Submitted Article
The robins have returned, gardens are being tilled, and the outdoor carillon is sounding again from St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Fulda.
The first carillon of the congregation was a Maas-Rowe cartridge type utilizing state-of-the-art (for the time) “Stereo 8” or 8-track cassettes of prerecorded music. It consisted of a large cabinet with an automated timer and vacuum-tube amplifier about the size of a chest-of-drawers.
The family of Mr. and Mrs. G.R. Clarke donated the carillon to the congregation in loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. Garrett Nantkes, who had been members of St. Paul’s and had lived northeast of Fulda. Four speakers were placed in the church bell tower facing north, south, east, and west. Along with the gift of a carillon for outdoor music, the Clarkes also generously gave a set of Maas-Rowe Vibrachimes – an electronically amplified set of chimes for indoor use that was connected to the organ at the time.
For many years the Maas-Rowe carillon sounded regularly. During the years when Fulda would sound the fire siren at 5:30 p.m. the carillon of St. Paul’s would follow shortly after with a short regimen of tunes at 6:00 p.m.
To read the rest of this article – pick up a copy of this weeks Fulda Free Press or subscribe to our e-edition at http://eedition.fuldafreepress.net/sub/account_login.asp
