Century Tower (University of Florida) - About The Carillon

About The Carillon

• It has 61 bells and a range span of 5 octaves.
• The entire carillon weighs 57,760 pounds (26,200 kg).
• The smallest bell in Century Tower plays a high C, weighs 26 pounds (12 kg) and has a diameter of 7+1⁄₈ inches (180 mm).
• The largest bell, called the Bourdon bell, plays a low A-sharp. It is 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, weighs about 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg) and is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) in diameter.
• The carillon chimes each quarter of the hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The tune that is played, "Florida Chimes", was written by Dr. Budd Udell, former Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Florida.
• Students at the university can take a carillon class, where they are required to climb the 194 steps in Century Tower to play the bells for a grade.
• The carillon is played using 61 keys (or “batons”) for the hands and 25 pedals for the feet. The musician sits in a small room just below the bell chamber.
• There are fewer than 200 carillons in North America and only four in Florida.