*Location:

   Middlebury College Chapel
   (formerly Mead Memorial Chapel)
   75 Hepburn Road
   Middlebury, Vermont, USA
   LL: N 44.00914, W 73.17887

Site locator map

*Carillonist:

   George Matthew, Jr.,   (C)
     College Carillonneur
   22 Pearl Street
   Brandon, VT  05733-1020
   H: 802-247-9873 
   E: GMatthew@middlebury.edu

*Contact:

   Chaplain Mark Orten
   Middlebury College
   Middlebury, VT  05753
   T: 802-443-5626
   - or -
   Music Department
   T: 802-443-5221
   E: music@middlebury.edu
   - or -
   T: 802-443-5000  [general information]

*Schedule:

   Daily at 12:30 (sometimes by students);
   6pm Friday in summer (guests),
   except 3pm before summer graduation

*Remarks:

   In the 1986 expansion, 8 of the
   original bells were heavily retuned;
   the vanBergen bells, cast in 1959 for
   Atlantic Methodist Church, North
   Quincy, MA, were reported as also
   retuned, but that was not the case;
   the Paccard bells were cast in 1985;
   the practice and playing consoles from
   Atlantic Methodist Church, along with
   the original chimestand, are in this
   tower as museum pieces; present
   playing and practice consoles by
   Paccard.  In 2001, Meeks & Watson
   replaced the 12 vanBergen bells with M&W
   bells, retuned 3 of the Meneely basses
   (including the bourdon), tweaked the
   tuning of a few of the Paccard trebles,
   and re-worked the existing action.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 48 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is E  in the middle octave
   Keyboard range:     C C   /    C C 24
   Transposition is up  4 semitone(s), i.e., from C to E 
   There is one missing bass semitone
   There is an identical practice console
   12 bells were recast or replaced in 2001
     by Meeks,Watson 
   Prior history:
     In 1986, the instrument was enlarged to 48 bells
       by Paccard     
       (27 bells remain from that work.)
       Keyboard range was:     C C   /    C --  
     Included in the 1986 enlargement were 12 bells
       by vanBergen   
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
       The arrangement of tones and/or semitones
         was non-standard; see Remarks above.
     In 1915, the instrument was begun with 11 bells
       by Meneely/Wvlt
       (9 bells remain from that work.)
       Keyboard range was:     C D   /    C F  4
       Transposition was up  4 semitone(s), i.e., from C to E 
       There were two added semitones
   No auxiliary mechanisms known
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 2022

A distant view of the Chapel tower sometimes appears on Middlebury's home page.  Among the various campus maps offered, the excellent Google Maps customized version offers better overhead photography than is otherwise available, along with a photo of the chapel and a brief description.  (But some Web browsers don't work with Google Maps; if the map remains blank, try a different browser.  Firefox works well on all platforms.)  The carillon schedule is available at the chapel webpage link.

Meet “The Bell Guy”

Long news article (4 Dec 2024) on George Matthew With photos of George at the keyboard and next to original chimestand, and a very brief clip of his playing.

Background article (22Oc'20) on George Matthew, Jr., Middlebury College's only carillonneur since its final enlargement 35 years ago.

YouTube video

George Matthew's own Website has recital schedules, photos and other information.

An article in the campus newspaper has a photo of George Matthew Jr. at the keyboard, plus a photo of the original chimestand, on display within the tower.  Also shows parts of two carillon keyboards.

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Meneely (Watervliet) bellfoundry.
Where the second phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the vanBergen bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the third phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Paccard 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.

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 VT.

Index to all tower bell instruments in VT.

   This page was built from the database on 14-Oct-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2024/02/09
   and on technical data last updated on 2022/02/28