Change of the carillon carol

Everyone has heard the bell music proceeding from Main Building in the past few weeks, including Christmas carols such as “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night.” The bells in Main are now completely computerized, resounding from a speaker atop the tower, but when they were first installed, melodies had to be played manually.

The old keyboard was sitting in the Main sixth floor lounge until last week.

Luther first got its carillon in Main in 1961. According to a January 1961 Chips article, an “anonymous alumnus donate[d] bells to tintinnabulate from Gym Tower.”

At the time, the gym was located in Main II and all keyboards were located in the Preus Gym.

The donation was made specifically for that purpose and the alumnus had made arrangements so that his donation would coincide with the Centennial of the school. The student body was excited about this new carillon and thought of it as an advance of technology.

The new carillon was dedicated on May 20, 1961. John Klein was the “noted producer, conductor, composer and arranger,” according to a May 1961 Chips article. He preluded and postluded the dedication of the bells during Student Congregation worship. Klein also offered a concert that afternoon, where he played various musical compositions with the bells.

In the November 1961 fire in Main, the carillon was lost. Fortunately, Luther had insured it so they were able to purchase an identical one. After the reconstruction of Main, it was placed in the sixth floor lounge of the tower.

Some staff members in Main remember the years after the fire in which Henrietta Torgerson, the sister of the old bell ringer, played the Main carillon.

“Henrietta used to play, but then she just couldn’t do it anymore,” Assistant to the President Karen Martin-Schramm said. “The bells were quiet for many years after that.”

However, the “bells” have been ringing again for the last few years.

“They usually play them for special occasions such as Homecoming, Christmas at Luther and Commencement,” Professor of English Diane Scholl said.

To make the playing easier, LIS recently installed a totally computerized system to control the carillon.

Not many people know much about the history of the bells in Main. In fact, not a lot of students or staff were aware of the change in the mechanism.

Although some dislike the sound quality of the new bell, many students have enjoyed the festive music coming from Main.

“I like hearing bells on campus,” Amanda Markowsi (‘11) said. “I think they are cheery and add to the Christmas spirit on campus.”

Hopefully, with this new technological change, the bells will continue to ring more often, carrying tunes into the future.