TN Bicentennial Mall Carillon

 

Nashville, TN

This is not your usual carillon! Instead of the bells placed directly over the console, these bells (there are 95 of them, one for each county in the state of Tennessee) are situated in 50 towers that surround the Court of 3 Stars, each star representing the Western, Middle and Eastern Regions of TN. The carillon automatically plays portions of the Tennessee Waltz every 1/4 hour, playing the whole song on the hour. The carilloneur's "booth" is located at the corner of the court, and contains both a traditional carillon console (with batons and pedal board) as well as an additional keyboard. The signals from the consoles are transmitted to the antennae located at the top of each tower. A 96th bell is situated at the opposite end of the Mall, close to the capitol building. Representing the legislature, the 96th bell "answers" to the 95 bells representing the people of TN. The design of the Mall is taken from the spirit of the Mall in Washington D.C. - not a shopping mall, but a park and a place where history comes alive.

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