In this age of the global instant message, it's difficult to imagine a time when communication relied upon bells. But 500 years ago, when the carillon sounded from the belfries in Holland, Belgium, and northern France, the townspeople were alerted of significant events. From bells to ears, the carillon was a method of communication, as well as an instrument for music.

On Mondays in July, Rochesterians can freely enjoy the sound of the carillon at the University of Rochester on the grounds of the Eastman Quadrangle. The Hopeman Memorial Carillon - located in the tower of the Rush Rhees Library - is one of only six carillons in New York State.

"I love the instrument because of its power," says Doris Aman, UR carillon instructor. "It is an instrument that, when I play, everyone has to listen." Aman has the privilege to be among a select few permitted to use the University's carillon in her effort to revive interest in and students for the carillon.

The "carillon" is a musical instrument made of at least 23 bells, with clappers connected to wires that are connected to hand and foot levers that resemble the keys and foot pedals of an organ. The carillonneur can play up to four notes at a time, using their hands in loosely clenched fists, as well as their feet. The console and performer sit well below the bells.

Aman says that the carillon's bells sound differently at different times of the year, and in different weather conditions. At this time of the year, she says that the bells should be able to be heard from across the Genesee River.

The Hopeman Memorial Carillon at UR consists of 50 bells that span four octaves. The bells housed in the library tower are some 186 feet above the ground, and they weigh 6,668 pounds. The current bells were cast by the Royal Eijsbouts Bellfoundry in Asten, Holland, and installed in 1973 to replace the original, smaller carillon from 1929.

"What interests me personally is the sheer spectacle of Rochester's largest musical instrument," says Joseph Hanson, UR's director of music performance programs. "It's several thousand tons of bronze somehow tamed harmoniously."

Each week's concert features a different carillonneur. "These really are the best carillonneurs in the world," Aman says. "This is what you would hear if you went to Europe."

The July 12 concert featured Margo Halsted. Halstead received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University, a masters degree in carillon performance from the University of California Riverside, and a diploma from the Netherlands Carillon School. She is an adjunct professor at UC Santa Barbara and has performed on carillons throughout the world. In true California style, Halsted says that people "could even play Frisbee" during a carillon concert since they take place outdoors.

The concert on July 19 wiill feature Lee Cobb, carillonneur and organist from the Episcopal Church of Ascension in Clearwater, Florida. Cobb is a commissioned and published composer, including works for the carillon such as his "Suite for Carillon" and "Valse Capriccio." In 2006, Cobb was awarded second prize in the Johan Franco Carillon Composition Competition sponsored by the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. Cobb received his bachelor of arts degree in organ performance from Indiana University in 1989 and his masters of music from the University of Florida in 2003.

The final concert in the series will be held on July 26 with a performance by Jonathan Lehrer. Lehrer graduated from Yale University in 2000 with a degree in mathematics and later graduated from the Belgian Royal Carillon School. Lehrer is a laureate of several international competitions for carillon, most notably the Queen Fabiola International Carillon Competition, where he was also awarded the SABAM prize for the best interpretation of Flemish carillon music.

Lehrer's concert selections span the exciting, showy passages of the "Sonata a Cimbalo Solo" by Sybrandus van Noordt to the friendly, sing-a-long passages of "The Rainbow Connection" of Kermit the Frog.

For Lehrer, the carillon is not just an instrument. "It's an adventure of climbing up into different towers and seeing the world from different angles," he says. "The carillon is an instrument that is more integrated with the world. It is public music. It is outdoor music. It is clouds and trees and whatever is going on. You can just lie back in the grass and let it wash over you."

"500 Years of the Carillon"

University of Rochester, Eastman Quadrangle

Every Monday through July 26

7 p.m. | Free | rochester.edu/aboutus/carillon