Trinity Carillon

*Location:

   Trinity Cathedral
   (formerly Trinity Episcopal Church)
   N. Second Street at E. St.John Street
   San Jose, California, USA
   LL: N 37.33793, W 121.89078

Site locator map

*Carillonist:

   Trinity Cathedral Carillonneurs
   c/o Trinity Cathedral
   81 North Second Street
   San Jose, CA  95113-1282
   T: 408-293-7953   F: 408-293-4993
   E: cathedral/@/trinitysj DOTorg

*Contact:

   Paul Archambeault
   501 Portola Road, Apt. 8078
   Portola Valley, CA  94028-7603
   C: 669-241-9309   W: 408-293-7953

*Schedule:

   Before & after 1030 Sunday service;
   3pm concerts on most Federal holidays

*Remarks:

   First 5 bells by Meneely, West Troy
   (Watervliet), 1879 & 1880, with 9-note
   chimestand (D-diatonic-A used); present
   bourdon and 4th added (and old 3d, now
   sharp 4th, retuned) in 1905 by same
   maker.  Bourdon formerly swung.
   2013: bells removed for tuning;
   2016: new bells cast; new steel frame;
   new console has space for
   expansion to 43 bells.
   Practice console has batons for future
   trebles plus pedal for missing bass
   semitone; key spacing differs.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 24 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is G# in the middle octave
   Keyboard range:     C G 43/    C G   
   Transposition is up  8 semitone(s), i.e., from C to G#
   There is one missing bass semitone
   There is a non-identical practice console
   The instrument was enlarged in 2016
     with  6 bells made by Meeks,Watson 
   Prior history:
     In 1976, the instrument was enlarged to 18 bells
       by Petit & Fritsen
       (9 bells were added in and/or remain from that work.)
       Keyboard range was:     C G   /    NONE  
       There were two missing bass semitones
     In 1960, the instrument was enlarged to  9 bells
       by Petit & Fritsen
       (2 bells were added in and/or remain from that work.)
       Keyboard range was:     C C   /    NONE  
       There was one added semitone
   Auxiliary mechanisms: W1    
   Tower details: 
     Height of console:                  4 meters above ground
     Height of lowest level of bells:   17 meters above ground
     Height of highest level of bells:  17 meters above ground
     Belfry openness:  80%
   Year of latest technical information source is 2023

News article (6De'17) on completion of the carillon; with photo gallery (12 pix) and video clip (3:30).

The cathedral Website has a photograph of the building on the Ministries page; the Bell Ringers are mentioned on the same page.
The Music page has a paragraph about the carillon.
In a Jan.2016 newsletter (PDF), page 5 has an article on the status of the project.
Video about the project
In a Nov.2013 newsletter (PDF), page 3 has an article on the status of the project.

Nov.2013 News article on the $250K project to upgrade from 18 to 24 bells; with 5 photos of the building and the existing bells being removed by Meeks, Watson & Co.

Photo of the keyboard

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Meneely (Watervliet) bellfoundry. NOTE: The initial phase contained only 7 bells, so it has no distinct record in the database and does not appear under "Technical data" above.
Where the second phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Petit & Fritsen bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the third phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Petit & Fritsen bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Meeks & Watson bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

Other chimes which qualify as mini-carillons.

Ranking among all North American traditional carillons by weight.
Ranking among all North American traditional carillons by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all North American traditional carillons by year of completion.

Other small carillons with similar keyboard ranges.

Index to all tower bell instruments in CA.

   This page was built from the database on 14-Oct-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2023/09/26
   and on technical data last updated on 2023/09/26