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Did you get to hear it yesterday - I think you were "around there?"

Unfortunately you cannot hear it at the link - just an interview with the carillon player?

I'm not sure what time it was played but I didn't get to hear it. It is going to be posted on the CBC site soon so I'll keep checking and post the link as soon as it is available.

Mary

This is wonderful – I love these small epiphanies!

Thanks to Cate for starting this thread and to MollyDog for posting the result. Looking forward to hearing the recording of the bells – hope it will be available online/CBC soon.

I've been mostly away from the Forum (Lord, and even from CBC!) over the last month. Pressures of work, family, health. Hopefully it won't last much longer, I miss you all so much.

XO

That's so awesome! What a great tribute to Leonard! I hope he knows about this. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing a recording!

Yay Leonard!!!!! I bet it sounded amazing.

Mary it sounds like it was a fantastic day on the hill! Did you get to see the Queen?

Hi Cate,

It was so crowded that I didn't get to see the Queen. I saw her on the big screen. She looked lovely decked out in red and white.

Mary

canada day was celebrated in london, england too.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... clnk&gl=uk

Still no audio.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/programs/2010/ ... ealed.html

I fear they are not going to bother - which is sort of dumb - after running the contest. And they must have an audio clip.

Hope I'm wrong. I'd like to hear the bells pealing "Hallelujah."

I couldn't see it at first - but, on the page @
http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/programs/2010/ ... ealed.html - about one-third the way down, it says in bold type: You can hear Hallelujah again in the player below.
Click on the thin, black, player and you'll it hear an a'pealing version of "Hallelujah"!

Adrian wrote:I couldn't see it at first - but, on the page @
http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/programs/2010/ ... ealed.html - about one-third the way down, it says in bold type: You can hear Hallelujah again in the player below.
Click on the thin, black, player and you'll it hear an a'pealing version of "Hallelujah"!

Thank you so much, Adrian. It is THRILLING!

---Arlene

Thanks Adrian!!

If you look at the comments below the article - they added it just this afternoon around 3:00 p.m.

The right song won. Hallelujah!!

Yes, it's a wonderful song to ring out!

And, indeed, it's an oversight to not have included the audio - one that, happily, CBC has now addressed. And, thank you, Cate, Arlene, Sturgess, and all here, for sharing this!

Ring the bells that still can ring !

I thought that was quite good,thanks for letting us know about it Cate and thank you Adrian.

Oh, thank you for that link: hearing Leonard's beautiful song pealing from the bells gives me chills! It was wonderful!

Just finished listening to the much anticipated version of Hallelujah as played on the bells. My musical tastes are very eclectic, but this rendition of this great song doesn't work for me. Maybe it's because I'm spoiled by the concert recordings I have of Hallelujah from the 1985, 1988, and 1993 tours, in my opinion the BEST live versions of these songs, and which have not been matched since. And, since I love the lyrics so much, I prefer it sung as opposed to an instrumental version.

I think the point not to be missed here is the song was chosen in a nation-wide contest (CBC - Radio 2 Canada) by fans of all Canadian artists. They were asked what song they would like to hear ring out from the Peace Tower Carillon in honour of Canada Day.

Leonard's Cohen's magnificent "Hallelujah" was the winner. On the morning of July 1, 2010 the bells in Ottawa pealed "Hallelujah" over the nation's capitol. I thing that is sort of fantastic!

Here are pictures of the Peace Tower in Ottawa -





Below is part of the description of "carillon" from Wikipedia - and a picture - from which you can clearly see that this is not a "delicate" instrument. As noted in the description it can weigh up to 100 tons - and it is played by hitting the keyboard with one's fists! And also noteworthy is that it is a symbol of "civic pride and status." So - I would say again that the point to be taken here is that Leonard's song was chosen to be played on this instrument in celebration of Canada Day. This actual version - an arrangement for carillon - I think cannot realistically be compared to any other. A Canadian artist's song was going to be played on the carillon - and the listeners voted that it be Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

The awful truth or the "Emperor's clothes" here is that sometimes during this audio, whether it is because of the recording itself or because of the nature of the carillon and the abundance of "overtones," the "Hallelujah" seems to get a bit lost in the pealing and chiming of the bells! (See quote below from Wikipedia regarding the difficulty in recording of the carillon) But it is recognizable and it was played on Canada Day - and I think this is one for the Leonard Cohen record books! One should not be deterred from the significance of the honour by the cumbersome nature of the carillon!! I wish I had been there to hear it. I mean - and not meant as being boastful - but just as a measuring stick - I'm just wondering: has an artist like Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen been honoured with the playing of one of their songs on the carillon at the National Cathedral in Washington DC on July 4th? I'm not positive - but I don't think so. I don't know who keeps Leonard's Wikipedia up to date, but so far this has not be added. I think it should be - under "Hallelujah" and under "Awards, Titles and Honors." I remember when Leonard received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys, someone "tweeted" that Leonard's Wikipedia was updated to reflect the award within a couple of minutes of receiving it!! Who did that? Who is in charge of his Wikipedia? (In spite of my use of smilies here - I'm serious.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen





Read the whole description at the link -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carillon

A carillon (English pronunciation: /ˈkærɨlɒn/, /ˈkærɨljɒn/, or /kəˈrɪljən/; French: [kaʁijɔ̃]) is a musical instrument that is usually housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord. A carillon is played by striking a keyboard called a "baton" with the fists and by pressing the keys of a pedal keyboard with the feet. The keys mechanically activate levers and wires that connect to metal clappers that strike the bells, allowing the performer, the carillonneur, to vary the intensity of the note according to the force applied to the key.

The carillon is the heaviest of all musical instruments; the total weight of bells alone can be 100 tons in the largest instruments. The greatest concentration of carillons is still found in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Northern France, where they were symbols of civic pride and status. Some of the most spectacular are now protected by UNESCO as part of the world heritage site the Belfries of Belgium and France. The Stephen Foster Memorial Carillon bell tower, two hundred feet high with 97 bells, is the world's largest tubular bell instrument.

The carillonneur or carillonist is the title of the musician who plays the carillon. The carillonneur/carillonist usually sits in a cabin beneath the bells and presses down, with a loosely closed fist, on a series of baton-like keys arranged in the same pattern as a piano keyboard. The batons are almost never played with the fingers as one does a piano, though this is sometimes used as a special carillon playing technique. The keys activate levers and wires that connect directly to the bells' clappers; thus, as with a piano, the carillonneur can vary the intensity of the note according to the force applied to the key. In addition to the manual keys, the heavier bells are also played with a pedal keyboard. These notes can either be played with the hands or the feet.

...

To a musician's ear, a carillon can sound "out of tune." Poorly tuned bells often give this impression and also can be out of tune with themselves. This is due to the unusual harmonic characteristics of foundry bells, which have strong overtones above and below the fundamental frequency.

...

Recording the carillon is notoriously difficult. The extreme amount of sound waves that are generated and the layout of a carillon present problems not found in normal recording situations. The use of PZM microphones can handle the enormous waves of sound, but it isn't possible to decide on the location of the microphones without experimentation.