The Leonidas Polk Carillon: A History
Compiled and written by John Bordley, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Dedication of the Leonidas Polk Carillon
June 2007
The University of the South
Sewanee, Tennessee
Between 1950 and 1970, Sewanee went from being a regionally recognized liberal arts college of about four hundred men to a nationally recognized college of about one thousand men and women. Under the leadership of Vice-Chancellor Edward McCrady, several new dormitories, a dining hall, and an auditorium were built in the 1950s. In the 1960s, several more dormitories were constructed, as well as a library and a science building. However, the centerpiece of all this construction was an expanded All Saints' Chapel with its adjoining Shapard Tower. According to Waring McCrady, Professor Emeritus of French and one of the four children of Edward McCrady, the original aim was to finish the chapel in time for the centennial celebration of the founding of the University during the 1957-58 school year. The calendar goal proved impossible, but the carillon was indeed dedicated on April 12, 1959, and the much enlarged chapel reopened for its first service amid a week of festivities in June, 1959, a week that also included a carillon concert by Staf Nees, director of the Royal Carillon School in Mechelin, Belgium.
Edward McCrady's visions of the expanded chapel were grand. He made sketches and visited numerous large churches in England and France. From early on there was to be a tower, and a large spire was to be part of the structure. Although the spire was never built, the tower was engineered to support it, according to McCrady. An interesting story concerns the functional purpose of the tower.
McCrady says that his father really disapproved of the large and ugly water tower that adjoined St. Luke's Hall in the center of the campus. Vice-Chancellor McCrady's idea, then, was to relocate the water storage tank inside the new chapel tower and tear down the older black-iron eyesore, and he was surprised when pious objection was made to this practical secular idea. The style and function of the University chapel and tower are largely modeled after St. Mary's College, Oxford, and on a visit to St. Mary's, the elder McCrady was pleased to discover that its tower was in fact used as a water tower!
Where then did the idea come from to have a carillon at Sewanee? And how did Arthur Bigelow, designer and consultant for Sewanee's carillon, get involved in the project? Copies of letters from Schulmerich Electronics in January, February, and March of 1949 to acting Vice-Chancellor Henry M. Gass indicate that Sewanee had inquired about Schulmerich's "Carillonic Bells". The January 28, 1949 letter described the "Carillonic Bells" as "an instrument consisting of a series of miniature bell tone generators which will produce the effect of a fine cast bell carillon on the exterior of a church or institution, and as well this same instrument can be played on the interior of the church, producing results which are far superior to any organ chimes manufactured today." The letter of February 9 says, "… we are very pleased to send you information relative to our 'Carillonic Bells' and it is kind of you to state that this equipment will be considered when the spire of All Saints' Chapel is completed." The letter mentions the completion of a 61 "bell" instrument at the University of Arkansas and says, "More colleges every day throughout the United States are finding that Schulmerich 'Carillonic Bells' provide the ideal voice for a tower. We sincerely trust that the University of the South will be numbered among these other fine institutions when your new chapel is completed."
Intriguing is the fact that Arthur Bigelow, who was both on the engineering faculty at Princeton and a Belgian trained and recognized carillonneur, was involved in the Schulmerich experiments, and that W. Dudley Gale, III, eventual donor of the Polk carillon, was involved with the installation of a "Flemish Carillonic Bell" system at Christ Episcopal Church in Nashville. The March 30, 1949, Schulmerich letter invites friends to attend one of three dedications, including the event in Nashville. The letter continues, "…one gentleman, interested in bells, was quite pointed in his questioning: 'Do you think, Mr. Bigelow, that this instrument equals or is better than the Princeton carillon in tonal quality?' 'I do not think so', replied Professor Bigelow, 'I know it!' As you know, the Princeton carillon is considered one of the best cast bell carillons in this country; therefore Mr. Bigelow's comment is a rare compliment, an authoritative tribute to the Flemish 'Carillonic Bells'."
- Dudley Gale, III, was a Sewanee alumnus, class of 1920, and great-grandson of Leonidas Polk. (Polk is well known in Sewanee, as he was a bishop of the Episcopal Church, a lieutenant general of the Confederacy, and a chief planner of the creation of The University of the South.) Gale attended the Sewanee Military Academy and the University of the South, class of 1920. He interrupted his education to join the American Expeditionary Forces in France in World War I. In a publicity piece entitled "To Polk and Sewanee: A Carillon", Arthur Ben Chitty wrote, "There, besides a knowledge of the French language, drama, and art, he (Gale) also acquired a love for the bells that pealed from little churches and big cathedrals. …He acquired a technical knowledge of carillons when he, as chairman of the carillon committee of Christ Church, Nashville, spent weeks in consultation with America's great authority in the field, Dr. Arthur Lynds Bigelow of Princeton." This last sentence is a bit strange as it hints at the fact that Bigelow was much more excited to talk about and be involved in real cast-bell carillons than in the electronic substitutes for which Schulmerich had employed his expertise. In any case, Chitty said, "And so it was natural that, when pondering on a suitable centennial gift to Sewanee in memory of his great-grandfather, Bishop-General Leonidas Polk, Gale thought of a carillon."
Construction of the chapel.
Planning for a grand chapel had been started by 1886. Various architects submitted plans, and various models were considered. Construction of the original All Saints' Chapel actually began in 1905 but came to a screeching halt in 1907. In a publicity piece entitled Designing and Building a Chapel at Sewanee, ca. 1960, Vice-Chancellor McCrady wrote, "…in the great financial panic of 1907 the failure of the Bank of Winchester, in which the funds had been deposited, brought an end to the work, and left the stark stone walls uncovered, and the lonely cornerstone (at the northeast corner) 60 feet away, where it sat by itself for the next half century. … Three years later, enough money had been raised to construct a temporary wooden east end, a roof at half the intended height, and, in contrast with these compromises, (there were) carved oak choir pews, pulpit, and lectern of the finest quality. With these provisions the unfinished chapel was put to use."
In the 1940s, Vice-Chancellor Alexander Guerry attempted to raise money to complete the chapel. However, Guerry died suddenly in the late 1940s and it was McCrady's arrival as the new Vice-Chancellor in the early 1950s that got the project moving forward again. The Shapard family of Griffin, Georgia, donated the money for the tower, and theirs was the largest single gift towards the completion of the chapel (the total construction cost of which was $1,200,000). As mentioned, the tower is modeled after that of St. Mary the Virgin at Oxford, but the design evolved significantly to accommodate the carillon. The War Memorial Chapel occupies the ground level of Shapard Tower; the carillon occupies the upper levels.
- Dudley Gale III, donated the second largest gift for the chapel completion, $65,000 for the Polk carillon. Because of Gale's earlier contacts with Arthur Bigelow, Bigelow was able to be involved with the plans for the construction of the tower. One early suggestion, according to McCrady, was the openings into the belfry behind the buttresses of the fourth story of the tower. Unlike the sequence of events in many bell towers, the bells could be installed as the tower was being constructed. This raises the question, "What bells?"
The Bells
The entire carillon installation was directed by Arthur Bigelow, a recognized leader in the exact designing and tuning of carillon bells. In 1955 Bigelow traveled to Annecy-le-Vieux, Haute-Savoie, near the French-Swiss border to discuss the founding of the bells with the Paccard firm. Bigelow's specifications for the bells were to be used. In particular, the smaller bells have unusually thick walls, giving them a stronger and more beautiful sound and longer duration than had been available in earlier carillons. The bells are 78% copper and 22% tin. One source says the upper bells had an even higher percentage of tin to "give them more 'ring'". In 1957, since Sewanee wasn't ready to receive the completed instrument, both Gale and Bigelow visited the Paccard firm to inspect the bells. According to the dedication program for the carillon, "The foundry was too small to set up the carillon for playing, so the bells were moved by raft to the Isle of Swans on a nearby lake. Here, with the Alps in the background, the lake dotted with small boats, and with people gathered on the mainland coast, Bigelow gave 'testing' concerts all during August."
The photograph shows Bigelow with Sewanee's bells on the Isle. Richard Watson adds: "The clavier used for this temporary installation was one made by Paccard and used for testing in their foundry; the real Sewanee playing keyboard was never there, as it was made in Princeton by Bigelow, and taken or shipped from there to Tennessee later to meet the carillon. As the larger bells were deemed too heavy to transport to the island, only three of the basses were set up in a temporary wooden 'A-frame' and connected to the temporary clavier. As set up, the instrument transposed up a minor third; the three basses used were the D#3, F3 and G3.)" The upper forty-eight bells appear to be in their normal rack. Watson comments that the photo shows Bigelow "standing on the back of the keyboard and applying one of his adjustable tuning forks to one of the basses."
The chapel construction years: 1957- 1959.
During the 1957-58 school year, services continued in the existing chapel with the new construction taking place on all sides. The narthex was added on the west end of the rectangular nave. The choir and sanctuary were added on the east end. A wing at the north-east corner added the sacristy, St. Augustine's chapel, an altar guild work room, and offices. On the south side, Shapard Tower was started.
In 1958, the bells were shipped from France to New Orleans and then transferred to rail cars for their journey to Sewanee. Photographs from the time show the bells then being transferred from the rail cars to trucks for the trip up the hill to the chapel. Placement of the bells in the tower started in the summer of 1958 and ended in that autumn, as the installation was concomitant with the tower construction. One photo shows the largest bell, the 7500 pound bourdon, being put in its place on the third level of the tower. Another photo shows the next seven bells in place, as the narthex is being worked on. Another photo shows the upper 48 bells in their frame on the fourth level. For each level, the bells were put into the tower when the tower was at the correct height, and then the walls at that level were completed and the next level was started. The playing cabin is located at the bottom part of the fourth level, above the eight largest bells and below the forty-eight smaller bells. One of Bigelow's goals was to minimize the lengths of the wires that connect the batons on the clavier to the clappers in the bells. Watson adds that the lengths of the wires are particularly important with the treble bells, where the action needs to be the most sensitive. With the split design for the bell chambers, the longest connection is about fifteen feet (except for the connection to the bourdon).
During the 1958-59 school year there were no services in the chapel, as the construction which had started at the peripheries came right into the middle of the older building. Waring McCrady points out that the weekday services for the students were held in the movie theater during that year. Sunday services were held in the old, Simpson (Simpkin?) gymnasium, and some hangings and other accoutrements were taken to the gymnasium to make it seem like a church!
The finished carillon
At the time, the Polk carillon was the third largest in the world–at least in terms of the number of bells (56)! More importantly, Bigelow thought the tuning of the bells was "as perfect as it was possible to make. (The profile of the bells) allows an even timbre from bass to treble, permitting a more constant intensity. This means that the high bells will be just as important as the lower ones, not losing tonal effect because they weigh less." In the publicity piece To Polk and Sewanee: A Carillon, Bigelow was further quoted as saying the Polk Carillon is "one of the largest and most important in the world." Bigelow was very proud of his Polk Carillon and thought the installation was the most successful one he had done.
The dedicatory recital
Bigelow returned to Sewanee on several occasions after the installation in 1958, but his most memorable visit was for the April 12, 1959 dedicatory recital. On the first page of the red leather Leonidas Polk Memorial Carillon Concert Register and Autograph Book for Carillonneurs, Arthur Ben Chitty, then Director of Public Relations, wrote the following description of the event. "The premiere concert was a great occasion. On the lawn were about a thousand people with many more remaining in their cars, listening to the ceremony over station WCDT. Only the unfavorable weather kept the event from being perfect. A rain the previous day left mud puddles, the sky was overcast and the temperature about 40°. There were more autos than anyone remembered having seen at Sewanee. … The music of the bells seemed to surprise everyone. For perhaps nine-tenths of the audience it was the first experience of its kind. Professor Bigelow played with great vivacity and versatility an extremely varied program. The few seasoned carillon-listeners pronounced the instrument and the performance magnificent. One of the workmen stood throughout the ringing of the Bourdon with his hat over his heart and tears streaming down his face.
"When the concert was over, Bigelow remained (at the keyboard) for ten minutes extra to pose for some movie cameramen. For a few moments he simply simulated the striking of the clavier but then enthusiasm swept over him and he broke into a wild and beautiful series of chords and runs literally bouncing from one end of his bench to the other. As he left the bell-ringers cubicle he said, 'This is the greatest day of my life. There is no such instrument in the world. I am supremely happy about it.'"
A newspaper clipping from the Nashville Tennessean said, "About 5000 persons gathered … for the dedication. Then they went to parked automobiles and surrounding buildings for the first concert to be played on the carillon." Without knowing of Chitty's comments, one would wonder why the listeners had retreated from the immediate vicinity of the tower!
Bigelow's recital program was annotated by him. No mention is made about arrangers, but Bill DeTurk and Milford Myhre believe that Bigelow made his own arrangements, as was the style of Belgian performers of the day. Watson adds: "In fact, he may have at least 'semi-improvised' them on the spot. I say 'semi' because some of them may have been arrangements he never wrote down, but simply improvised first, and memorized; each time he used them afterwards, he will have done hem partly from memory, incorporating new ideas of the moment, so they could possibly be termed 'prepared improvisations'. I do know that the Moment Musical of Schubert he played was in that category; I was present on at least two occasions when he played it from memory."
The program began with the ringing of the Bourdon, the National Anthem, and a Gloria in Excelsis. Item 2 is marked An Introduction to the Bells. "One by one the bells will be sounded, from bass to treble, then in chords and arpeggios in all registers of the instrument, to acquaint the listeners with its extensive range and tone." Item 3 was Two Hymns (Onward, Christian Soldiers and How Firm a Foundation). Item 4 was two Bach pieces: O Sacred Head and Come, Let us to the Bagpipes' Sound (from the "Peasant Cantata"). Item 5–two Old English tunes: Greensleeves and Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes. Item 6–two Sprituals: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and Nobody knows the Trouble I've Seen. Items 7 and 8 were Handel's Where'er You Walk and Schuberts's Moment Musical. "Handel's measured grace lends itself easily to the carillon. It can surely be said that Handel, in this number, approaches the sublime. … (The Schubert piece is) a direct contrast to the number above. Here the carillon is played in quick tempo, in light and mirthful spirit." Item 9 was three Southern Melodies: O Susannah, My Old Kentucky Home, and Dixie. "These numbers need no comment. They are given a new interpretation on the carillon." Item 10 was Denijn's Postludium in G-Minor. The Brahms Lullaby and Sewanee's Alma Mater ended the program.
Carillon concerts between the dedicatory concert and the Staf Nees performance
The red leather Leonidas Polk Memorial Carillon Concert Register and Autograph Book for Carillonneurs has some interesting details and comments about concerts during the rest of April and May, 1959.
Waring McCrady and Clayton Farnham played a concert on April 19, as detailed in Waring's beautiful script. The program consisted of Tallis Canon (Hymn Book No. 165); Bach's Two-Part Invention, No, 1, in C; Healey Willan's Agnus Dei; and Haydn's Austria (the Sewanee Hymn). Waring notes the program, "…was opened by the ringing of the bourdon following the 3:00 PM chime of Breslin, and closed by a strike of twenty-one on the bourdon, respecting the twenty-one dioceses, lasting altogether about twenty minutes. It was recorded by Drew Smith, of Chattanooga, for world-wide emission on the program, 'Monitor'. To accompany this recording, the two performers and the Vice-Chancellor were interviewed on the subject of the bells. Such interest was shown in the carillon and such disappointment at the shortness of the program that both bell-players returned to the then-crowded belfry to re-play the first Bach invention, following it with Invention No. 8, in F, and a longer selection of hymns, ending with the National Anthem. This second, freer program was deemed by many to be even more successful than the announced selections. Both members of the newly-organized Carillonneur's guild felt honored to be the first students officially to play the Polk Carillon."
Albert A. Bonholzer, Sewanee's first University Carillonneur, played a program the next Sunday, April 26. Bonholzer was the owner and operator of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in nearby Tracy City. He was an alumnus of both the Sewanee Military Academy and the College. A grand tour of Europe in 1929 led to two noteworthy items: he became interested in carillons and he met his future wife, Marion Stark of Chicago. Back in the U. S., he took carillon lessons with Harold B. Simonds of Chicago and later with James R. Lawson of the University of Chicago. The program notes say, "Bonholzer agrees with carillon designer Arthur L. Bigelow…that Sewanee's bells are second to none. Mr. Bigelow agrees with Sewanee that we are fortunate in having a man with the ability and interest of Mr. Bonholzer so near us, one so capable in helping use and enjoy the new carillon." Bonholzer was a member of the GCNA (Guild of Carillonneurs in North America) and passed his qualifying exam to become a Carillonneur member of the Guild at xxxx in 19xx. Bonholzer's first program included: Peal Extraordinaire; Old Hundredth; Melody (Last Hope) by Gottschalk; Two French Songs (Bon Voyage and The ballad of the Sinful Rich Man); Old Flemish Folk Song (Het Looze Visschertje); Preludium in Barokstijl (For Carillon) by Edward Loos; The Happy Farmer by Schumann; Sewanee's Alma Mater by Middleton; and Now the Day is Over by Barnby. Mr. Bonholzer remained as University Carillonneur until approximately 1985.
For a funeral on April 29, Waring McCrady mentions the "toll of eighty-four". This tradition of tolling the bell one time for each year of the person's life was common for many years. {QUESTION: Is this a Sewanee tradition or is it practiced elsewhere?} On this occasion, Waring was "assisted by" Charles M. Robinson.
McCrady and Farnham paired up for "the most successful student program so far" on May 10, The Sunday after Ascension Day. They played: I. The hymn Pleyel; II. The Shepherd Boy by G. D. Wilson; III. Bach's Second French Suite in C minor (Courante, Menuet, and Gigue); and IV. Chanty from Poems of the Sea by Ernest Bloch. McCrady notes, "Particularly successful were Nos I and II, plus the Bach Menuet. This announced program was followed by…Sun of my soul…, the ringing of the Bourdon, and a repetition of The Shepherd Boy and the Menuet at the request of a large group of tourists who were passing through town on a Greyhound tour."
Commencement Week 1959: May 31 to June 8.
On May 31 there a concert played by Albert Bonholzer (this time listed as University Carilloneur), and students Farnham, McCrady, David Elphee, Fred Jones, Charles Kelly, and David Littler. The program noted that the day was the 150th anniversary of the death of Franz Joseph Haydn, composer of Austria, the University Hymn.
On Thursday, June 4, Staf Nees presented a carillon concert. The program notes that, "When (Jef) Denyn found the International Carillon School at Mechelen, Staf Nees, together with Kamiel Lefevere (Carillonneur at New York's Riverside Church) were its first pupils and graduates." Nees was first Denyn's assistant, and then in 1944 he became the school's Director. "He became City Carillonneur of Mechelen in 1932, the most distinguished carillon post in Europe. His playing, not only in Mechelen, but on all the important carillons in Belgium, Holland, England, France, Germany, and Denmark, soon brought him eminence as the outstanding exponent in Europe of carillon art, and recognition as a virtuoso and interpretive artist of the first rank."
The Nees program consisted of: an Improvisation; three pieces by Nees (Preludim in C for Carillon [dedicated to Kamiel Lefevere], Dance of the Bells, and Fantasie No. 1 [dedicated to Jef Denyn]; two Bergerettes from the Weckerlin Collection (Non, Je n'irai plus au bois and Que ne suis-je la fougere); two pieces by and in memory of Jev Van Hof, professor of composition at the Carillon School in Mechelin, who had died on April 24 (Intermezo, Menuet, and Sonata); Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni and Pizzicati (from Sylvia) by Delibes; Tango by Albeniz; Santa Lucia, a Napolitan Folksong, and O Sole Mio by De Capua; and Clair de Lune for Carillon by F. Marriott. Staf Nees wrote a nice note in the Red Book which was translated by someone, "It was a rare pleasure for me to play the lovely Paccard carillon of the University at Sewanee. The beautiful tower, the clean sounding bells, as well as the exemplary appointments, make the playing of this instrument a treasure for the carillonneur." "Von gowser harte proficiat!" (congratulations). Nees signed the record book and one week later, after returning to Belgium, signed and date a copy of the program, which is in the record book.
On Friday, June 5, the altar and reredos were dedicated. On Sunday, June 7, the Baccalaureate service marked the re-opening of All Saints' Chapel. At the service, the narthex and Shapard Tower were dedicated.
In conclusion
For this 50th anniversary of the Leonidas Polk Memorial Carillon, there will be carillon concerts on April 12, 2009 (anniversary of the dedication and the program by Bigelow), and on June 7, 2009 (anniversary of Nees' program). John Bordley, current carillonneur, is trying to gather the pieces from the 1959 programs so that he can perform as many of the pieces as possible.
