Restoration Highlight--The New Eb Bell

Restoration Highlight    

      The highly anticipated restoration and renovation of The McGaffin Carillon is complete. We are very thankful for the over 225 donors who have made this possible. A list of donors is on the Friends of the McGaffin Carillon website https://www.ucbells.org/friends . In these series of highlights The Friends of the McGaffin Carillon would like to honor some of the major gifts as well as some of the major upgrades to the installation.

The New E♭ Bell

Rod Keen and Denise Horstman look over the new Eb bell just before it will be hoisted into the tower.

      One of the new bells added to the McGaffin Carillon during our recent renovation is a low E♭ on the clavier (keyboard). As was customary for many carillons, including the McGaffin Carillon, the original instrument was cast without the lowest C♯ and E♭ bass notes. Because bell weight triples with each descending octave, it made sense in 1968 to extend the instrument in the upper range rather than include these large, infrequently used bass bells.

     As part of this renovation, we have added four new bells to expand the carillon’s musical range. The low E♭ bell was generously gifted by Denise Horstman, founding president of The Friends of the McGaffin Carillon, and her husband, Rod Keen—much to the excitement of our performers. This bell, weighing 1,672 pounds, was cast in 2023 by Royal Eijsbouts to match the original bells in tone, tuning, and decoration.

     An inscription on the bell’s shoulder reads: EIJSBOUTS ME FECIT FOR THE MCGAFFIN CARILLON MMXXIII. The decorative band surrounding the inscription features symbols of the gospel writers, matching the ornamentation on the original bells. The bell is a memorial to the donors’ parents and includes a Latin inscription encircling its body:
NON VOX SED VOTUM NON MUSICA CORDULA SED COR NON CLAMOR SED AMOR CANTAT IN AURE DEI
(“Not the voice but the prayer, not concordant music but the heart, not noise but love sings in the ear of God”)—a quote from a 17th-century bell in Cambridgeshire, England.

     This bell is featured in the new quarter-hour chime and is heard as the final note of each quarter. The photo shows the proud "parents" inspecting their gift before it was hoisted into place in the tower.

A view of the decoration circling the shoulder of the new bell.

Restoration Highlight -- The Clock Chimes

Restoration Hightlight

     The highly anticipated restoration and renovation of The McGaffin Carillon is complete. We are very thankful for the over 225 donors who have made this possible. A list of donors is on the Friends of the McGaffin Carillon website https://www.ucbells.org/friends . In these series of highlights The Friends of the McGaffin Carillon would like to honor some of the major gifts as well as some of the major upgrades to the installation.
 

The New Clock Chimes

The Digital Clock Display

Emily Blake

     At its installation in 1968, The McGaffin Carillon marked the hours and played the Westminster Chimes every quarter hour. Unfortunately, these chimes stopped working decades ago. During our 2018 restoration of the peal, a community volunteer was able to repair the hour strike, but parts needed to repair the quarter hour chimes were no longer available and the quarter hours remained silent.
     A digital clock control is part of the new system thanks to the generosity of the late Emily Blake. Emily was a lifetime member of the Church of the Covenant. She met her husband, Bob, at the church. Emily served as chair of the fundraising and membership committees of the church and was also a volunteer for the Covenant Cache, the church thrift shop. The entire family has been very active in church activities.
      New quarter hour chimes, The McGaffin Quarters, were composed by Covenant and University Circle Carillonist, George Leggiero. The chimes highlight the new Eb bell, the last bell rung every quarter, and the new bourdon or lowest bell that counts the hours. The McGaffin Quarters will sound from 9am to 10pm. The hour strike will be heard 24 hours a day. The clock is set by an Internet time signal and the first stroke of the hour strike is always exactly on the hour. 

Restoration Highlight--The Clavier

Restoration Hightlight

     The highly anticipated restoration and renovation of The McGaffin Carillon is complete. We are very thankful for the over 225 donors who have made this possible. A list of donors is on the Friends of the McGaffin Carillon website https://www.ucbells.org/friends . In these series of highlights The Friends of the McGaffin Carillon would like to honor some of the major gifts as well as some of the major upgrades to the installation.

Clavier

Mildred Russin and Frank Svoboda

The New Clavier

There are new bells, and those will be highlighted in a later post. But those won’t be heard unless the performer has a proper clavier (keyboard) from which to play them. After over fifty years the old clavier had become so worn that it made so much noise the performer couldn’t hear what they were playing. The new clavier is a gift of the estate of Frank J. Svoboda. Frank was a good friend of the late Mildred Russin and both were very supportive of music at The Church of the Covenant, especially the carillon. Mildred arranged for the gift from Frank’s estate. 
     The new clavier is built to a standard set by The World Carillon Federation in 2006. It is made of sturdy oak, with maple batons. Its smooth and quiet action is a welcome change from the old clavier.
     The clavier is connected mechanically to the clappers of each of the fifty-one bells, a hand lever for each of the bells, and foot levers for the lowest twenty-five.  The bells have been hung on new framing that brings the smaller bells closer to the clavier. All of this makes for a quieter and more responsive action. The musicians will have an easier time bringing more subtle nuance to their performances.

The Bells Have Returned!

On Friday, May 16, a large container from The Netherlands arrived at the tower. This was the shipment of our twenty-four bells that spent the winter abroad along with four new bells. Also included was all the new hardware for the carillon as well as the new clavier. A crane lifted the equipment into the tower and the three workers from Royal Eijsbouts started the three week process of installing it all.

"Backstage" at Two Cleveland Heights Carillons

Have you been missing our bells as much as we have? There are two other nearby four octave carillons and we've been invited for two Saturday morning carillon crawls to visit these towers and their attached church buildings.

Saturday, April 5.  Visit the carillon at The Church of the Saviour in Cleveland Heights. Sheryl Modlin, FMC board member and Church of the Saviour Carillonneur, has invited us to visit this instrument that was installed in 1953-54. It is another carillon with Dutch bells, but by a different foundry than The McGaffin Carillon.  Climb into the tower and watch a demonstration of the carillon. Wander the church while the church organist demonstrates the organ.
More information and Reserve Tickets for April 5 Visit to Church of the Saviour  

Saturday, May 3. Visit St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. David Osburn, FMC board member and St. Paul's Carillonneur has invited us. This instrument was installed in 1928 as an eight bell chime and expanded twice since to its current forty-seven bells. Climb the tower to visit the carillon, wander the church art gallery, hear a demonstration of the church organs.
More information and Reserve Tickets for May 3 Visit to St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Both crawls begin at 9am with a continental breakfast and conclude with a box lunch. 
Please order your tickets now. There will be an additional $5 charge for registrations the morning of the event.  

Cost-Each Event
            $10 Children ($15 day of event, Under 12 accompanied by an adult)
 $25 Adults ($30 day of event)

Contact the FMC Office for more information  (216) 535-4411   info@ucbells.org