91制片厂

When it comes to campus traditions, there are few more familiar than the songs that toll from the Thompson Hall tower every morning at 11. Listen for a moment and you might hear a familiar tune 鈥� the theme from 鈥淗arry Potter,鈥� perhaps, or, during the holiday season, a Christmas carol. This week, though, you may want to listen a little more closely as you walk through campus. That鈥檚 because 10 new student and staff compositions will make a ringing debut on the carillon.

What鈥檚 a carillon? It鈥檚 a musical instrument, usually made up of a series of at least two dozen bronze bells, that are played either on their own or together. 91制片厂鈥檚 carillon is unique 鈥� instead of a tower full of massive bells, it uses 286 small metal bars that act as bells. A keyboard that looks like an organ you鈥檇 find in a church is used to 鈥減lay鈥� the carillon, according to Peter Urquhart, an associate professor of music and the 91制片厂 carilloneur, or keeper of the carillon,听since 2000.

鈥淎 lot of people do know something about it, but where it is, or what it is, they often don鈥檛 know,鈥� Urquhart says.

The carillon itself is housed in the Elliott Alumni Center; when it rings out, it sends a signal to the speakers in the T-Hall tower. The songs that play each morning are recorded and programmed into the carillon, Urquhart says.

Earlier this year, Urquhart began seeking submissions for the university鈥檚 second carillon composition contest. It was a way to make the instrument part of 91制片厂鈥檚 sesquicentennial celebrations, as well as a way to draw attention to听it.

He received submissions from undergraduates, graduate students and even staff members. Urquhart鈥檚 Music Theory II class chose the top 10 submissions, and the winning compositions began chiming across campus on Dec. 9.

One of the winners is Nate Faro 鈥�15 鈥�16G, whose composition is based partly on a piece he鈥檚 writing for the 91制片厂 Wind Symphony. The symphony references 91制片厂 songs like 鈥淭he Alma Mater鈥� and 鈥淭he New Hampshire Hymn,鈥� and Faro had written a part for orchestral bells that he eventually scrapped.

鈥淏ut when the carillon competition rolled around, I went back to that tune and played with it,鈥� he says, and it transformed into the piece he submitted.

Composing for the competition wasn鈥檛 easy 鈥� the pieces had to be short, about a minute long, and simple, according to Urquhart. In his notes to potential composers, Urquhart advised sticking to one or two ringing tones at a time. Three鈥憂ote chords are 鈥渙ccasionally good, sometimes problematic,鈥� and four鈥憂ote chords 鈥渁lmost never sound well,鈥� he wrote.

Sam Bradley 鈥�14 鈥�15G, a university staff member and one of the 10 winners, embraced the challenges of composing for the carillon. 鈥淭he instrument has its own quirks and style,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 thought it would be an interesting opportunity.鈥�

Urquhart began programming the winning compositions into the carillon this fall, and the pieces will be in the regular rotation through mid-December. Bradley heard a preview of his composition once and, 鈥淚 stood around T-Hall grinning like an idiot,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was very rewarding.鈥�

Faro is similarly proud. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e made a bit of a mark on the university,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really nice feeling when you have your own composition played, especially when you hear it ringing across campus.鈥�

Congratulations to all of the carillon composition contest winners:

Mattsen Bradbury-Koster '18
Sam Bradley '14 '15G
Jason Emmond '18
Nate Faro '15 '16G
Josh Gagnon '18
Jack Gorham '18
McKenzie Larson '18
Jennifer Ollari-Barry '18
Karena Pezzullo '18

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