By BEVERLY BEAL
Beverly@newsroom.byu.edu
From folk songs, classical music, hymns and original music written especially for the carillon, the air around BYU campus is filled with sound on a daily basis.
Dedicated in October 1975, the Centennial Carillon Tower was donated by alumni and friends of the university as a gift for the 100th birthday of BYU, according to Don Cook, university carillonneur since 1991.
'A committee, headed by Lorin Wheelwright, was established to find a suitable centennial gift to the University, and the Bell Tower was chosen,' he said.
The carillon had its beginnings in Holland, the most important center of carillon activity, Cook said.
'In Holland there is a carillon in almost every city. It has been important to the Dutch people since the 17th century,' he said.
The BYU carillon has an unusual design, and it's different from other carillons because it is open to the elements. This creates a nice image and look, but it is not best for the bells, Cook said.
'We have had problems with pigeons in the bell chamber, but now a thin mesh prevents them from coming in,' he said.
The keyboard of the carillon is set up in the same form as a piano or organ, but the keys are farther apart. They look like broomstick handles and are very heavy said Duncan Peterson, 23, a junior from New Gloucester, Maine. He is majoring in organ performance and is a carillon student.
'You have to play the carillon with the back of your hand and with a closed fist. It is normal to hit only one or two keys with one hand at a time,' Peterson said.
Cook said there is a linkage between a key and the clapper. When the carillon is played, the clapper is pulled into the inside of the bell, which makes it ring.
Most of the music that is heard from the top of the tower is played by musicians; but for music like 'Come, Come Ye Saints' and the ding dong at each half hour, an automatic system has been set up using a computer chip, Cook said.
'But at noon everyday, someone plays a recital. And on Tuesdays, someone plays before and after the devotional,' he said.
When BYU's carillon was renovated, in 1993, space was left on the north side for two very large bells. Cook said he hopes to raise $180,000 to add those two bells.
'The replacement value of the carillon and the bells would be approximately three-fourths of a million dollars,' Cook said.
The carillon is a very unique instrument and takes much practice, Peterson said.
As Peterson looks toward the future, he said he hopes being able to play this instrument will help him become more qualified to find a good job.
'I just know that I love music, and that is what I want to do until the Lord tells me otherwise,' he said.
Composing music for the carillon can be more attractive than actually playing the instrument, said Neil Thornock, 22, a senior from Grandview, Wash., majoring in organ performance.