Ringing in the New School Year

Originally posted as an email from Rene Golden:

Ringing of the Rushton Memorial Carillon

on the campus of Samford University

Monday, August 20, 2012 at 8:30 am

Steve Knight, carillonneur

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The Star-Spangled Banner

O Samford Alma Mater True

Preludio VI in G Minor, Matthias van den Gheyn

Holy, Holy, Holy

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

Rejoice, the Lord Is King

Rejoice Ye Pure In Heart

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Stephen Brooks Knight is a pianist, organist, carillonneur and composer from Birmingham, Alabama and is Samford University’s Resident Carillonneur. Knight has received numerous awards and honors, including winner of the City of Mechelen Carillon Composition prize from the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium, and two year recipient of the Young Blind Composers Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs.  He also received the Samuel P. Hayes Award from the Perkins School for the Blind and the Harry R. Wilson Award from Samford University.

Knight holds two undergraduate degrees from University of Alabama and graduate degrees from Samford University, Schola Cantorum in Paris, France, and University of Michigan. He received the Final Diploma “With Great Distinction” from the Royal Carillon School in Belgium.

Knight participated in the First World Congress of Guild of Carillonneurs in Ammersfoort, Holland in August, 1978. He has been a member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America since 1970 and is also a member the American Guild of Organists, American Federation of Music Clubs, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

The Rushton Memorial Carillon was first installed on campus in Reid Chapel in 1968. The carillon was donated by William J. Rushton in honor of his parents, two sisters, and brother. When the carillon was first erected, 49 bells were included. It was the first four-octave chromatic carillon in the United States. Each bell was cast with a meaningful inscription, making the bell system not only unique to the United States but to the world. No other bell system at that time included inscriptions on each bell.

In 1979, the bells were moved to the Harwell Goodwin Davis Library. Eleven more bells were added at that time. The largest bell, C3, weighs 5,192 pounds and has a diameter of 61-9/16". The lightest bell, C8, weighs 26 pounds and has a diameter of

7-1/8". The total weight for the bells is 29,244 pounds.