Old World Carillon to Ring Out from 2YA

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 10, 23 September 1927, Unnumbered Page

Old World Carillon to Ring Out from 2YA

‘‘ The Wellington Carillon has been purchased in memory of our illustrious dead. The rich have given of their wealth, the poor have given of their poverty, and the bereaved have given in memory of their beloved, so that the bells may be used to bring sweetness into daily life, for the lifting of men’s minds to high thoughts and noble purposes, for the comfort of the sorrowful and for the strength of all who need cheer." In those words Dr. E. Marsden concluded an address from 2YA that was of more than ordinary interest to listeners. His: subject was " Carillons " in particular relation to the erection of Wellington’s War Memorial, which may take the form of a Campanile to house the Carillon. On completion 2YA will be able to broadcast these old world notes across the Southern Pacific to the delight of thousands of listeners.

Dr. Marsden opened his address by some general remarks on the theory of sound and the physica: basis of music, that are of interest. The sensation of sound, he explained, was always associated with the vibratory motion of some sounding body. The blurred outline of such a sounding body while emitting sound was sufficient, as a rule, to convince us of its rapid to and fro motion, and immediately this motion was stopped by a touch of the finger the sound

ceased, as, for example, in the case of a tuning fork, violin string, or the reed in a reed instrument VIBRATIONS AND SOUND. All vibrations did not ‘mean sound, however, because the normal human ear was sensitive only to vibrations between 20 per second and 40,000 per second. The usual limits of the notes of a piano were from 33 per second to 2,000 vibrations per second. Persons differ like wireless sets in the range of frequencies they ean tune to. Some persons could hear low frequency vibrations better than others, for example, the rumble of the local earthquake which exerted low frequency vibrations could be heard by some people and not by others. After explaining that the sound waves needed a medium in which to travel -the ether-Dr. Marsden proceeded to explain the nature of a musical note. This, he said, had three characteristics: (1) loudness, or intensity, or extent of vibration, (2) pitch, or frequency of vibration, and (8) quality, or purity of vibration. We may have a piano string and a violin string principal or fundamental vibrating with the same frequency, say middle C, and, therefore, the same pitch, but the qualities of the notes are different, and we can distinguish the one from the other. The reason is that we are seldom dealing with a note of a pure unadulterated single frequency. There is generally superimposed on it, or mixed with it, some other frequency which arises from another possible mode of vibration of the instrument or string giving rise to the sound, For instance, in a piano the basic, or fundamental note given out when we strike middle "C," for example, has mixed with it from the same string an almost equal component of frequency double, that is what we call an

octave higher. With a violin string of the same principal note or frequency, the proportion contributed by this first harmonic or octave is smaller than with the piano; on the other hand there is a larger proportion of vibrations of very high frequencies, It is the addition of these partials or harmonics to the fundamental notes of the string that gives each instrument its own peculiar characteristic or quality, even when the same fundamental note is sounded.

THE SECRET OF MUSIC With the music from a violin string or piano string these harmonics, or added notes have all frequencies which have a simple numerical relation to the fundamental, twice, three times, etc. I shall not attempt to explain. how the same s‘ring manages to emit several notes at once beyond stating that they are produced because the string can vibrate not only as a single loop but in two, three or more loops with interven-

ing notes, partly according to the position at which the string is struck or bowed. The result is that the note produced by a violin string or piano string is pleasing to the ~ear because after the short time jnterval corresponding to a single vibration of the fundamental, the vibrations of the overtones comes into the same time-relationship again, and the ear-drum, in its endeavour to reproduce the sound to the brain has only to follow

and repeat rhythmically the relatively simple added effects of the various vibrations. With some instruments, and particularly with a bell which is not well-tuned, this is not always the case; for the varjous modes of vibration of the. various parts of the bell, which occur simultaneously, may not have a simple relation to one another in their frequencies and the sound does not produce a_ simple rhythmic effect on the eardrum, and we have a discord or a non-pleasing sound. THE PROBLEM OF THE BELL Thus, the great diffi. culty with a bell is that it must be so shaped and fashioned that it is in tune with itself; otherwise it cannot possibly be in tune with othe. bells, Every bell emits at least five tones at once-(1) the strike-note, (2) the nominal, which is above the strike-note in fre quency, and (3) the humnote, which is below, These three should be perfect octaves with each other if the bell is properly made and shaped. In addition, between the strike-note and the nominal, we have the tierce or. minor third and the quint or perfect fifth, both of which make harmony with the fundamental. Consequently, for a carillon, the greatest care must be taken in the manufacture of the bells so that the sounding of each bell may be a chord of music in itself, It is the effect ‘of the combination of these partial tones of the same beil which gives the special charm to the carillon. As the bell vibrates after being struck their relative intensity changes and gives the gradually changing quality to the note and gives the aereal haunting _ character to the music. (Continued overleaf).

Old World Carillon To Ring Out From 2YA coia/un com

WELLINGTON’S COMING CARILLON. The Carillon for Wellington, for which a contract has been let, will consist of 49 bells, ie., the same number as was ordered for Sydney, except that the bells are heavier, the largest weighing 5 tons. It is hoped that, at a later date, four more bass bells will be added, making a total of, 53. The housing of the bells is not yet definitely settled, but it is anticiated in some quarters that they will e placed in a campanile on Mt. Cook, forming part of a National War Memorial, Art Gallery, and Museum. There are some 184 carillons in existence, distributed among the following countries:-Belgium 44, The Netherlands 63, France 25, England 7, Ireland 2, Scotland 1, United States 15, Canada 4, South Africa 1, Australia 1, Germany 10, other countries 11. ALTERNATIVE METHOD ‘A carillon is played in two different ways. The first way is by : automatie attachment, using a great revolving drum with pegs, in the old earillons of the Netherlands, but perforated paper rolls in the modern ones as in other playing machines. In the second way the playing is done by a trained musician called a ‘earillonneur, seated at a keyboard, and using both hands and feet. Played by the first and primitive method a carillon may be thought of

as a gigantic music box. It can also be. arranged to play tunes before the hour strikes. But musically, of far greater importance is it when a carillon is played by the use of a keyboard somewhat resembling that of a piano or organ. At festivals, special anniversaries, and in mid-day or evening concerts, folk songs, popular airs, national hymns and a great variety of other tunes may be played. This playing by means of the keyboard is called a carillon concert or more properly a carillon recital. Each key of the keyboard is connected by lever and wire with the clapper of its corresponding bell. The bells of the lowest octave or two are connected also with a pedal board. This arrangement gives the player greater command of the resources of his instrument by allowing the use both of hands and feet, and so enables him to play music in three or more parts. Vischer, writing in 1738, says to play well requires "a musician with a good knowledge of music, good hands and feet, and no gout." THE CHARACTER OF THE CARILLON, Every musical instrument possesses a character of its own, due to the partial tones mentioned earlier in my talk. To one who has heard it, this individuality is apparent in the carillon no less than in other instruments. | Perhaps the best conception will be. obtained by thinking of it as resemb- | J

ling an organ in majesty and a pianoforte in delicacy, but with harmonies aerial, etherial and unbounded. The carillon is the finest musical instrument in existence for educating the people in, and cultivating their love for folk-songs 4 f

and in teaching them great melodies of their fatherland, Classical music can, however, be well rendered on the bells. It cannot be repeated too often, however, in the excellent words of Richard C. Cabot, that: "Good carillon music reaches the public because it is simple and because it is (or should be) heard again and again. Melodies have to be simple and wellknit if they are to be effective in a carillon. They may be cheap or they may be noble, but they cannot be vague. Repitition is an absolute essential in the appreciation of good music. Yet how many concert-goers hear the concert pieces repeated often enough to grasp any but the more trivial of them? Very few. Carillon music,‘on the other hand, is expected to recur like the seasons and the hymns, until we learn to expect each note before it comes-as we always do do in the full appreciation of good music." PROSPECTS IN WELLINGTON. I think it is Handel who is credited with the statement that the bell is the English national instrument, though the carillon has developed more in the Netherlands, where each principal town for over 300 years has had its municipal carillon. At Malines, where the famous Josef Denyn sets the carillon of St. Rombold vibrating in music in the late

afternoon air, as many as 60,000 people have assembled to listen. The winds of Wellington are not so favourable to the use of carillon as the calm evenings of the Netherlands, yet, by curving and deflection, the wind will give the sound-waves a variation in expression which may not be displeasing. Even in a high wind, however, always it will be possible to reproduce the music of the carillon over the wireless so that the bells may serve a Dominion as well as a Wellington audience. Finally these are the advantages of a carillon:1. It is made of bronze and therefore practically indestructible. 2. Once well installed, it requires -» substantially no attention to | keep it in order. 8. It is a musical instrument, forever in tune. 4, It contributes daily to community enjoyment. 5. It leads inevitably toward a more cultivated musical taste. 6. It nobly serves assemblages of the peop] on all great municipal . occasions. ; 7. It awakens affection for musie among the younger portion of the community and recalls agreeably past memories to many of the older generation. 8. It gives delight to all, whether they are at leisure or engaged in arduous occupation.