*Location:

   Memorial Belltower
   North Carolina State University (NCSU)
   Henry Square
   North Campus
   Hillsborough Street at Pullen Road
   Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
   LL: N 35.78618, W 78.66351

Site locator map

*Carillonist:

   (unknown)
  ded.My2021 Thomas Gurin   (C)

*Contact:

   North Carolina State University
   Raleigh, NC  27695
   T: 919-515-2011
   E: chancellor@ncsu.edu
   - or -
   Thomas H. Stafford, Jr.
   E: thstaffo@ncsu.edu

*Schedule:

   (unknown)

*Remarks:

   Cast & built by Sunderlin Bellfoundry,
   incorporating metal from five
   previously purchased bells.
   Autoplay via electro-pneumatic action
   within keyboard.
   Practice keyboard added in 2023.
   Tower formerly contained an electronic
   device, with keyboard in nearby
   Holladay Hall.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 55 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is F  in the middle octave
   Keyboard range:     C G   /    C C 24
   Transposition is up  5 semitone(s), i.e., from C to F 
   There is one missing bass semitone
   There is an identical practice console
   The whole instrument was installed in 2020
     with bells made by the maker cited in Remarks above
   Auxiliary mechanisms: E     
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 2023

The home page of the University Website pictures the Memorial Tower.
Page about the tower, its history, the renovation project and plans for the carillon; with links to numerous other related articles.
A very long article covers the process of manufacturing and installing the NCSU bells; with numerous photos.

The Memorial Belltower: A sacred symbol of NC State’s history (with one clickable photo of the tower)

News article (1 Nov 2021) on an award of merit for the renovation and restoration of the Belltower

News article (20Ag'20) on the status of the carillon installation at NCSU; the 37 largest bells are in place, and "the 18 smaller bells will be carried up the newly-built staircase so they can be installed."  With photo of the tower half-shrouded in scaffolding.

An article in the NCSU alumni magazine on the making of the new bells in the Sunderlin foundry can be found as follows: From the main alumni front page, click "connect", then click "NC State magazine", and find the edition cover page with showing the bell casting.

News article (28 May 2019) on the project, with links to other pages about it; includes an aerial photo of the tower.

News article (30 Mar 2012) on the unveiling of the first five bells, including a 2000# F which will be the largest.

Inside the fifth-largest cathedral in the US; includes an overhead view.  Oddly, it only mentions 50 bells in the bell tower.

Where this work lies in the sequence of output of the Sunderlin 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 NC.

Index to all tower bell instruments in NC.

   This page was built from the database on 14-Oct-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2024/07/23
   and on technical data last updated on 2023/09/08