ANN ARBOR - UM/1 : USA - MI 

   Charles Baird Carillon

*Location:

   Marion Leroy Burton Memorial Tower
   Main Campus
   University of Michigan
   Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
   LL: N 42.27953, W 83.73872
Site locator map or [ MapQuest map ]
Also see our own Map Use Hints.

*Player:

   Steven J. Ball   (C)
   900 Burton Memorial Tower
   University of Michigan
   Ann Arbor, MI  48109-1270
   W: (734)764-4414   F: (734)763-5097
   C: (734)846-3627
   E: mail@stevenball.com
   - and -
   students, alumni, guests, etc.
*Past carillonneurs: 
   1936-38 Wilmot F. Pratt
   1938-71 Percival Price (d.)
   1971-81 Richard Hudson Ladd   (d.)
   1981-87 William De Turk   (C)
   1987-2003 Margo Halsted   (C)
   2003-04 Ray I. McLellan   (C)
   2004-05 Joseph Daniel   (C)

*Contact:

   (unknown)

*Schedule:

   Mon-Fri 1200-1230;
   tower open to public 1200-1245;
   summer series mid-June thru July,
   7pm Monday (guests), alternating weeks
   between here and the Lurie Carillon.

*Remarks:

   1976 console has space for another
   half octave of trebles, which were
   cast by Taylor but never installed.
   Three practice consoles:
   original Taylor (renovated 1992),
   Meeks & Watson (new 1992),
   and Dutch standard.

*Technical data: 

   Traditional carillon of 55 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is D# in the bass octave
   Transposition is down 2 semitone(s)
   Keyboard range:     F C   /    F C 31
   There is one missing bass semitone
   There is an identical practice console
   The instrument was enlarged in 1976
     with bells made by Taylor      
   Prior history:
     In 1936, the instrument was begun with 53 bells
       by Taylor      
   Year of latest technical information source is 1992
Additional information on the technical history of this instrument can be found in a database printout.

*Links:

The University Website once had a picture of Burton Tower on the home page, indicating its significance in campus life.
A Music Facilities page describes the Baird Carillon, and an associated page provides several audio clips.
A 1958 article on the history of the tower and carillon is accompanied by several historical photos (all clickable for enlarged versions).
A map of the Central Campus locates Burton Tower at #18 (south of Washington Street and east of State Street).
Numerous news articles are available through the Search facility; of particular interest are the following:
History of the building, including a drawing of the original proposed design (fortunately not built)
Photo and bio of Margo Halsted (emeritus faculty)
A student Website contains analyses and comparisons of the Baird Carillon and the Kerrytown Chime.

Building photos from Emporis Buildings
(Also see our Emporis Advice.)

A blog page about touring the campus has a photo of the tower and one in the belfry, showing the largest bell and its clock hammer, with a human figure to give some scale.

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Taylor bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Taylor bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

Ranking among all North American traditional carillons by weight.
Ranking among all North American traditional carillons by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all North American concert class carillons by age.

Index to all traditional carillons in MI.

Index to all tower bell instruments in MI.

*Status: 

   This page was built from the database on 11-Feb-08
   based on textual data last updated on 2008/01/09
   and on technical data last updated on 1995/03/27

Explanations of page format and keyboard range are available.

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