Plumb Memorial Carillon during the construction of the Chapel in 1931. Photo credit: Trinity College Archives

The Plumb Memorial Carillon is Trinity College Chapel's carillon, an instrument played on a keyboard that sounds a set of at least 23 bells. Trinity's consists of 49 bells and is responsible for the hourly bell ringing heard around campus, as well as for providing the music for a host of concerts and events. It is one of around 200 of these instruments in North America.

The carillon was donated to the school in 1927, at that point consisting of just 30 bells. It was gifted by the Reverend and Mrs. John F. Plumb in honor of their son, John Landon Plumb, a member of the class of 1926 who died during his senior year. The largest bell of the instrument, called the bourdon and weighing around 5,600 pounds, bears his memorial alongside a Latin inscription that reads, “O go your way into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.”

The bells themselves were installed in the chapel's tower in December 1931. In 1973, the school received $25,000 following the death of Hartford resident Florence Crofut. Crofut had been described as a fan of campanology (the practice of ringing bells) and left behind this money specifically for Trinity to expand its carillon. Nineteen new bells were added to the carillon in 1978, bringing the number of total bells to 49. This addition expanded the instrument's playing ability, allowing it to cover four and a half octaves rather than the three and a half that had been covered previously.

The bells are played by Trinity College's carillonneur, as well as students trained to become carillonneurs themselves. One of the very first Trinity carillonneurs was President Remsen Ogilby, who in 1934 invited other carillonneurs from across the United States and Canada to Trinity for a meeting. This meeting is now recognized as the first congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, of which current Trinity carillonneur Ellen Dickinson is a member.

Since 1949, the instrument has been featured in Trinity's annual Summer Carillon Concert Series, where attendees gather on the main quad to hear carillonneurs from all over the world play the Plumb Memorial Carillon.

Behind the Soundtrack of Trinity

Outdoor Carillon Concert Series Welcomes Visitors to Main Quad, (July 12, 2021) by Andrew J. Concatelli.

The Trinity Tripod, 11/14/1978.

The Trinity Tripod, 02/11/1975.