Profile: St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh, PA
The Protestant Episcopal Parish of St. Thomas' Church in Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania--20 miles from Philadelphia--was established in 1690. Bells became a part of this church's tradition in 1913 when a ten-bell chime, cast by the McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore, Maryland, was installed.
At a memorial service for a devoted parishioner of St. Thomas', the chime-master found it impossible to play certain requested music due to the limited range of the chime. Charles Dickey, the husband of the deceased, was prompted to "do something for the bells at St. Thomas'." The Dickey family soon provided for a 48-bell carillon.
The bells were cast and tuned by the Petit & Fritsen Bellfoundry in Aarle-Rixtel, the Netherlands, and the Verdin Company of Cincinnati made the console, frame, and transmission system and was responsible for the installation. The bourdon weighs 3,223 pounds, sounds D, and is keyed to C. The keyboard compass is C, D, then chromatic through c3.
A service and recital of dedication were held on September 29, 1974. Officiating was the Rt. Rev. Lyman C. Ogilby, Bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. He is the son of Dr. Remson Ogilby, the former President of Trinity College, Hartford, who was the convener of the first meeting of carillonneurs in North American, in September 1934.
Janet S. Dundore has been the carillonneur of St. Thomas' Church ever since the instrument's installation. She plays before and after all church services. A carillon prelude replaces the organ prelude on the first Sunday of every month. The carillon is also heard at weddings and funerals at St. Thomas'. Guest recitalists are invited to perform in the summer concert series on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm during July and August. A closed circuit television monitor is provided for observation of the carillonneur at work. These recitals are often followed by 8 pm concerts in the church which feature organists, choirs, brass ensembles, dance groups, Swiss Alphornists, and other instrumentalists.
The tower, built of local red sandstone, is 70 feet high. The site of St. Thomas' Church is ideal for a carillon: surrounded by 60 acres of landscaped grounds and removed from traffic noise, homes, and tall buildings.
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