NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Wistful words penned by a French poet adorn the new bell that is slated to complete Smith College’s carillon, a set of tuned bells connected to a keyboard in College Hall.

The 2,000-pound instrument, custom built in France, produces one of the lowest chimes of the 48 bells that make up Smith’s carillon. While more common in Europe, there are less than 200 carillons in the United States. (To hear a carillon, scroll down this Culver Memorial Chapel Web page and choose a “sound file.”)

“When the carillon was built in the 1970s, one of the low bells was not installed,” said Grant Moss, senior lecturer in music. “The new bell is due to arrive in the states around March 13. After clearing customs, it will be ready to be shipped to Smith for installation.”

Expected to be hoisted into place before the end of the month, the bell will bear the words of Marceline Debordes-Valmore in French. Translated to English, the verse reads: “When the bells in the evening slow down time in the valley, if you have no friends or lovers close to you, think of me! Think of me!”

Most big bells have an inscription, according to Moss, who asked Music Director Peter Bloom to make the selection for the new one.

Bloom’s choice, with its entreaty “think of me,” seems particularly apt given the history behind the carillon. The bells that initiated the collection were funded by an endowment in the memory of Dorothea Carlile ’22, who died of influenza early in her first year of Smith. Carlile’s parents began the fund and restricted it to the purchase of bells “to preserve the memory of a particularly joyous and buoyant personality.”

Over time, the endowment allowed the original set of 12 bells to expand in number and musical range to two octaves, making it an official carillon.

As defined by the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, a carillon is a musical instrument consisting of at least two octaves of bells arranged in chromatic series and played from a keyboard.

In the final significant step for Smith’s instrument, through the generosity of the Very Reverend and Mrs. Charles U. Harris – who will be honored in an inscription on the bell – the  number of octaves in the carillon doubled to four.

The bells that make up Smith’s carillon range in size from a D-sharp, weighing 24 pounds, to the D-sharp four octaves lower, weighing more than 2,800 pounds.

A musician plays the carillon from a baton clavier, which is made up of a set of wooden keys or batons. The keys are about the shape of broomstick handles but slightly smaller and are arranged in two rows, like the keys of a piano.

The two lowest octaves of bells are also connected to pedals so that they may be played with the feet. Because it would be impossible to practice playing the carillon without the sound ringing across campus, the musician practices on a digital instrument in the room in College Hall directly below the actual instrument.

Bloom, who selected the inscription for the bell, will not likely be on campus the first time the complete carillon is played, an event that is planned for commencement weekend. But, he noted, “From Paris, where I am directing the Smith junior year abroad program in the midst of university professors on strike, essentially because the government seems not to value their work, I hope the new bell will ring out for peace, freedom and harmony.”

Smith College educates women of promise for lives of distinction. One of the largest women’s colleges in the United States, Smith enrolls 2,800 students from nearly every state and 62 other countries.

Office of College Relations Smith College Garrison Hall Northampton, Massachusetts 01063		Kristen Cole Media Relations Director T (413) 585-2190 F (413) 585-2174 kacole@email.smith.edu

First In the Finest Cast Bronze Bells

CHARLIE MILLER

Stan Christoph, president of Christoph Paccard Bellfoundries of Charleston, guides the bell and frame into the tower in the new Summerville Town Hall annex Monday.

SUMMERVILLE — The bell that went up in Summerville’s town center this week is a milestone of progress and a reminder of the past.

It’s also got a special ring that will give Summerville residents something to brag about when talking to Charlestonians.

The bell went up Monday, but electricians were still hooking up the wiring Wednesday.

The bell tops an annex made necessary by the town’s rapid growth over the last decade. For example, a much bigger auditorium will relieve overcrowding at council meetings, and there’s a room with a TV monitor for overflow crowds.

The bell restores a tradition. The old bell announced the opening and closing of business hours, lunch breaks and fire alarms.

The town got it in 1893 from The Arsenal, formerly known as Porter Military Academy of Charleston, according to a history provided by the town. The bell was lost when the wood town hall was torn down 40 years ago. Now it’s back on the grounds of Porter-Gaud School.

“I grew up on Richardson Avenue (across from Town Hall), so I was very familiar with that bell,” Summerville Preservation Society President Heyward Hutson said. “I think it brings back a really wonderful tradition.”

He added that he’s not sure about the rest of the annex, especially the new parking garage, which he fears could overshadow the old town hall.

“We will have to wait and see how it all looks after it’s completed to determine if it brings back that traditional feel,” Hutson said. “I think the bell tower will, for sure.”

Town officials are putting a positive spin on it.

“This new bell tower captures the essence of the original tower and carries forward the vision of Summerville’s founding fathers,” Town Administrator Dennis Pieper said.

Commercial Realtor Robert Pratt, who grew up in Summerville and went to school a few blocks up Main Street, said he’s glad to see it. He remembers the bell and a museum that displayed snakeskins.

“It kind of keeps you in touch with your past,” Pratt said. “I think the bell will be a wonderful reminder.”

The new bell was tuned to blend with nearby church bells, said Stan Christoph, president of Christoph Paccard Bellfoundries of Charleston, which installed it.

The bell is tuned to the D above middle C. The bells at nearby St. John the Beloved Catholic Church are tuned to C, E and G, and the bell at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church is tuned to A, Christoph said.

“On special occasions when they all ring their bells, it will be a stunning occasion, in musical harmony with each other,” he said. “It will be an unbelievably beautiful sound.”

The bells in downtown Charleston are “gorgeous when they all ring, but it’s more of an eclectic sound,” he said. “In Summerville, there’s this unique situation.”

Reach Dave Munday at 745-5862 or dmunday@postandcourier.com.

Christoph Paccard Bellfoundries is proud to announce that they have recently become the exclusive representative for the Paccard Fonderie des Cloches in the United States. Stan Christoph is President of Christoph Paccard and has 15 years of experience at all levels of bell and clock instrument design, manufacturing, installation and service. Philippe Paccard, Director of the Paccard Fonderie des Cloches, of Annecy, France supports Christoph Paccard with bronze bell and musical sculpture instrument design, engineering and sales. Mr. Philippe Paccard is the seventh generation to operate the Paccard Fonderie des Cloches.

Christoph Paccard is honored to represent the Paccard Fonderie des Cloches, makers of the world’s finest cast bronze bells since 1796. Known worldwide for their warmth and sweetness of tone, Paccard bells are the benchmark by which others are judged. In addition to making the world’s finest bells, Paccard is known for developing the acoustically balanced carillon.

Each Paccard Bell is meticulously crafted by hand, carefully cast using the lost wax process, and finely tuned to exacting musical standards. Cast only of bronze, Paccard bells are composed of pure red copper and block tin. Although the ratio of copper to tin is different depending on the size of the bell, most bells are approximately 78% copper and 22% tin.

Only new metal is used in the casting. When selecting a cast bronze bell, it is also critically important to choose a founder who understands how to properly tune a bell. Paccard is the best choice.

At Christoph Paccard, we take pride in our products and workmanship. Our business is built on integrity, high quality customer service, and customer satisfaction. Our ultimate goal is to deliver products that are built to the highest standards in the industry.

Regardless of the scope of your project, whether it requires a carillon, a peal, a chime, or just a single bell, our goal is to partner with you to design, plan and implement the right solution for your unique needs.