Unlocking the Secrets of the Burton Memorial Tower
A talk with Dr. Hyo Jin Moon, the artist behind the chimes of the Burton Memorial Tower
—By Claire Lee
Have you ever heard chimes like bells ringing while walking near The Diag? It can sound automated; however, there are actual humans, known as carillonists, who play these bells at the top of the Burton Memorial Tower, commonly known as the Bell Tower. And yes, it’s that one tall white tower near the Hill Auditorium with the huge clock that stands out from a far distance.
Over the years, many students have been curious about the secrets the Tower holds. Who plays the songs? What is the actual instrument; bells or piano? How can one learn to play the instrument? Is it played at a set time? Is there a designated player for each hour?
On the top of the Tower, there exists a rare musical instrument called a carillon. A carillon is a set of bronze bells in a tower that is played using a keyboard and pedalboard. If you are familiar with the piano and handbells from elementary school, it can be simpler to think of a piano connected to handbells through transmission wires; when you hit the keyboard of the piano, the transmission wires send a signal to the bells to strike the corresponding bell. Housed in the Burton Memorial Tower is the Charles Baird Carillon, one of only twenty three in the world, and the third heaviest among all. Each quarter hour from 9:15 AM until 9:00 PM, the campus is filled with a melody called “The Westminster Quarters.” Not only that, there are thirty-minute recitals performed at noon every weekday when classes are in session. So, the beautiful music you hear is played manually by performers rather than an automated machine.
Now that you have some sense of what instrument is played in the Tower, let’s solve the mysteries with the help of Dr. Hyo Jin Moon, a carillonist and U-M alum, diving through her journey as a carillonist and her experiences of playing the carillon at the Burton Memorial Tower.
Dr. Moon’s story
Growing up as an organist, Dr. Hyo Jin (Jenna) Moon has always been surrounded by music. After completing her bachelor’s degree in organ and music education from Trinity Christian College, and a master’s degree from U-M, she started her PhD program in Sacred Music at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance in 2017 and graduated recently in 2021. When starting her program, she actually did not know anything about the carillon as her previous school did not have a bell tower that nested one. One day, while walking on the diag, she heard a familiar Chinese folk song, “Jasmine Flower” coming from the Bell Tower, which sparked her interest and curiosity in the carillon. Surprisingly, Moon found out that learning the carillon was under her PhD program so she was able to start her journey as a carillonist in 2018.
As Moon became more and more familiar with the carillon, she grew a fond interest in it not only because of her initial encounter filled with curiosity, but also because of the positive impact the carillon has on the community. Many people have turned back from attending a performance due to the high costs of tickets. She loved how the carillon is a public instrument so it is open to all, allowing the whole community to listen to high quality classical music without any restrictions. Therefore, she notes how “it helps advocate diversity for all marginalized groups.”
On the other hand, Moon has recognized some limitations that the carillon has. As rare as it is to play the carillon, the musical arrangements of the carillon restricted the ability for Dr. Moon to represent her identity as a Korean woman through music as most of the arrangements were written by white men. To combat this, she published two pieces based on Korean traditional bird songs called Sae-Ta-Ryung (Birdsong) and Parang-Sae (Blue Bird). The bird songs are well-known folk songs of the southwestern region of Korea which describe scenes in which birds sing on a sunny spring day. Her work has promoted a new beginning to dynamic and inclusive repertoire for the carillon.
Unsolving the mysteries with Dr. Moon
While talking with many of my peers, many seemed to have the same questions about the Burton Memorial Tower and what they referred to as “chimes,” now understood as the carillon. So, who manages the carillon and plays the carillon? Dr. Moon noted how Professor Ng is in charge of who plays at each hour as she teaches the students how to play the carillon. For instance, they would have a Google calendar where students would choose an open time to practice. Professor Ng also chooses who plays the thirty-minute recitals performed at noon among her students and community volunteers. Many students are also curious if you can only learn the carillon if you are a music student. However, this is not the case, as there are two class called CARILLON 150, a 2-credit course, that non-SMTD students can apply to, and CARILLON 500, also a 2-credit course, for non-SMTD graduate students.
Some may wonder if the carillon has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Surprisingly, not much has affected carillonists, as it is the visitors who have been negatively affected. “The carillon is very isolated itself as it is located on the top of the Burton Memorial Tower where the air circulates consistently.” Most of the time, carillonists play by themselves, when they are not taking their lesson with a faculty member. In addition, carillonists practice alone in the 8th or 9th floor of the Burton Memorial Tower where there is a practice carillon replica to choreograph motions before performing. Prior to the pandemic, the general public was able to watch performances, and try to play the carillon themselves. Now, visitors face the barriers as they are unallowed to visit the carillon at the Burton Memorial Tower but are still welcome to listen to the performance outside the Tower.
Advice from Dr. Moon to U-M students
“U-M students have a really good opportunity to learn about the carillon so don’t miss out the chance since it’s really hard to have access to the Bell Tower and cathedral in general.” Dr. Moon emphasizes not to take the carillon for granted as it is a rare instrument that you won’t be able to see after you leave campus. So, before leaving campus it can be an eventful experience to visit the Bell Tower and listen to the chimes!
Keeping up with the carillon
While there is a small community of carillonists on campus, there are many clubs and pages that give more information on the carillon (for more information visit this link). The U-M Carillon Guild is a student-run organization that connects members of the carillon community. Members are not limited to carillonists but students who simply have an interest and have never played the carillon. Michigan Carillons is a twitter page run by Professor Ng and students who play the carillon. This page updates regular information about the carillon such as student performances and recitals.
Just like how Dr. Moon started her journey from her curiosity of the carillon, maybe you can start your journey as a carillonist. Who knows, you might be the next famous carillonist.
Photo Credit of Burton Memorial Tower By Hunter Staples on Unsplash