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| Renovations on the Draper Tower began in early June and
will continue through the summer |
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Renovation
began in early June on the Draper Building tower for the installation
of a 56-bell carillon. The carillon is an instrument consisting
of bells that can be played like a piano or organ.
In late May a special ceremony was held to announce the renovation and installation
phase of the carillon project. All attending were invited to ring one of
the large bells. The 'bourdon,' the largest bell to be installed, weighs
2,750 lbs.
The Berea College carillon will be the largest in Kentucky. The instrument
will have a range of four and a half octaves and have the capability of playing
musical works in full melody and harmony.
The initial reconstruction of the tower area was necessary to house and support
the 11-ton musical instrument. The designer and builder of the carillon,
Verdin Company of Cincinnati, is overseeing the installation.
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| Elton White, chairman of the
Board of Trustees, and John Courter, music faculty
member and carilloneur watch as Berea College President
Larry Shinn rings one of the Carillon bells. |
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| Workers cut openings in the
four sides of the tower to be used for installation
of the steel frame needed to support the bells. Later
the openings will be covered with arched sound vents. |
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| Reinforcement beams are swung
into place with cranes. The beams will support the
56-bell carillon which will have a total weight of
nearly 11 ton |
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| Willie Hoffman, son of College
faculty member Megan Hoffman, takes a closer look at
the inscription on one of the bronze bells prior to
the "blessing of the bells" ceremony. |
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| Rev. Kent Gilbert, pastor of
Union Church in Berea blesses some of the 56 bells
with the assistance of John Courter, Berea College
music professor. |
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| The largest carillon bell is
raised by crane into the tower opening where an installation
crew awaits. |
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| The new carillon is housed in
the tallest structure on campus, the Draper Buliding
Tower. |
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On July 10 the bells arrived on campus for the "blessing of the bells" ceremony.
Before the service, the bells were lined up on the front lawn of the Draper
building for public viewing.
The tradition of "blessing the bells" dates back 500 years when the
first sets of bells were installed in church towers in Holland, Belgium and
northern France.
The day after the blessing ceremony the largest carillon bell was raised over
100 feet into the Draper Building tower. The bells will hang in the topmost
part of the tower. Construction was completed the first week of October.
A formal dedication ceremony and concert took place on Friday, Oct. 27, 2000.
For more information about the Carillon Project
see October
11, October 10, June
13, and July 10 news releases.
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