Bells at Lowell Boast History of Travel, Trials and Tariff Trouble

Often cursed often misunderstood, often neglected, Lowell's bells are, believe it or not, true Russian Zvon, or carillon. Students of all the Houses, and cantabridgians for miles around, often hear them Sunday as they receive their monthly once-over by Arthur T. Meritt, associate professor of Music.

Given to the University by Charles R. Crane, former United States Ministers to China, the bells were once the property of the Dana Monastery, in Moscow. Crane offered a set of Russian bells to President Lowell after seeing them, on a trip through Europe, and President Lowell anxious to bless the crimson halls with a touch of the continent accepted the gift.

Customs Calms Them

But it wasn't as easy as all that to get the bells to Cambridge. When they reached the shores of America in 1932, the customs office intercepted them. The Harvard Business office know nothing about them when a call came from the customs broker, so they advised the officials to have them stored. This decision was hastily retracted, however, when the business office discovered that it would cost $400 oven to have them moved.

Then began a lengthy arguments about the traffic to be paid on the bells. The customs men classified them as lump metal, on which there was a 45 per cent of value tax. Harvard claimed they were carillons, but, since they didn't come up to the U.S.carillon minimum of 23 bells, the tariff officials wouldn't admit it until shown the blueprints, which had empty spaces left for other bells.

Saradjeff comes With Them

One saradjeff came with the bells as a sort of auxiliary gift. Born of a family of talented Zvon-players, he was reared in an atmosphere of Zvon. By the time he arrived in America, he had already composed 132 symphonies for the Russian carillon, and was rumored to know by its tone each of the 4000 bells in Moscow. Saradjeff was commissioned of install the Lowell House set and to teach the art of playing them to various candidates.

Seventeen bells make up a real Russian Zvon sot. Lowell House has only 16, one of them having been found to be more out of key than the others. The family bell, fourth largest in the set, now signals the end of classes at the Business School. The 16 at Lowell range in size from a 13-ton brute to a pint-sized gremlin of 22 pounds.

Subject to Fits

Saradjoff installed the bells without too much trouble, despite the fact that he was subject to fits new and them. After one particularly bad attack, he was installed in Stillman, where he claimed he was being poisoned. The food and drink were more nourishing back home in Moscow, he claimed, and when the doctors found him drinking a bottle of ink one morning, they decided to accord to his wishes and send him back to Russia.

At first nobody could be found to play the bells in saradjeff's absence, but soon they began to toll again, this time under the hands of two professor from Columbia and Smith. In addition, Mason Hammond '25, associate professor of Classica and History, displayed his talents on the zvon when special occasions warranted an extra ringing.

Bells Clashed With Phiharmonic

Julian L. Coolidge '95, then professor of Mathematics and Master of Lowell House, ordered the bells to be rung once a week, but he had a great deal of trouble finding an hour for the performance which would satisfy everyone.

At first the Zvon were played every Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock, but whom too many students complained that the pealing drowned out the concert of the New york Philharmonic, the time was changed. After making sure that the masses at St. Paul's Church were over by 12:30 o'clock, Professor Coolidge decided upon that hour.

The corporation decided several years ago that once a month would be often enough to display the Carillon's mighty tones and Meritt now rings them. Students hear them for only 15 minutes every fourth Sunday now, but on Victory Day...watch out!