Quasimodo's revenge

Lilting, lyrical, lulling, lovely, loud—somehow, words cannot capture the full experience of hearing the sounds of a carillon's bells. The bells of Harkness Tower may not be foremost on your mind during the first weeks at Yale, but after being their unsolicited audience twice daily, their sounds will become assimilated into your Yale experience.

FABIÁN ROSADO/YH The Guild of Carillonneurs serenades Yale on Harkness Tower's 54-bell carillon.

The enormous sound of the Harkness bells is created through a very simple instrument called a carillon. Consisting of a clavier-style keyboard and organ-like foot peddles, the carillon has batons and peddles which are attached to wires connected to individual bell clappers. When a carillonneur strikes a baton, the clapper hits the side of the bell and rings a note. The harder a baton is hit, the louder the sound. Since the bells of Harkness range from 30 pounds to 7 tons, a large range of tones and dynamics can be created.

Every day at 12:30 and 5:00 p.m., two members of the Yale University Guild of Carillonneurs climb the 150 steps to the playing cabinet halfway up Harkness Tower and serenade the entire campus for 30 minutes. As diverse as the Yale student body itself, the music which Guild members choose to perform includes all styles and tastes; you're just as likely to hear something by the Eurythmics or Simon and Garfunkel as you are to hear arrangements of Mozart or Beethoven.

The process of joining the Guild starts in September with the "heel." A current Guild member teaches each interested "heeler" how to coordinate the hand and foot motions involved in manipulating the carillon. After two months of practice, the Guild holds auditions to select new members and decide who will join the ranks of those who hold the coveted key to the top of Harkness Tower and its awe-inspiring 216-foot view.

Once initiated into the secrets of the Guild, new members pick a ring slot and become part of weekly Guild dinners and annual spring tours. While not as exotic as the Guild's triennial spring tour to Belgium, spring tours to places like the Midwest and eastern Canada are a chance to bond with an eclectic cross-section of the Yale community.

So, after spending the first few days adjusting to Yale, stop and take a moment to listen to the bells. Over the next four years, their music will become the sound of home.

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