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Notable with Bob Morrison
In 2002, Schulmerich Bells installed their latest system in my music room. They had moved from an electro-mechanical device (clappers striking bell rods) to a computer-generated cabinet with no moving parts (except, of course, the keyboard!). I hosted soirees with Akron Friends of Music, Organ Guild, women's groups, and choirs to show off what these bells could do.
The main reason, though, for Schulmerich to make this lovely gesture was for me to record for their "Auto-Bel" library - plastic inserts that would program the bells to play automatically. When clients purchased a set of carillonic bells, they would be invited to suggest favorite music to be encoded on these computer cards. Schulmerich's music director, Phyllis Hentz, would send me a packet of music to record. She had secured all the copyright permissions. This was a fun project except for a few requests that were hard to adapt for bells, such as rock-and-roll numbers, but I tried to make it work!
Meanwhile, I was asked to play dedicatory recitals on various Schulmerich installations, mostly in churches of course, with the notable exception of the fire house in East Palestine, OH, and a downtown Cleveland tower. My usual program was in three parts: the bells as a solo instrument; the bells as an adjunct to the organ; and a bell improvisation on requests from the audience.
I tried to include well-known items such as "The Bells of St. Mary's" and hymns like "When They Ring the Golden Bells for You and Me." I would include standard carillon fare from the library of the Laura Spelman Memorial Carillon library at the University of Chicago, items published by their carillonist James Lawson. And Dr. McCurdy had commissioned several composers to furnish works that included the unique Schulmerich sound.
At Massillon's St Paul's Lutheran, I dedicated the bells twice! The first set of 37 notes in the original electro-mechanical system was disabled by a lightning strike, and after quite a few exchanges with insurance, a new set was put in with the computerized version. And I played these bells frequently before St. Paul's concert calendar. Sorry to say, the bells developed a problem, and their current parish musician, Dr. Abby Woods Haake, has endeavored to solve this issue.
For ten years, my home bell project went forward, but then Schlmerich had another idea.
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