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Housed high in the tower of the Chapel, the original 30-bell carillon was the gift of the Reverend and Mrs. John F. Plumb in memory of their son, John Langdon Plumb, Class of 1926, who died while a student at the College. The carillon was dedicated at the Chapel consecration on June 18, 1932.
Expansion of the Trinity carillon from 30 to 49 bells was made possible by the generous and thoughtful bequest of Miss Florence S. Marcy Crofut, Hartford philanthropist, author and carillon enthusiast who died in March of 1974.
The expansion to a four-octave instrument was accomplished by replacing eight of the original bells and adding 19 new bells in the higher register. Installation of the new bells was completed in December 1978. All of the Trinity bells were cast by John Taylor & Co., Loughborough, England. You can hear a sample of the Trinity carillon if your computer is equipped with RealAudio; to download a free RealAudio player, please click here; be sure to follow the instructions and install the player after you have downloaded it. To hear a sample of the Trinity carillon, please click here.
A carillon has been defined as an instrument of at least 23 cup-shaped bells, arranged in chromatic series, so tuned as to produce, when many bells are sounded together, concordant harmony. It is normally played from a keyboard for control of expression, through a variation of touch. The keys for the smaller bells are struck with the half-closed hand, while the larger bells are also connected to foot pedals.
Although bells were first made by man during the Bronze Age thousands of years ago, it was not until the fifteenth century that Flemish bell founders produced the first "perfect bell" and discovered the craftsmanship of tuning bells.
The art of bell casting, which has been handed down from generation to generation, almost died out by the nineteenth century. It was only in the twentieth century that bell founding was revived and surpassed the quality and tuning of the fifteenth century bells.
The world's greatest concentration of carillons is still in the Low Countries of Europe, although the art of bell founding and tuning has been perfected by craftsmen in England, France, Norway and the United States.
The late president of Trinity, Dr. Remsen B. Ogilby was so enthusiastic about the carillon that he had already begun to take lessons and by the fall of 1933 was playing regular concerts. Soon after the dedication of the Trinity carillon , he began to plan for an organization of carillonneurs. In September of 1934, he invited 25 carillonneurs to the College and, two years later, the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America was organized. Today, the membership of the Guild numbers more that 500 men and women.
Click here for 2002 summer concert schedule.
For further information contact:
Friends of the Trinity Carillon
c/o The Chapel
Trinity College
Hartford, CT 06106.
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nblissCreated 1/25/96 by Norman F. Bliss, '93
Modified 4/27/98