Del Roper & The Mason Swiss Bell Ringers - I Heard The Bells
I tried to stay away from the Christmas organ & chimes albums this year. I have several boxed up and I passed on quite a few while searching the vinyl dustbins around my home. However when this one came around on eBay this past year, I jumped at the chance to... ahem... hear the bells! This album was released on Word Records back in 1959. At the time, several Christmas albums were released utilizing that under appreciated instrument - the carillon bells. For more on the carillon, here's a search for several albums I've reviewed, and links to another , and another , and one more . However, this album is quite different than most. The instrument played here is the symphonic carillon aka the "electronic" carillon. Invented by Paul Rowe of Maas-Rowe Carillons , this was the first carillon organ to employ struck metal "miniature bells" to produce an authentic live bell sound. Add Del Roper to the mix. Born into a religious musical family, he wa...