The Daily Universe celebrates 50 years

Universe Staff Writer

BYU’s second century will be symbolically rung in when LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball plays the bells of the Centennial Carillon Tower today. This will begin the bells’ service to BYU.

President Kimball will participate in the dedication of the tower at 11:45 a.m. by playing the hourly theme from “Come, Come Ye Saints,” then ringing the chime 12 times. Carillonneur Dr. John Longhurst will follow with a brief musical demonstration.

A 30-40 minute dedicatory recital, featuring a cross-sampling of music, is scheduled to be played by Dr. Longhurst, associate professor of music on leave from BYU, at 2 p.m.

Dr. Longhurst recommended listening to the carillon from a distance of at least 500 feet, as the “clash” dissipates before the sound travels that far.

The performance is not dependent on the weather.

“Carillon concerts go no matter what the weather,” Dr. Longhurst explained. If it rains, he said, people can park their cars in nearby parking lots and listen through rolled-down windows instead of sitting on the hill near the carillon.

Dr. Longhurst said that one role of the carillon is to reflect the mood of the campus in the celebration of events. This is what is planned for the BYU carillon.

“It will be playing after the football game,” the carillonneur explained, discussing the homecoming game. “Air Force and BYU songs will be played to try to capture the mood of that game.”

Dr. Longhurst plans for appropriate carillon music to frame the devotional assemblies and set the mood for these.

Plans are for music to be played evenings at 5 p.m., Sunday afternoons and possibly during the noon hour. These plans are dependant on public reaction and may change, he said.

The hour and half-hour will be chimed by the carillon.

A concert role is the other role of the carillon, according to Dr. Longhurst. There are no current plans for outside recitalists to perform at BYU, however.

The carillon will be played by Dr. Longhurst and two graduate assistants, Terry Donat and Paul Shurtz.

Prior to this summer, Dr. Longhurst had no experience on the carillon. He spent five weeks studying in the East this summer. Part of the time was spent under Frank Law, president of the Guild of Carillonneurs of North America. He played at six of eight carillons in the East, he said. On his trip back to BYU he stopped at several universities with carillons to “try to get a feel for how the carillon becomes part of the campus.”

Dr. Longhurst has been practicing and testing the carillon as it has been installed.

He has enjoyed playing the carillon.

“It’s really a blast,” he said. “The biggest thrill is to be in the tower under the bells playing them mechani

cally."



Copyright Brigham Young University 22 Nov 2005