Bok Tower Gardens

As things start to reopen and we can connect again with friends, Karen and I met Robyn and Joe for lunch at Crazy Fish in Lake Wales. Afterwards we enjoyed the carillon concert and grounds of Bok Tower Gardens. Robyn and Joe are snowbirds who would normally have been back in Ohio by now, except the pandemic kept them in Ft. Myers a bit longer. Still, we caught up with them before Robyn’s planned July retreat back north.

The day was a sunny one, as we wandered the grounds. Lots of greenery, some huge leaves, a few flowers. I decided to try out my new walker; more so that I would have a place to sit when needed. It worked great for a ready seat. Not so much for the terrain in some areas. It definitely gave me a good workout as it was uphill on paved surfaces from the mansion to the carillon. The pathway near the carillon is marked for handicap access. However, there was large-grade mulch surrounding the carillon, making travel somewhat difficult. The quickest way to the bell tower is definitely not by way of the mansion! We left the bell tower at the end of our visit — 5 minutes down a paved pathway to the parking lot area. I was really happy to get to the car and a cold drink. The gift shop does have scooters for rent, as well as strollers. I thought my new walker would work just fine – but it was a workout on the gravel near the mansion and mulch by the tower. I noticed other guests on scooters had no problems traversing the mulch areas.

Karen took some great pictures, as usual. Please visit my next picture blog post of Lake Wales and the flora and fauna of the area and Bok Tower Gardens.

The gift shop is large. Restrooms are clean and near the welcome center and gift shop. There are many areas to visit within the grounds.

Pinewood Estate and Gardens – the mansion was closed but Karen and Joe wandered the grounds, while Robyn and I caught on the past and present. Bok Tower Gardens was welcomed as a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

WHAT IS A CARILLON?

A carillon is a musical instrument consisting of at least 23 cast bronze bells that are precisely tuned and arranged in chromatic progression so that music in any key can be played. Unlike other types of bells, carillon bells are fixed in a frame—the bells do not move. Instead, the clappers inside strike the bells to produce a considerable range of sounds up to five or six octaves. Because of its weight and size, the carillon is one of the largest of all instruments. A carillon is played from a keyboard on which the keys are depressed by the player’s closed hands and feet. The keys are connected to the clappers by vertical and horizontal wires.

THE SINGING TOWER CARILLON

The carillon at Bok Tower Gardens has 60 bells ranging in weight from 16 pounds to nearly 12 tons. The instrument was designed and built in 1928 by John Taylor Bellfoundry, Ltd. of Loughborough, England which still makes bells today. There are four carillons in Florida, approximately 200 in North America and 600 throughout the world. See a list created by Guild of Carillonneurs in North America of all North American carillons.

HOW IS CARILLON MUSIC WRITTEN AND PLAYED?

Although carillon music looks like piano music, the treble clef is usually played by the hands and the bass clef by the feet. The carillon’s action is mechanical, which allows the performer to control the dynamics (loud and soft) by the force of the strike. There is no mechanism to dampen the sound after a bell is struck. Because carillon bells are rich in overtones, the consonant and dissonant combinations are sometimes reversed in carillon music to account for the presence of a minor-third overtone in each bell.

HOW ARE THE BELLS TUNED?

Carillon bells are tuned just after they are cast and before they are installed. A bell is placed on a lathe and metal is carefully removed from various heights of the inside wall of the bell. If tuned correctly at this time, the bells never have to be re-tuned.

Thanks to the Bok Tower Gardens website, boktowergardens.org, for the above information.