon at DU is both played manually and automated. The automated setting rings out the hours. But, when music is ringing out of the tower it is played by Todd Fair, the university carillonneur and lecturer or the Lamont School of Music.
Fair first heard a carillon as a child when he was growing up in Valley Forge Pennsylvania where there is a memorial for Washington and his soldiers.
“When I was a little kid I would order my parents to stop and I would listen,” said Fair. Then later he found out the man that played the carillon taught. From there he realized there was a society for carillonneurs and a school especially for carillon students in the Netherlands. After he received his bachelors in piano at Westchester University Fair he set off to Amsterdam for a year to learn at the school.
One year turned in to 23. After his year at the school he won a competition in Amsterdam and became the first American to be the City Carillonneur of Amsterdam; which caused quite a controversy. And in a story that Williams likes to tell, after a lot of discussion it was decided that they had to give him the job because if they didn’t they would have to fire a great many members of the symphony orchestra because they were not Dutch either. During this time he also taught at the school for the carillon.
In 1999 Fair returned to the states to fill in at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. During that year the position at DU became available and Fair had to apply.
“It is really cool to be the first [at DU],” said Fair. There are not many university carillonneur positions in the United States and the carillon remains a mostly undiscovered instrument.
“We are invisible so we are unknown,” said Fair.
Fair hopes to build a program over time at DU to learn to play the carillon. This next year he has both a bachelor and master degree candidates.
“It is possible for all students who play the piano and can read music to take lessons. Free, no obligation trial lesson and if it’s a good fit it can be a two credit class with weekly music lessons,” said Fair. “Another requirement is being able to climb 95 steps.”
