AUSTIN - 2 : USA - TX

   Kniker Carillon

*Location:

   Main Building
   The University of Texas
   campus center
   (E.23rd St at University Ave.)
   Austin, Texas, USA
   LL: N 30.28622, W 97.73946

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*Player:

   Thomas W. Anderson   (A)
   2207 Brookhill Drive
   Austin, TX  78745-3574
   H: (512)445-4480
   E: TandNJ@att.net
   - and -
   Kimberly Schafer   (C)
   5509 Overbrook Drive
   Austin, TX  78723-4722
   H: (512)484-1529
   E: schaferk@mail.utexas.edu

*Contact:

   Vice President for Student Affairs
   University of Texas
   Austin, TX  78712
   T: (512)471-1133

*Schedule:

   Mon,Wed,Fri 1250-1300

*Remarks:

   Original keyboard -Y36:CC/CE, with
   bells connected to C,D,E chrom. to F,G.
   Electric keyboard was used in 1980s.
   Observation deck reopened to public
   access in Fall 1999.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 56 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is A# in the bass octave
   Transposition is nil (concert pitch)
   Keyboard range:     A#G   /    A#C 25
   There are two missing bass semitones
   There is an identical practice console
   The instrument was enlarged in 1987
     with 39 bells made by Petit & Fritsen
   Prior history:
     In 1936, the instrument was begun with 17 bells
       by Meneely/Wvlt
       (17 bells remain from that work.)
   Year of latest technical information source is 1991

Additional information on the technical history of this instrument can be found in a database printout.

*Links:

A drawing of the tower of Main Building is part of a logo on the home page of the UT Website, and appears numerous other places.
On the day when the Webpage you are now reading was first linked to the UT Website, a featured page there was on the Darkening of the Tower in memory of those who were slain in that vicinity 33 years earlier.  The tower also appears reflected in the pond of Tower Garden, dedicated as a memorial on the same day.
Numerous references to the carillon are available through the internal search engine on the UT Website. The most relevant ones can be found from the following starting points:
+ An index to news articles about the Main Building points to many which have the carillon as subject.  Some of these are quite old, and bring out the history of the instrument and its players.
+ A set of pages about the Main Building starts with a sketch of the tower and surrounding building from an aerial viewpoint.
+ The most complete pages are perhaps a 1987 news article on the expansion from a chime to a carillon, and a very large photo-filled page on the playing and history of the carillon.

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

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Meneely (Watervliet) bellfoundry.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Petit & Fritsen 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 year of completion.

Index to all traditional carillons in TX.

Index to all tower bell instruments in TX.

*Status:

   This page was built from the database on 11-Jun-09
   based on textual data last updated on 2009/06/09
   and on technical data last updated on 1992/07/17

Explanations of page format and keyboard range are available.

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