Lou Henry Hoover Carillon
   (formerly Hoover Institute Carillon)

*Location:

   Hoover Tower
   Stanford University
   Serra Street
   Stanford, California, USA
   LL: N 37.42759, W 122.16692

   Belgian Pavilion
   New York World's Fair

Site locator map

*Carillonist:

   Timothy Zerlang, Carillonneur
   2040 West Middlefield, #7
   Mountain View, CA  94043-2859
   H: 415-967-4996   W: 415-494-1212
   E: timzer@stanford.edu

   20Je1941 ded. Kamiel Lefévere
   1941-42: James R. Lawson (1919-2003)
   1942-?? (possibly silent during the
     remainder of WW II)
   19??-48: James R. Lawson (1919-2003)
   1948-60, may have included Maurice John
     Forshaw, Ronald Barnes, Oscar
     Burdick, C.Thomas Rhoads, John Mullen
   1960-91: James B. Angell (1924-2006),
     Professor of Electrical Engineering

*Contact:

   Hoover Institution
   Stanford University
   Stanford, CA  94305
   T: 650-723-1754 or -2058

*Schedule:

   No regular playing schedule.
   For observation tower hours,
   T: 415-723-2053

*Remarks:

   Original bells cast in 1938.  Drum is
   weight-driven with continuous chain
   and electric auto-winder; hand-wound
   cable system was never used; the
   only operable drum in North America.
   2006: Totally renovated & expanded:
   new keyboard in new cabin in belfry;
   all bells rehung with new mechanism;
   original keyboard (disconnected) still
   in place on platform in top level of
   archives, next to drum.
   Carillon renamed Oct.2021.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 48 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is C  in the middle octave
   Transposition is nil (concert pitch)
   Keyboard range:     C C   /    C C 24
   There is one missing bass semitone
   There is a practice console
   The instrument was enlarged in 2001
     with 24 bells made by Eijsbouts    
   Prior history:
     In 1941, the instrument was begun with 35 bells
       by Michiels    
       (24 bells remain from that work.)
       Pitch of heaviest bell was G# in the middle octave
       Transposition was up  8 semitone(s)
       Keyboard range was:     C C   /    C F   
       There were two missing bass semitones
   Auxiliary mechanisms: M30E  
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 2015

The university main Website and related servers have lots of information about the carillon and the tower, including the following:

• a paragraph among the Landmarks in the history of Stanford.
• a picture of the tower top is accompanied by one of the clock tower, but there is no text about either one.
• a campus sites page includes two photos plus links to news articles (two accompanied by video) about the carillon and its renovation.

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Michiels bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Eijsbouts bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

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 concert class carillons by year of completion.

Other concert carillons with similar keyboard ranges.

Index to all traditional carillons in CA.

Index to all tower bell instruments in CA.

   This page was built from the database on  4-Nov-23
   based on textual data last updated on 2022/07/29
   and on technical data last updated on 2015/07/25