Town Hall Carillon Rings Out Again After Five-Year Silence in Historic Concert by Martin Gilman-November 14, 1983

Carillonneur Martin Gilman Performs 15-Song Concert Following Veterans Day Ceremonies on Town Common

NORWOOD – Filling the crisp autumn air over the town center with music for the first time in five years, Norwood’s newly refurbished town hall carillon rang out in a magnificent concert on Saturday. Written by Patriot Ledger staff reporter Rick Moriarty with photography by Tom Tajima, coverage of the event captured carillonneur Martin Gilman of Lexington performing a 1.5-hour recital featuring approximately 15 songs—ranging from patriotic anthems like “God Bless America” to folk classics like “Blowin’ in the Wind”—following the conclusion of Veterans Day ceremonies on the Town Common.

High in the town hall tower, the 68-year-old musician worked furiously at the 10-foot-wide keyboard. Directly overhead thundered 50 bronze bells, some standing as tall as a grown man and weighing a combined total of 43,076 pounds. The historic instrument, a 1928 gift to the town from Norwood banker Walter F. Tilton, connects the keys and pedals to the bells through an intricate network of wires and chains.

A Test of Muscle and Concentration Following a $40,000 Municipal Refurbishment

Playing the carillon proved to be an intense physical workout. Because the instrument required a mix of muscle and concentration even after a recent $40,000 municipal refurbishing, Gilman had to wrap adhesive tape around his little fingers to prevent blistering. Due to the extreme width of the console, he slid back and forth along the wooden bench, operating wooden handles with his hands and heavy foot pedals to ring the massive lower-register bells.

Reflecting on the instrument’s restoration, Gilman noted a dramatic improvement from his prior tenure playing Norwood’s bells until 1978, when disrepair silenced the tower. “I used to have a half-dozen rubber bands holding the keys up,” he recalled with a smile. Sitting beside him during the performance, his wife, Mildred Gilman, shared in the community’s joy, remarking, “It’s so good to hear them again.”

Despite his modesty—insisting he was merely an amateur enthusiast who played as an avocation rather than a master capable of simultaneous hand-and-foot coordination—Gilman’s performance captivated the crowds below. A member of the Carillonneurs Guild of North America who began playing in 1955 after a lifelong fascination with bell towers, Gilman has traveled extensively to hear carillons across Michigan, Indiana, Canada, France, and Holland, while frequently performing at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Cohasset.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger