By Bill Brady
Since 2018, Falcon Heights United Church of Christ has greeted its neighbors every morning at 8 o’clock by gently pealing out two verses of “Morning Has Broken” from its carillon bells.
“I can hear it from my house,” says nearby resident Brenda Hartman. “It’s a wonderful way to start the day.”
“It is calming and pleasant to hear,” adds Edward Johnson of Reservoir Woods, “maybe because it reminds me of something heard in my childhood.”
Indeed, the soft sounds wafting from the “bell tower” — actually some strategically placed loudspeakers atop the church at Garden Avenue and Holton Street — lend a feel of nostalgia and small town coziness to those who hear it. That includes anyone living or passing through the northern side of Falcon Heights, along with a few homes in border areas of Roseville and Como Park.
The carillon was originally donated to the church in 1986 by longtime members Gerry and Evelyn Palmer, who in addition to purchasing the carillon, also established an endowment for ongoing maintenance.
“We used proceeds from the endowment to purchase a new unit in 2018,” said Bob Olsen, a Holton Avenue resident with a long history at the church. “That’s when ‘Morning Has Broken’ started. It was one of the hymns that came with the new unit. The guy who managed the carillon at the time just liked the tune.”
It was an instant hit with the neighbors, regardless of faith — or lack thereof.
“I’m not religious at all, I haven’t been to a church service in decades, but I have zero problem with morning church bells,” said one resident.
A Silent Spring
“Morning Has Broken” got silenced for four months when a power surge at the church knocked the carillon out of commission in January. The neighbors missed it. One of them, Ryan Stokes, Olsen’s Holton Street neighbor, offered to help fix and re-install the damaged equipment.
“So he and I worked on it, and finally got it re-installed,” Olsen said. The dulcet tones returned in June.
Over the years, they’ve had to make minor adjustments, such as when the speakers were pointed a little too directly at a nearby house, or when a local musician asked if the bells could be adjusted to chime in “A” rather than “B-flat.”
One thing no one has ever complained about is the tune itself, a traditional Scottish Gaelic melody whose most recognizable lyrics were written by English author Eleanor Farjeon and published in 1931. It took on a much wider popularity 40 years later, when a British singer then known as Cat Stevens released it as a single, which reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, according to Wikipedia.
“I really enjoy it,” said Sue Salmon of Pascal Street. “Some mornings I even start humming along.”
Added Nina Semmelroth of Arona Street: “It always sparks joy! I grew up in Europe and this was very common, so also a bit of nostalgia for me.”
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the neighbors seem to praise with elation. You might say they praise every morning. As if it really was God’s re-creation of the new day.
To hear the Falcon Heights church carillon playing Morning Has Broken, go to youtube.com/shorts/BAG32mCebuQ.
Bill Brady is copy editor and occasional writer for the Park Bugle.
Photo cutline: Longtime church member Bob Olsen (L) and neighbor Ryan Stokes worked together to restore the carillon music system for Falcon Heights Church this past spring. Photo by Bill Brady.
