Plumb Memorial Carillon

*Location:

   Chapel Tower
   Trinity College
   Summit and Vernon Streets
   Hartford, Connecticut, USA
   LL: N 41.74918, W 72.69197

Site locator map

*Carillonist:

   Ellen Dickinson   (C)
   20 Sunset Hill Road
   Wilton, CT  06897
   H: 203-536-2601
   E: Ellen.Dickinson@gmail.com
      ellen1@aya.yale.edu
   - and -
   Trinity College Carillon Guild
   c/o Office of the Chaplain
   Hartford, CT  06106

   1932-43 Remsen Brinckerhoff Ogilby,
       President and Chaplain (d.1943)
   1943-46 (none)
   1946-47 (not identified)
   1947-48 J.O.Bird, W.H.Blake, J.Brush'50
   1948-49 J.O.Bird '49, W.H.Blake '49
   1949-50 G.H.Hickok '50 and others
   1950-51 G.E.Becker '51, D.K.Sullivan
   1951-55 Chaplain G.B.O'Grady
   1951-52 G.Clem, R.Hibbs, D.Sullivan
   1952-53 G.H.Clem '53, D.K.Sullivan '53
   1953-54 J.R.Bradley, R.L.Fleming,
           D.C.Rohlfing, G.J.Willis
   1954-55 R.L.Fleming, G.J.Willis
   1955-56 Richard L. Fleming '56, Chairman
   1956-58 Rolfe A. Lawson '58, Master
           Robert M. Olton '59, Assistant
   1958-59 Robert M. Olton '59, Master
           Carl S.Zimmerman '61, Assistant
   1959-61 John E. Thrower '61, Master
           Carl S.Zimmerman '61, Assistant
   1961-62 Bruce A. Thayer '62, Master
   1962-64 William T. Bowie '64, Master
   1964-65 E. William Chapin '65, Master
   1965-66 William R. Carlson '66, Master
           Gilbert G. Campbell '67, Ass't
           Charles Kurz, II, '67, Ass't
   1966-71 (not identified)
   1971-73 David W. Shively '73, Master
   1973-75 Suzanne Gates '75, Master
           Andrea McCrady '75, Assistant
   1975-78 Daniel Kerry Kehoe '78, Master
   1978-80 (not identified)
   1980-81 Neil C. Dunay '81
   1981-84 Laura Dyson '84, Senior C.
   1982-2007 Daniel Kerry Kehoe '78,   (C)
               Resident Carillonneur
   2005-07 Suzanne Magassy,   (C)
     Visiting International Carillonneur
   2007-09 David M. Maker, Interim   (C)

*Contact:

   Office of Chapel Music
   T: 860-297-2014
   E: chapelmusic-office@trincoll.edu
   - or -
   Department of Public Relations
   Trinity College
   300 Summit Street
   Hartford, CT  06106-3186
   T: 860-297-2140

*Schedule:

   Thursdays during Common Hour; also
   7pm Wednesdays in summer (guests)

*Remarks:

   4-octave practice console (now in
   playing room) is non-transposing;
   both keyboards are first GCNA standard.
   Original locally-made 30-note practice
   keyboard remains in tower.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 49 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is B  in the bass octave
   Keyboard range:     A#C   /    A#C 25
   Transposition is up  1 semitone(s), i.e., from C to C#
   There are two missing bass semitones
   There is an identical practice console
   The instrument was enlarged in 1978
     with 27 bells made by Taylor       
   Prior history:
     In 1932, the instrument was begun with 30 bells
       by Taylor      
       (22 bells remain from that work.)
       Keyboard range was:     C G   /    C F   
       Transposition was down 1 semitone(s), i.e., from C to B 
   No auxiliary mechanisms known
   Tower details: 
     Height of console:                 25 meters above ground
     Height of lowest level of bells:   33 meters above ground
     Height of highest level of bells:  38 meters above ground
     Belfry openness:  90%
   Year of latest technical information source is 1993

The college Website

Historic photo: Trinity College carillon as installed, with the stonework of the belfry being constructed around it.

A Web page on Connecticut Carillons (archived in 2003) has brief descriptions of 10 of the 11 carillons in this state, with thumbnail photos linked to larger JPEG files.

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

Index to all tower bell instruments in CT.

   This page was built from the database on 14-Oct-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2023/05/30
   and on technical data last updated on 1993/03/23