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Almost every day of our lives we hear the ringing of bells, from the very ordinary buzz of the front
doorbell to the melodious sound of the ringing church bell. Bells are probably one of those things we
take for granted, without giving much thought to how they are manufactured.
Since 1935, a lot of time and thought has gone into the subject of bells at Schulmerich Carillons, Inc.,
of Sellersville, PA.
Schulmerich is the world's largest producer of carillons and bells, and is one of only four producers of
handbells in the world. Founded in 1935 by George Schulmerich, the company weathered the depression when luxury
items such as bells were not considered an essential article even for a church. However, an order for an
electronic carillon by the College Avenue Methodist Church in West Summerville, MA, and a carillon sale to
Father Flanagan's Boys Town in Nebraska helped the company establish a national reputation.
In 1943 Schulmerich moved to a shirt manufacturing plant in Sellersville as the installation of carillons
expanded throughout most of the United States. Those years also included the installation of the company's
first 61-note instrument, in the Grand Court of John Wanamaker's in Philadelphia.
The company moved to its current Sellersville location in 1950. In addition to a sales force in North America, Canada and throughout the world, Schulmerich also employs their own factory Service Engineers for service on cast bells and electronic musical instruments called carillons.
In the sixties Schulmerich started to look into the manufacture of handbells with a prototype set of 25
handbells completed in 1962. The design developed by Schulmerich's Chief Engineer was patented in 1963. Since
that beginning, Schulmerich has manufactured well over a million handbells. A 25-bell set of Schulmerich Handbells
is now a part of the collection of 2,000 American and European instruments of the Division of Musical
Instruments at The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Currently Schulmerich provides
seven complete octaves, 85-notes.
Schulmerich began manufacturing MelodyChime® Instruments in September of 1998 and has since expanded to offering
5 complete octaves. MelodyChime Instruments have less complex harmonics and are generally easier to ring than
handbells. They are also a fraction of the price of handbells. They may be used for younger and older ringers
that have difficulty with the weight of handbells. MelodyChime® Instruments also make a wonderful compliment
to the sound of handbells.
As with the manufacture of the handbells, the manufacture of electronic
carillons is an elaborate and intricate process. The carillons can offer a
variety of up to 8 bell voices from True Cast, Flemish, English and Harp, to
Chimes. These instruments may range in the number of bells from 37 to 440 and
may be played from any number of keyboard options in addition to programmable
automatic functions. In addition to the manufacture of electronic carillons,
handbells and MelodyChime® Instruments, Schulmerich markets bell towers and cast bells.
Probably one of the reasons for the success of Schulmerich Carillons is the fact that bells remain an
important part of our musical and historical heritage. From the Liberty Bell to a single bell in a church
tower, the ringing of bells has been historically significant. A replica of the Liberty Bell graces the lawn
in the front of the Schulmerich Carillons Headquarters.
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