University of California, Santa Barbara

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Storke Tower at University of California, Santa Barbara

Thomas M. Storke donated a 61-bell Petit and Fritsen carillon along with a campanile that were dedicated on September 28, 1969 by Ennis Fruhauf, University Carillonneur.

References
1967 "Storke Gives $600,000 For Publications Building," Santa Ynez Valley News, July 20, 1967, Page 9.
A tower will contain a carillon.

1969 "UCSB Building Dedication Scheduled," The Lompoc Record, September 20 1969, Page 7.

1971 "The Carillon at Santa Barbara," by Marcia Boyes, Bulletin of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America 22(1):20-25 (December 1971)

Carillon  UCSB Department of Music
UCSB's Storke Tower and its carillon were a gift from Thomas Storke, former publisher of the Santa Barbara News-Press. The instrument consists of 61 bells cast by Petit & Fritsen of the Netherlands, with the bells weighing from 18 pounds to 2.5 tons, and spanning five octaves. The UCSB carillon is a much larger modern copy of historical instruments that were invented approximately 500 years ago in the Low Countries of Europe. Tower bells had previously been used for signaling time and for additional signals such as "Close the City Gates", "Go to church", and "An enemy is coming." Eventually, the number of bells was increased and were hooked up to a keyboard to facilitate the performance of music. A melody was often played to attract the attention of the townspeople before the hour bell tolled the time throughout the day. A carillon is played with the fists and feet, and the action is completely mechanical. To vary the dynamics of the music, the performer must strike the key harder or use a lighter touch, much like a piano.

© 2023 Morris A. Pierce