October 24, 2003: Volume 59, Number 7

Music in the air as student and mentor meet at the chimes

They are separated by nearly 70 years and some 3,000 miles.

But when they got together last weekend, they made music.

David Stone '06 and Ed Moulton '37, of California, were together for the first time at Homecoming weekend, playing the chimes in the belfry of Memorial Chapel, student and mentor working the levers of the "chimola" to ring out the Alma Mater, Ode to Joy, America the Beautiful and other college and patriotic tunes.

On Monday, they performed an encore for WRGB-TV 6, which featured the brothers in chimes on their 6 p.m. newscast.

They were also joined in the cramped belfry by President Roger Hull, who played the last note of When the Saints Go Marching In.

Afterward, Moulton and Stone visited Special Collections, where archivist Julianna Spallholz had Moulton's yearbook and a Concordiensis story about Moulton leaving as chimer in 1937. The article referred to Moulton's graduation as "a crisis in the belfry of Memorial Chapel."

Thanks to support from Moulton, Stone continues his thrice-weekly chimes concerts year round.

"I'm honored to be doing this," said Stone, who performs Monday and Wednesday between 12:30 and 12:50 p.m., and Friday afternoons.

Though the bells toll on the quarter hour, it has been more than 30 years since there has been a regular chime player on campus. Sheets of music suggest there were a few players in the late 80's, but it may have been Peter Smith '70 who was the last regular one. Smith, who has performed chimes concerts at a number of alumni events, showed Stone the ropes last year.

Stone, an economics major and music minor who makes money playing piano at weddings and parties, became interested in the chimes when he heard "First Watch," a composition by Prof. Hilary Tann, performed on the carillon at Albany City Hall. He began researching the rarely heard instrument and learned about the College's chimes and Moulton. Stone already has received some 50 tunes – including eight college songs – that Moulton has transposed in the Scale of F just for the Union chimes. Moulton says more are on the way.

Moulton was paid $150 by President Dixon Ryan Fox in 1937 for a year of service at the chimes. He recalls hearing the 9:45 bells and racing to the belfry in time to play a few tunes to call students to 10 a.m. chapel. "I must have missed it a few times, or been late due to snow, but nobody ever called me on it," recalls Moulton, who went on to a career as an accountant and a lifelong hobby as a musician (including the directorship of the Schenectady Light Opera).

Moulton first played the Union chimes again at his 65th ReUnion last year. "The stairs were steeper than I remember and at the end of the day, the palms of my hands were sore," he said. "But it was such fun." Afterward, Moulton contacted Tann about starting a fund to support student chime players. Stone is putting his stipend toward jazz piano lessons.

Moulton has become something of a mentor to the College's newest chime ringer, and they have talked regularly by phone over the past year. They also share transcriptions through the mail. As for advice, Moulton said, "I told him not to spend so much time on this that it infringes on his studies."

Stone said he is discovering the joy that Moulton recalls from his days in the belfry: there's nothing like the sound of chimes rolling across the campus.

Said Moulton of returning to play the chimes with Stone, "This is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream."

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