Ring bearers

The Hill is alive with the sound of music from Crouse College Chimesmasters

By: Talie Tebbi

Posted: 10/7/08

Will Valenti couldn't sleep through HST 329: "The Making of Modern India" class he took freshman year. Though he tried, at 11:45 a.m. each day, "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid" would ring through Maxwell Hall and startle him awake.

"The Little Mermaid," along with other known melodies, rang from Crouse College five days a week throughout the day. But after a three year hiatus, the more than century-old chimes are ringing again with help from an unofficial student group.

Valenti is now a member of the Chimemasters, an unofficial student group that has been playing the chimes for several years. The group includes 20 members this year - enough to fill the 15 time slots when chime playing is allowed on campus.

While the group has been around these past few years, they had trouble getting organized, Valenti said.

In addition to daily ringings, the chimes play for ceremonial events.

"It's nice to be able to do that for the university," Valenti said. "Remembrance events are something that a lot of people in this community are very attached to."

Students on main campus Thursday at 11:45 a.m. may have heard such traditional songs as "I'm a Little Teapot" and "The Brady Bunch" theme song. They were part of the 15-minute set that included the Syracuse University Alma Mater and traditional melodies from Westminster.

Chimesmasters also have a few of their own, perhaps more unconventional traditions.

On Fridays at 5:45 p.m. Valenti likes to play "Tequila" throughout the school.

"I find that appropriate," he said.

Julia Kelley, a junior magazine journalism and music major, was digging around in the bell tower, and found information on the history of the group. She decided to revitalize the group and made an announcement to the music school to get students involved.

"There's a big instrument sitting in the top of the building," she said, "might as well use it."

Kelley joined the group when she transferred to the Setnor School of Music last year. She just thought it sounded interesting.

"I really like the whole Quasimodo aspect of it," she said, "because you're up there, and people can hear you for miles around, but nobody knows it's you."

As for what it's really like up in the room where the chimes are played, Kelley said it's dirty.

There's a skeleton of a bird that someone propped up. A little exploration uncovers old files and arrangements, and the names of former ringers decorate the walls. As Kelley spoke about ringers from classes past, a smile took over her face. This is more than just a hobby to Kelley, it's a tradition.

"I think it's a great tradition," said Setnor School of Music Director Bradley Ethington. "It's a part of SU that is recognized by alumni from all different periods."

The chimes playing were originally a service the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity performed for the school. After a few years, however, the practice transferred to the music fraternities and then to the voluntary student group, Chimesmasters.

Since then, many students have participated in the tradition, including alumnus Dick Clark '51, said Kelley.

Ringers add their own selections to a book of tunes that stays in the bell tower from year to year, and generation to generation. Since the chimes can only play 10 notes, the options are limited.

"Someone had the fantastic idea of arranging the complete works of the Beatles on the chimes," Valenti said, "But the complete works of the Beatles can't be played on the chimes."

That someone was music education graduate student Amanda Tafel's mother, who was a "ringer" back in 1970.

"It's just something that - no matter how bad your day is - you can look up and smile," she said.

But not everyone is exactly delighted.

Mark Jordan-Poinsette is in his third year at Syracuse Law. One of his classes is held next door to Crouse College in MacNaughton Hall, just a few yards from the bell tower. When the chimes play, sometimes he and is fellow classmates can't hear what the professor is saying.

"The general noise around our area is bad enough," he said, "the bells aren't helping."

Jordan-Poinsette isn't sure how to fix the problem, but he thinks things will get better when winter comes around. At least then the classroom windows will be shut.

"It'll be cold soon enough," he said.

The school's solution many years ago was to play the chimes between classes, and the group has tried to make sure they only ring between classes. The scheduled times - 8:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. - are meant to coincide with breaks between classes, but they don't anymore.

Still, members of the SU community appreciate the music and the tradition.

"I feel like it might bring some joy into someone's day when they hear bingo was his name-o walking across the Quad," Valenti said. "And I leave out all the claps."

nstebbi@syr.edu