| The Virtual Carillon The "Virtual Carillon" created by Matthew Wrather, Yale University Class of 2002, and featuring the 54-bell Harkness Tower Carillon at Yale, is truly AMAZING!! I found this on a Google search. The bells were digitally recorded and then Mr. Wrather created a shockwave file to "play" the carillon. I can play the Virtual Carillon on the PC in my office at my church, which is up in the organ loft. [I sometimes entertain myself while I am there working by playing music from my PC, which I have connected to the music audio system.] When the Virtual Carillon plays softly from the large speaker system located in a pipe organ chamber in the chancel, it sounds absolutely real! The first time I used it during church (yes, I did!!), I saw a few puzzled heads looking up toward the roof! "When did we get a carillon?! Here's the link to the page: http://www.yale.edu/carillon/virtualcarillon.html Give it a minute to load, especially if you're on a dial-up connection. You will see a carillon keyboard appear - play it by clicking your mouse on the keys! Turn it up real loud and drive your neighbors nuts!! Or better yet, put a speaker connected to your PC up on the roof!!! Note: To make it easier to play (one plays by "pressing" the carillon keys with mouse-clicks, which ain't easy!), I made a stick-on keyboard map with the names of the notes. That really helps a lot. N.B. The Yale Carillon is tuned to B, so it sounds one half-step lower than the written pitch. (btw, it appears sometimes like I am "mouse-clicking" on notes and nothing's happening. The problem is, I was panning the camera to show my mouse hand. Since I couldn't split my vision between the monitor and my hand, I was clicking "between the keys" where of course no notes would sound. The virtual keyboard is actually very responsive and prompt.) Tags: carillon bells chimes tower yale university matthew wrather charles richard lester pipe organ |