Behind the Scenes: The Carillon in Naperville
There are a total of 72 bells with the larger ones in the lower belfry under the players cabin, and the smaller ones in the upper belfry above.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
Napervilles carillon is a complicated combination of mechanical levers, pulleys, cables, and state-of-the-art computer-controlled electronics. Tim Sleep, the City Carillonneur for Naperville, plays the carillons console, or klavier, in the players cabin 100 feet above ground level.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
The view from the carillons 140-foot-high observation deck is spectacular, especially on a clear day when downtown Chicago can be seen on the horizon.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
Each bell features an inscription in Latin which states that the bells were made in Astens in The Netherlands in 2000.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
The roof over Napervilles carillon is 160 ft. above ground level, making it one of Napervilles tallest structures.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
Tim Sleep, the City Carillonneur for Naperville, demonstrates how the transmission rods or linkages can be adjusted depending on the temperature or the carillonneurs personal preferences. The adjustments control how far each clapper is from its bell.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
All but one of the bells are dedicated to individuals, families, or various groups.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
The largest bell in the carillon is dubbed Big Joe. It is dedicated to Captain Joseph Naper, Napervilles founder, and celebrates the spirit of Naperville. It weighs almost 6 tons and is heard every hour as it strikes the time.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
The roof over Napervilles carillon is 160 ft. above ground level, making it one of Napervilles tallest structures.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
There are a total of 72 bells with the larger ones in the lower belfry under the players cabin, and the smaller ones in the upper belfry.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
The larger bells have both clappers on the inside, and hammers on the outside of each one. The carillons computer controls the hammers and the keyboard controls the clappers on all the bells.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
Tim Sleep, the City Carillonneur for Naperville, plays the carillons console or klavier in the players cabin 100ft above ground level. He strikes the batons, not keys, with his fist and can make the clappers strike the bells softly or loudly depending on how hard he strikes the batons. Even though the linkage is manual, he says it is very fast, enabling him to even make the bells play trills.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
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