Free Carillon Concert & Peach Festival

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Free Carillon Concert & Peach Festival
Sunday · August 27
Grace Episcopal Church
East 7th Street and Cleveland Avenue
6 PM · Dessert
7PM · Concert

The 47-bell carillon, a gift of the Pittis family in the 1920s, is one of the largest in the eastern US, and admirably suited to the performance of the carillon repertoire.

A demanding musical instrument, the carillon is played by striking wooden baton 'keys' with the edge of the fist. The 'keys' resemble a piano keyboard -- with several inches between each key, giving room for the fist to depress it without rubbing against its neighbors. Though the keyboard appears formidable, a well-tuned carillon's keys will strike its bells with a minimum of effort.

The Pittis Carillon also includes a foot pedal keyboard, meaning that three bells may be struck at one time, adding to the richness of the musical effect.

The carillon keyboard is located on a platform in the tower, just below the bell chamber which is at the level of the tracery openings at the top of the tower.

The bells, which range from more than a ton to just a few pounds, are struck by a clapper when the 'key' is struck by the carilloneur.

(The carillon tower was restored in 2001)

Although historically its roots are in its service to cathedrals and other large churches, carillons in the US are as likely to be found on the campus of a large university -- as at Princeton or the University of Pennsylvania, whose carilloneurs have also served as Grace's.

The music for carillons also reflects the broad interest of today's audiences, including transcriptions of popular orchestral works and even riffs on popular music. There will be enough variety in the program to delight -- and perhaps surprise -- the listener.

An instrument as large as Grace's, in a community the size of Plainfield, is rare indeed, making the Pittis Carillon one of Plainfield's cultural treasures.

The concert is being presented by Trevor Workman (bio), carillonneur to the Bournmouth Village Trust in England.

The peach festival and the concert are free and open to the public, a gift of Grace Church to the community.

Cleveland Avenue will be closed to traffic between 7th and 6th for the dessert hour and concert. Bring a folding chair or a blanket to sit on. Parking is available in the city lot across 7th Street from the church.

-- Dan Damon

Links of interest--

Robin Austin: "The Carillon From Antiquity to the Present" -- an essay by Robin Austin, formerly at Grace Church and Princeton University, now carillonneur at the University of Pennsylvania.

GCNA: "The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America" -- the professional organization of carillonneurs in America.

Keyboard & Mechanism: "The Carillon Keyboard and Playing Mechanism" -- an illustrated explanatory article.

Wikipedia: "The Carillon" -- includes history and illustrative photos.


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