Musician always hits a high note, playing the tower bells above Stanford

Lots of people can claim to have a workspace with a view but it would be hard to compete with Timothy Zerlang. That’s because his “office” is on the 14^th floor of Hoover Tower on the Stanford University campus and encompasses panoramic vistas from the foothills to the bay. Zerlang is Stanford’s carillonneur — the person responsible for the melodic sounds that emanate from the historic building. 

Born and raised in Fresno, Zerlang holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from California State University, Fresno, in piano and keyboard instruments. He came to Stanford in 1983 in order to obtain his doctorate and it was at this time that the carillon entered his life. He could hear the instrument being played from his dorm room and decided to find out more about it. This led him to Jim Angell, a professor in the electrical engineering department, who had performed on the carillon since 1960. Zerlang began to take lessons with Angell each week and within a year was proficient on the instrument.

Zerlang was already performing piano and organ in public settings like churches so the carillon was not as difficult for him as it might have been for a complete novice. “This was just a different keyboard for me,” he said. The carillon has two keyboards, like an organ, and the 48 bells overhead are controlled by wooden hand levers and foot pedals. Notes are played when the clappers strike inside the bells. He further explained that his background playing the organ provided experience using both hands and feet and that the piano provided the expression. 

“Still, it’s a very different sensation,” he said, adding, “It’s a very physical instrument and in that sense it is difficult. If you don’t play with energy, the sound won’t be strong.”  

Zerlang explained that he is “moving a certain amount of mass – the bigger the bell, the bigger the clapper.” Made of cast iron, the biggest clapper weighs 50 pounds, requiring some physical effort to get the desired effect. “I used to joke that playing the carillon is my only form of exercise,” he laughed.

Just how Stanford came to own a carillon (many universities have bell towers but few have carillons) is a long story that has been thoroughly documented by former Hoover Institution archivist Elena S. Danielson in her 2002 essay, “For Peace Alone Do I Ring.” In brief, in 1939 Herbert Hoover requested that a carillon be installed in his namesake tower, a building that would be a repository for his presidential library and archives on the Stanford campus. Hoover had played a major role in providing relief to Belgium during World War I and, according to Danielson, “a library topped by a carillon from Belgium, where his career as a public servant and humanitarian began, would be a concrete expression of Hoover’s legacy.”

The 35-bell carillon was installed in 1941 and worked well for decades until the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, which disabled the mechanism for the automatic playing function. A long campaign to overhaul the bells had begun decades earlier and finally, in 2000, they were sent to the Netherlands, where they were restored and expanded. In 2002, the new carillon with 48 instead of the original 35 bells was installed. Noted Zerlang, “It could always be bigger but we now have 48 bells providing a four-octave range.”

In 1990 Zerlang became the university’s carillonneur, which was a volunteer position until 2008. He is paid, per performance, by the Hoover Institution which determines the schedule of carillon concerts. The instrument is also played for official university events such as commencement.

“I am kind of the Muzak that entertains the campus while they are walking to activities,” joked Zerlang.

He tends to play music that is specially written for the carillon although just about anything can be adapted. “The carillon is a public instrument and was originally made to play traditional folk songs and hymns.”  

Zerlang went on to relate that one of the biggest reactions he has ever gotten to his playing was when some of his students gave him the music from the Mario video game. “I immediately got emails saying things like ‘that was the water theme from Mario 7!’ They knew exactly what it was and they were super excited to hear it.”

And what is it like, after a long career of performing in churches and music venues, to be alone in a 285-foot tower and realize that many people can potentially hear you play? “It is a bit of a trip being up there with all that sound and it can be very expressive – it’s a very powerful voice up there.”

Does he miss the immediate response of an audience?  Zerlang broke into laughter and responded, “No! It’s great because you play and then you just go out the back door!” He plays, he said, because “I just enjoy doing it.”  

Zerlang quickly pointed out that the instrument is played on a limited schedule because he cannot perform when the Hoover Tower is open to visitors due to concerns regarding the sound level (it can reach 120 decibels). He also said the Hoover Institution determines a schedule that he proposes and that they have the ultimate decision. “Please don’t ask me to play during your wedding,” he laughed.

Over the years, other music students have been inspired by hearing the carillon to pursue lessons with Zerlang. “I don’t make it easy for them, they really have to hunt me down,” he said. In addition to his work as a piano instructor in the music department, Zerlang is also director of music for St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco. Still, he has taken on three graduate students who want to learn the instrument. One of them is well on his way to becoming a qualified carillonneur, a process that involves a live performance before the National Carillon Guild. “Playing carillon is rarely a full-time job,” he said, adding that it is often hard to find an instrument. In the Bay Area, there is another carillon located in the Sather Tower at University of California, Berkeley. 

“I don’t know what will happen after me,” said Zerlang. “I think there will always be people interested in playing it. I know what it was like for me when I heard it for the first time. It puts a spring in your step and a smile on your face. It really feels like academia and it feels of the place.”

Zerlang has played carillons around the country, including the one across the Bay. So it had to be asked —which carillon is better, Stanford’s or UC Berkeley?

He responded with a smile, “Why, Stanford’s, of course!”

Zerlang is off for the summer, but carillon performances will continue in July and August with other musicians. The next performance is July 12, 5:30 p.m. For the full schedule, visit events.stanford.edu/department/tower_carillon_bells