Carillon News

Carillon dedication

Ronald Barnes honored

Eurocarillon Festival

Brian Swager is a contributing editor of The Diapason.

Nunc Dimittis

Ronald Barnes, 1927-1997

Ronald Montague Barnes was born and brought up in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1931, at about age four, he believed that his parents took him to hear Anton Brees dedicate the Taylor carillon at First Plymouth Congregational Church. He recalled an evening along the streets in the neighborhood, with everyone's attention focused on a light high in the tower. Then, as a teenager, he began organ study with Myron Roberts, the church's organist, who one day asked Ron if he would consider learning to play the carillon as well, since Mary Guest, the woman then playing, planned to move away.

Ron ascended the tower to watch her play. She played only melodies, using only the bottom two octaves and grasping the keys chime-style. When he asked her why she did not also use the higher notes she replied that they didn't work, and, sure enough, when he tried one of the keys it would not move. A few days later he and his older brother Bryce made their way into the bell chamber for the first time (in those days a hazardous climb indeed), and he realized for the first time that each of those other notes actually had a bell attached to it.

The two young men carried twelve bushel baskets full of dead pigeons, droppings, and other dirt down the narrow stairway and out of the tower. To the best of their amateur skills, they cleaned and lubricated the playing action, disassembling some of it. On the Sunday after they finished, Ronald went up to play. He possessed no carillon music, so he simply played scales up and down the compass. Neighbors immediately began phoning, wanting to know when the church had gotten additional bells. So far as he could determine, nobody had played the small bells on that carillon since Anton Brees' dedicatory recitals more that a decade earlier!

At the end of World War II Barnes served in the US Navy in Japan during the occupation, on a destroyer tender as a specialist working with navigational instruments, and later as a helmsman on a destroyer. Afterwards he used the GI Bill to earn a Master of Arts degree in musicology at Stanford University, where for his thesis he wrote a study of the carillon preludes of Matthias van den Gheyn. He attended his first GCNA congress in 1948 at Ann Arbor, where he, Theophil Rusterholz, and Bertram Strickland played their advancement recitals.

Following the congress he spent the summer in Ottawa with Robert Donnell, which proved to be his only formal study of the carillon. He returned to Lincoln, from whence he reported in the May 1950 edition of the Bulletin that the audiences for his summer Sunday evening recitals had grown large enough to interest the operators of ice cream wagons, complete with the little bells on the truck roofs.

In 1951 he accepted an appointment at the large new Taylor carillon in Lawrence, Kansas, which he said was the finest in the world at the time. While on the University of Kansas faculty he also taught harpsichord and music history, and cared for the university's instrument collection. In 1963 he again accepted an appointment to play a brand new Taylor carillon, which he again thought the best carillon in the world, this time at the Washington Cathedral.

During the Lawrence and Washington years he wrote a good number of arrangements and several new compositions, but the flow of works from his pen grew to an impressive scale only in the late 1970s. Cathedral politics had proved destructively stressful, but the 1975 decision to abolish his position in response to a financial emergency perversely freed him to regain the measure of personal stability that could release his creative powers. In 1982 he returned to California to preside over the Class of 1928 Carillon at the University of California at Berkeley, from which he retired in 1995 after thirteen highly productive years.

The GCNA held congresses at each of his three towers, beginning in Kansas in 1956. He served as President of the Guild during part of the 1960s, and for seven years during the 1950s as editor of the Bulletin. He gave his last performance for the Guild on his first carillon, in Lincoln, at the 1993 congress. He attended his last congress, only five months before his death, at his beloved instrument in Lawrence.

I had met Ronald several times before I moved to Berkeley in 1983. When I decided to accept a place in the entering law school class, I contacted him to ask if he needed an assistant. It turned out that one of his assistants had just resigned, and he welcomed me. He became a close personal friend, as I struggled with the tensions of law school and later of law practice, providing support (and wit) of immeasurable value. He became a trusted musical confidante. Although second-rate playing and literature both annoyed him greatly, he rarely offered a performer criticism of a recital, even to the players on his personal staff, unless the performer specifically asked for it. Then, when asked, his insights into both the performance and the music continually reminded us that he possessed knowledge of things unknown to the rest of us. The teacher under whom I had taken brief formal study had given me good technical grounding that Ronald claimed not to have himself, but in our unstructured years together as performers he showed me far more than anyone else ever had about our instrument and its unique personality.

His personal encouragement gave us several of the most important composers to write for the carillon in our time, among them Roy Hamlin Johnson, John Pozdro, and Gary White. He played pivotal roles in starting and nurturing the carillon careers of some of our most distinguished players as well, including Milford Myhre, Richard Strauss, and Daniel Robbins. He wrote provocatively and with penetrating insight several times for the Bulletin, encouraging us to set new standards for quality of performance, choice of repertory, and sophistication in the design and construction of instruments. But there is no doubt in my mind that the contribution that overshadows all others was his own contribution to our instrument's musical literature.

His failing eyesight brought his performing to an end in 1994 and later interrupted his composing at a moment when he had several interesting works in draft, and doubtless many more yet unconceived. But he retained his keen ear and mind into retirement. He followed the course of the search for his successor closely, expressing great relief when he saw his Berkeley instrument pass into talented young hands.

By late spring 1997 he did not feel well. After he learned in late summer that he had leukemia, the first thing he said to me was that he hoped he could hang on long enough to attend the International Festival at Lake Wales in February, but neither he nor the festival were granted the honor. At about dawn on 3 November 1997, Ron Barnes departed his ravaged flesh to move on to the next life. He left behind a community of musicians on whose most fundamental notions of their instrument he had left his deep imprint.

--David Hunsberger

Remembering a good friend

My first experience in playing the carillon was at Central Christian Church in San Antonio, Texas, in 1958. That same year I discovered Ronald Barnes at The University of Kansas at Lawrence, so I knew Ron for about 40 years. At that time South Texas was on the edge of the carillon world, and I was desperate for help and guidance. Ron gave me carillon lessons and advice by mail.

When we first met in person during the summer of 1962 in Kansas, I was on my way to Ann Arbor to play my advancement recital and I wanted to play the program for someone. I remember very well missing every pedal on his Kansas instrument, since I was used to my carillon's Dutch standard, and this was the first carillon I had ever played that didn't have those tall black pedal keys. Ron was very understanding and encouraging to a beginner and almost a total stranger. At that time he allowed me to take home to copy whatever I wanted from his library. This was before the days of photocopying, and music had to be copied by hand. This took several months, but I finally mailed his music back to him. Ron had always been extremely generous both with his time and his music library.

My first GCNA congress was at Ann Arbor in 1962. I remember being very impressed with Ron, because he had transposed his recital for that carillon so that it would sound in the same keys in which the pieces were written. This was the congress that Percival Price had the University Choir up in the tower along with a bagpiper, and people were hitting long boards that were suspended in the tower. This congress also included the famous playing of The Bells of Hell with car horn ad lib. Ron wrote to me on 26 June 1962 concerning that congress: "I hope that you enjoyed the Congress and got something out of it. They are usually hectic, disorganized, and crazy, but also fun and frequently informative and instructive."

Ron loved to laugh. Not only was he humorous in his conversation, he reveled in telling funny stories, jokes, and actual anecdotes. We all know of Ron's fondness for organ recitals. He once wrote about a friend who was to play an organ recital at the National Shrine: "However, I don't know if I will hear him play or not. I've already heard an organ recital."

Before his carillon recital in San Antonio at Christmas 1979 he wrote in a letter: "The little 'Fanfare' you requested has turned out to be an 'Introit' instead, since I don't know how to write music that sounds like 'hay and the manger' as you requested." He had a marvelous way with words, command of language, extensive vocabulary, and an amazing quick wit.

During his playing of Serenade for Carillon at the 1978 Congress at Christ Church Cranbrook, I was aware for the first time that I was not listening to just a carillon recital, but I was listening to music that happened to be played on the carillon. Ron was one of the few people who could do this. He was a wonderful musician whose instrument of choice was the carillon.

Over the years, Ron, Tom and I took many trips to Mexico during Christmas breaks. In typical Ron fashion, he researched Mexico and knew the mountains, architecture, art, literature, history, and culture better than Tom and I did, and we live only 150 miles from the border. In reading one guide book Ron came upon a delightful saying that has entered into our language: "Wherever you go, there you are."

Over the years, Ron became one of our best friends, even though we never even lived in the same city. He was a most remarkable person. Many thanks to the carillon for bringing us together.

--George Gregory

Ronald Barnes was a true Renaissance type of person. He had expertise in so many different categories: performer, composer, teacher, graphic artist, humorist, and even philosopher. He could converse intelligently on almost any subject and could inspire others to attain levels of achievement far beyond anything they could imagine. His interest in the history of the instrument, coupled with his excellent memory for detail, gave him an enviable breadth of knowledge.

With his passing the carillon world has lost one of its greatest advocates. His interest in this strange and wonderful instrument was unlimited. It embraced all facets of playing technique, composition, bell founding, playing mechanism, tower design, and recording techniques. Nothing escaped his scrutiny, much to the delight of all who enjoyed his searing wit. His loyal friendship and generosity were models for us all. May we now honor his memory by emulating his best qualities and playing his music with great devotion and scrupulous care.

--Milford Myhre

With the passage of Ronald Barnes, the carillon world has lost a primary mover in the artistic evolution of what he often called "the world's largest recital instrument." Through his performing and composing, he asserted the value of his chosen medium as being at least equal to that of the traditional keyboard instruments in their capacity to convey expressions of the human spirit. Further, by discarding the cliches and shop-worn technical devices of Post-Romantic carillon academies, and by basing his style on his instrument's unique physical properties, he produced and encouraged fresh solutions to universal musical problems of sonority, tonality, and structure.

He helped many composers, including me, to find their "carillon voices." It is safe to say that the notes for carillon penned by these persons would not have found their way to paper, had it not been for his profound insights, continuous enthusiasm, and merciless wit.

--Roy Hamlin Johnson

February Florida Festival

The 14th International Carillon Festival at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, will occur February 20-28, featuring carillonneurs Geert D'hollander, Todd Fair, Ulla Laage, Carlo van Ulft, Milford Myhre and William De Turk. Events include daily 3 pm carillon recitals, a moonlight recital  on February 27, lectures and exhibits in the new Education & Visitor Center, and several non-carillon concerts. For more information, contact Bill De Turk, Bok Tower Gardens, 1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales, FL 33853-3412; phone: 941/676-1154; fax: 941/676-6770; E-mail: <[email protected]>.

Berkeley Congress Report

The 56th Congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America was held at the University of California at Berkeley, 17-20 June 1998 with 126 persons in attendance. University Carillonneur Geert D'hollander was the host. Held in conjunction with the Fifth Berkeley International Carillon Festival, the 1998 meeting focused on the life and work of Emilien Allard and honored the memory of Ronald Barnes. Madeleine Allard was present as an honored guest. Also honored were Evelyn Chambers and other members of the Class of 1928, patrons of the Berkeley Carillon and its International Carillon Festival.

Recitalists for the Congress were Lisa Lonie of Philadelphia; George Gregory of San Antonio, Texas; Claude Aubin of Montréal, Québec, Canada; Gideon Bodden of The Netherlands; Andrea McCrady of Spokane, Washington; and the carillonneurs of Berkeley: Geert D'hollander, John Agraz, Jeff Davis, David Hunsberger, and Liesbeth Janssens. The Berkeley Brass Quintet conducted by David Milnes joined Geert D'hollander and Liesbeth Janssens in a special program of music arranged for bells and brass by Ms.  Janssens. D'hollander gave the premiere performances of the winning pieces in the 1998 Johan Franco Composition Competition. The first prize was awarded to Mr. D'hollander himself for his Modal Nocturne. Ennis Fruhauf's Passacaglia was awarded second prize.

John Agraz gave a workshop on basic carillon maintenance. Masterclasses were taught by John Gouwens on interpretation and by Geert D'hollander on effective ways to learn new music. Two presentations on the music of Emilien Allard were given: Milford Myhre played historic recordings from Bok Tower, and Liesbeth Janssen shared her findings based on theoretical analyses of some of Allard's pieces.

Following successful examination recitals, ten members were accorded Carillonneur status by vote of the Guild: Steven Ball of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Linda Dzuris of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Chuck Barland of Lawrence, Kansas; Andy Greene of Berkeley, California; Andrew Capule of Berkeley, California; Liesbeth Janssens of Berkeley, California; Helena Chen of Berkeley, California; Sabin Levi of Provo, Utah; Geert D'hollander of Berkeley, California;  and Lynne Tidwell  of Lawrence, Kansas.

Dr. Joseph F. Marsh, Jr., former president of Concord College, and Alicia Porter Washam and Rufus "Buddy" Porter of Highland Park United Methodist Church, Dallas, were recommended and approved for Honorary Membership. Janet Dundore was awarded the Extraordinary Service Award for her many contributions to the Guild and to the profession, most particularly her original, audience-friendly approach to recitals. Emilien Allard, Evelyn Chambers, the Class of 1928, Janet Dundore, and Karel and Linda Keldermans received Berkeley Medals. A memorial fund in the name of Ronald Barnes was established to provide scholarships for North Americans to study the North American Carillon Art in North America.

The next congress of the GCNA will be held at Iowa State University, Ames, 16-19 June 1999. Tin-shi Tan will be our host. In the year 2000, the CGNA congress will be held in the city of Frederick, Maryland as well as at the Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. John Widmann and Jim Smith will be our hosts. Also in 2000 will be a congress of the World Carillon Federation in Springfield, Illinois, hosted by Karel Keldermans.

News from Iowa State

Iowa State University Carillonneur Tin-shi Tam sends the following news.

Spring carillon festival 1998

Iowa State University (ISU) hosted the Spring Carillon Festival 1998 and the Carillon Composition Competition during the weekend of April 24-26. Guest carillonneur was Albert Gerken, Carillonneur at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. He performed a recital featuring carillon music by Gary C. White, Professor Emeritus of Composition at ISU. He also conducted a seminar on "The importance of musical considerations in building or renovating a carillon." The Festival also included a Family concert featuring ISU student carillonneurs, the Ames Children's Preparatory Choir, ISU Dance and ISU/Ames Flute Ensemble. Tin-shi Tam, ISU University Carillonneur, presented a faculty recital during the Festival that included Emilien Allard's Sonata (1968).

In conjunction with the Festival, a Carillon Composition Competition was held to encourage the writing of original carillon compositions by young composers. Contestants from all parts of the country and overseas submitted entries. No award was given this year.

In 1999, Iowa State University will celebrate  the centennial anniversary of the Stanton Memorial Carillon. ISU will host the 57th Congress of The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America from June 16-19. Additional celebrations have also been planned.

Summer keyboard camp

The Sixth Annual Keyboard Exploration was hosted by Iowa State University Music Department from June 22 through 27. The summer music camp was for keyboard students who were entering grades 7-12. Participants experienced first-hand the thrill of playing various kinds of keyboard instruments including organ, harpsichord, piano and carillon. Nine students studied carillon under ISU University Carillonneur, Tin-shi Tam. Two carillon concerts were performed by students towards the end of the week.

News from Springfield

Karel Keldermans, carillonneur for the Springfield, Illinois, park district, sends the following news.

Midwest regional conference

The second Midwest Regional Conference of the GCNA was held in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday, May 30, 1998. Participants from Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Illinois, and Denmark were hosted by Karel Keldermans.

John Courter of Berea College began the presentations with a description of his personal compositional style and indicated the importance of Gregorian chant in his music. He played a recording of two of his carillon fantasies, and a lively discussion ensued. Albert Gerken of the University of Kansas at Lawrence then took the podium to make the first of his two presentations for the conference. Bert gave an excellent analysis relative to the usefulness of C-sharp and D-sharp in the bass of the carillon. To this end, he gave an insightful explanation as to why Pieter Hemony several centuries ago had in fact been incorrect in asserting that C-sharp and D-sharp were "useless." With cogent examples from the  De Gruytters Carillon Book and various Van den Gheyn Preludes--music appropriate to the period under discussion--Bert then demonstrated musically why a carillon indeed needs to be fully chromatic.

Informal discussions continued as a catered lunch was served in the parlor, courtesy of the Springfield Park District. Following the lunch break, Ann-Kirstine Christiansen, a Danish carillonneur and administrator at the Scandinavian Carillon School in Løgumkloster, Denmark, gave her presentation on the formation of the School and explained how courses are set up, the number of students attending, and the number graduated. After Ann-Kirstine's presentation, the group transferred to the Rees Carillon where Bert Gerken took the second afternoon session--that of music notation. Bert has developed a unique system of handling and pedaling on his scores, and the group was very interested in his techniques as he demonstrated them at the keyboard of the Rees Carillon. The conference adjourned in the late afternoon with some of the attendees remaining in Springfield for the International Carillon Festival.

Annual Springfield festival

The 37th International Carillon Festival in Springfield, Illinois, was held at the Rees Memorial Carillon in Washington Park from May 31 through June 7, 1998. The eight days of the Festival were filled with carillon-related activities, culminating each evening in two or three recitals by guest carillonneurs.  This year's recitalists were Albert Gerken, Kansas; Ann-Kirstine Christiansen, Denmark; Ray McLellan, Michigan; Bob van Wely, The Netherlands; Gert Oldenbeuving, The Netherlands; Koen Cosaert, Belgium; Sue Jones, Illinois; and host Karel Keldermans.

The first evening of recitals featured Albert Gerken and Karel Keldermans performing original compositions and arrangements by Ronald Barnes (1927-1997). This evening of special tribute to North America's premier composer for the instrument was especially meaningful to festival audiences who had come to know Ron Barnes as a frequent participant and visitor to the Festival. During the rest of the week, Barnes' works were prominently featured in recitals by other guest carillonneurs. Huge crowds gathered Saturday evening for the traditional gala fireworks to the accompaniment of carillon music.

Prospectus: French Carillon School

The French Carillon School was established in 1971 in Tourcoing and has been associated with the Conservatoire National de Région de Douai since September, 1997. During the academic year, instruction is given at all levels: beginners, amateurs, professional, advanced, and virtuosity. Lessons are given regularly on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and are available on other days by appointment. Intensive sessions are available for those traveling from afar. Applied lessons are given alternately on practice consoles, the mobile carillon, and the belfry carillon. There is a mid-year exam, and a final exam with an international jury is held in mid-June to determine the award to be presented according to the guidelines of the National Music Conservatories: * Mentions: at the initial, preparatory, and elementary levels * Medals and Practice Diploma: at the middle level * Carillonneur Diploma: upon completion of program of study * Gold, Vermeil, Silver, and Bronze Medals: advanced level * Prizes and Certificates of Merit: superior level. (The Master Carillonneur Diploma is awarded as the Premier Prix at this level.) Since its inception, the French Carillon School has awarded twenty carillonneur diplomas (nine to foreigners) and ten Master Carillonneur Diplomas (three to foreigners). A class of virtuosity, a class for the preparation for international competitions, and a special course for the preparation for the State Diploma and Certificate of Aptitude for carillon instruction were recently established. There is an annual registration fee but no tuition. For information and registration, contact: Ecole Française de Carillon; 39, rue de l'Université; 59500 Douai; France. Phone/Fax: 33.3.27.93.58.33. Lessons are available in Tourcoing-contact Bruno Membrey; rue Paul Doumer; 59200 Tourcoing. Beginners can study in Dijon-contact M. Alain Chobert; 2 rue de Tillot; 21000 Dijon.

Kansas Congress Report

In the spring of 1854 the Massachusetts legislature chartered the New England Emigrant Aid Company, whose mission was to promote the settlement of Kansas by people who opposed slavery. Among the towns founded under its direction was Lawrence, and it was there that the University of Kansas was established. Central to its lovely campus, located on Mount Oread, is the World War II Memorial Campanile with its carillon.

Hosted by University Carillonneur Albert Gerken and the University's Department of Music and Dance, 132 individuals participated in the 55th Congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, June 3-7, 1997, which celebrated the instrument's restoration and with it the lives and contributions of four individuals whose careers as composers are inextricably linked to the carillon and to the University. Honored were Ronald Barnes, Roy Hamlin Johnson, John Pozdro and Gary White, who took inspiration from the magnificent Taylor carillon and contributed to the profession beyond words. Through recitals and presentations, the delegates, representing Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, The Netherlands and The United States of America, witnessed in glorious measure the significance of those contributions and of the instrument that inspired them.

John Gouwens played the opening recital, which included two compositions commissioned by the GCNA: Figments (1982) by Gary White, and Easter Dawning (1992) by George Crumb. Albert Gerken, like Gouwens, featured each of the four composers being honored, and premiered two works: Roy Hamlin Johnson's Winter Fanfares (1996), commissioned by the Department of Music and Dance and dedicated to Gerken, and Winds of Autumn, by John Pozdro. Other recitalists were Robert Byrnes, Don Cook, Bill De Turk, David Hunsberger, Karel Keldermans, Brian Swager, and Sally Slade Warner.

Six individuals were accorded Carillonneur status by vote of the Guild after playing successful examination recitals: Elaine Brewer, a Lawrence, Kansas freelance harpist; Helen Hawley, Organist/Choir Director at Plymouth Congregational Church, Lawrence; Rosemary Laing of Victoria, British Columbia, who is Carillonneur of the Netherlands Centennial Carillon, Organist at First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Music Specialist at the University of Victoria; Patrick Macoska, Organist/Choirmaster at St. Mary's of Redford, Detroit, Michigan; Suzanne Magassy, Carillonneur at the National Carillon, Canberra, Australia, and the only person outside of North America  to have become a Carillonneur member of the GCNA; and Gloria Werblow, Carillonneur at the Rainbow Tower Carillon, Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Carillonneur/Handbell Director at Calvary Episcopal Church, Williamsville, New York.

Presentations were enlightening and enjoyable. Mark Holmberg provided a historical overview of the KU carillon. Don Cook conducted a presentation/discussion on carillon music that meets pedagogical needs. Karel Keldermans described Gillett and Johnston's impact on carillon design in North America, focusing on the Rockefeller Chapel instrument at the University of Chicago. Brian Swager continued his description, begun in a Cohasset presentation, of baroque performance practice for carillonneurs, while Bill De Turk, anticipating his own recital, discussed the work of Samuel Barber, Gian-Carlo Menotti and Nino Rota while composers-in-residence at Bok Tower. In a session on Russian campanology, Edward Williams reviewed some of the more spectacular projects of Russian bellfounders.

George Gregory, joined in performance by Guild volunteers and KU music faculty, demonstrated the use of cup-shaped bells. John Pozdro led a session on composing, Andrea McCrady offered suggestions on how to play the carillon so as to avoid injury, and Roy Hamlin Johnson recalled his early efforts to learn how to compose for the carillon. Two new instruments were highlighted in illustrated presentations:  Margo Halsted introduced the Lurie Carillon, located on the north campus of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and Beverly Buchanan described the Carillon Beach instrument, located at Panama City, Florida. Milford Myhre and Ronald Barnes gave a master class. There were tours of the Reuter Organ Company, and two KU students performed on the recently completed Wolff organ in the new Bales Recital Hall. John Agraz, Arla Jo Anderton, and John Courter were elected board members at-large.

Meeks and Watson hosted a welcoming reception, and Schulmerich hosted a closing ice cream social at the Campanile. The John Taylor Bellfounders hosted a candlelight buffet at the Dyche Natural History Museum. The Verdin Company hosted the annual pizza party at historic Liberty Hall, with entertainment by the Chuck Berg Quartet. The Royal Eijsbouts Bellfounders hosted the Congress banquet at KU's Adams Alumni Center, after which Bert Gerken formally introduced and thanked Ron Barnes, Roy Johnson, John Pozdro, and Gary White.

Profile: University of Kansas

The World War II Memorial Carillon and Campanile, inspired by the memories of classmates, teachers, friends, and relatives, stands as the most outstanding visual symbol of the University of Kansas.

In 1945, Kansas Supreme Court Justice Hugo T. "Dutch" Wedell, secretary of the Kansas Alumni Association Fred Ellsworth, Chancellor Deane W. Malott, and their tireless volunteers began a campaign which would raise $343,000 from 8,000 individuals to build KU's memorial to its war dead, the 276 students and faculty whose names appear in the Memorial Room of the Campanile, and to additional individuals in whose memory bells and donations were given. Through many people's efforts, the World War II Memorial Carillon and Campanile was constructed. The Belgian Anton Brees, then carillonneur at Lake Wales, Florida, and Duke University, played the dedicatory recital to over 7000 listeners on May 27, 1951. Thus, KU became one of the first universities in the nation to complete a major World War II memorial. An inscription in the Memorial Room at the base of the tower reads: "Free government does not bestow repose upon its citizens, but sets them in the vanguard of battle to defend the liberty of every man."

The Campanile is 120 feet tall and made of native Kansas limestone quarried in Cottonwood Falls and Junction City. It was inspired by a plan by Olin Templin and designed by Kansas City architects Homer F. Neville (class of '22) and Edward B. Delk. The fifty-three bronze bells were cast by the John Taylor Foundry in 1950 and range in weight from 12 pounds to 13,490 pounds. The bourdon is keyed to G and sounds F-sharp. Frank Godfrey supervised the design, casting, and installation of the KU bells.

State of Kansas funds provided for maintenance of the Campanile structure itself, but there was never a maintenance fund for the musical instrument inside. Because the carillon received only minimal maintenance after the day of its dedication in 1951, use and time took their toll. By 1991 the carillon had fallen into disrepair, with no funds available for restoration. Deterioration was so extensive that the cost for repair had risen to $425,000. It needed new playing and practice consoles, new bell clappers and hardware, an entire new mechanical action, and a bell frame.

Fortunately for the beloved campus landmark and everyone who cherished it, Keith and Joan Bunnel, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, contributed the entire $425,000, because they cared deeply about the carillon and those to whom it was dedicated.

The bells were silenced in 1993 to begin renovation. The Verdin Company of Cincinnati performed the work, and the new consoles were supplied by Meeks, Watson, & Company. That same year, former Chancellor Deane Malott of Ithaca, New York, agreed to lead a campaign to establish a $200,000 endowed maintenance fund that will provide annual inspection and upkeep of the carillon, in order to avoid the same deterioration that occurred in the first forty years. With Malott's leadership and the inspiration of the Keith and Joan Bunnel gift, nearly one thousand alumni responded to the call, exceeding the campaign's goal and ensuring that the KU carillon remains in perfect condition forevermore.

Ronald Barnes was University Carillonneur from 1951 to 1963 during which period the instrument was influential in the development of a North American school of carillon composition. Primary in this movement were KU composers Roy Hamlin Johnson, John Pozdro, and Gary White.

The University Carillonneur since 1963 has been Professor Albert Gerken of the KU Department of Music and Dance in the School of Fine Arts. Gerken supervised the entire carillon renovation and played the rededication on April 26, 1996.

Slater to Retire

James "Bud" Slater will retire from his position
as Carillonneur of the Metropolitan United Church in Toronto, Ontario. With his
final Sunday on the job on March 28, Slater will mark the conclusion of his
35th year as carillonneur of the church. His association with the instrument
actually commenced in late 1954, and his first official recital was played
before the Sunday evening service May 22, 1955 under the watchful eye of his
tutor, Stanley James. Slater was appointed Assistant Carillonneur in 1959. During his tenure at Metropolitan, he had temporary appointments at other Ontario carillon locations, i.e., in Toronto at Exhibition Place and the University of Toronto, as well as Niagara Falls. He appeared frequently as guest carillonneur at the towers in Simcoe, Hamilton, and Ottawa, as well as Montréal, Que., and Victoria, B.C.

Slater became a student member of the Guild of Carillonneurs
in North America in 1955 and qualified as a carillonneur member in 1957 upon
passing an exam at the Guild's congress in Cleveland, Ohio. From 1969 to 1971
Slater served as GCNA president and subsequently, he and his wife, Cecilia,
hosted the Guild's Toronto Congress in 1972. James Slater is the father of
Gordon Slater who since 1977 has served as Dominion Carillonneur at the Peace
Tower Carillon in the Houses of Parliament in Ottawa.

On the eve of his 70th birthday in January, 1997, Bud cites
stairclimbing, cranky knees and reluctant elbows as his reasons for retirement.

1997 GCNA Congress

The Department of Music and Dance and Professor of Music
Albert Gerken have announced that the 1997 Congress of the Guild of
Carillonneurs in North America will be held at the University of Kansas, June
4-7. Major presenters will include Bill De Turk, George Gregory, Mark Holmberg,
Associate Professor of Music Theory at KU, Karel Keldermans, Roy Hamlin
Johnson, Brian Swager, and Edward Williams, Associate Dean of the Graduate
School of Penn State.

With ca. 28,000 students, the University of Kansas is in
Lawrence, a community of ca. 70,000. Directly off Interstate 70, Lawrence is
located about 250 miles from the geographical center of the U.S.A. The
picturesque campus of the University of Kansas is situated atop Mount Oread
overlooking the Kaw River valley to the north and the Wakarusa valley to the
south. Not flat as most foreigners picture Kansas, there will be some climbing
to do to get to various places. The Campanile is central to the campus
overlooking the football stadium and Kansas river valley. It was provided by
alumni and friends of the University as a memorial to the 276 KU students and
faculty who died in World War II.

Unquestionably the most prominent and central feature of the
campus, the 120-foot tall World War II memorial tower houses a 41/2-octave
carillon, cast in 1950 by the John Taylor Foundry. Transposing down a half
step, the 53 bells range in weight from 13,490 lbs. to 12 lbs. The instrument,
which was dedicated in May, 1951, with Anton Brees playing the dedicatory
recitals, was rededicated on April 26, 1996, following a complete renovation by
the I.T. Verdin Company with new consoles supplied by Meeks, Watson &
Company. The new radial action is void of any counter weights and assisted only
by coil springs. The sound is full and resonant but light in the top register,
typical of Taylor bells of that vintage.

Major funding for the renovation was provided by Honorary
members of The GCNA, and Keith and Joan Bunnel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Both were born and raised in Holmboldt, Kansas, not far from Lawrence, and
Keith Bunnel attended the University of Kansas, graduating in 1946. He was
president of his class and served on the World War II committee that selected
the Campanile and carillon as the memorial project to honor those who were
killed in battle.

The importance of the University of Kansas carillon has been
significant in that it has been at the center of a new genre of carillon
composition since the 1950s. Indeed, until the mid 1950s, very little music of
any significance had been written for the carillon. It was the likes of Ronald
Barnes, the first carillonneur at the University of Kansas, Roy Hamlin Johnson,
formerly of the KU piano faculty, John Pozdro, Professor Emeritus of
Composition and Music Theory at the University, and Gary White, one of Pozdro's
former graduate students in composition, who were the central figures
responsible for creating this wealth of marvelous and exciting new music. Their
works brought about recognition for the carillon as an instrument worthy of
recital status.

Because of the significance of their tremendous contribution
to the art form, many of their works will be featured in recitals during the
congress. It will be a meaningful experience to hear many of these works that
were written for this instrument or carillons of similar timbre. Two new
carillon compositions by Roy Hamlin Johnson and John Pozdro, commissioned by
the KU Department of Music and Dance and The GCNA respectively, will be
premiered at the congress.

Tours of the Reuter Organ Company will be made available to
participants and the beautiful new Wolff concert organ in the recently
completed Bales Recital Hall will be demonstrated and played. This is a
one-of-a-kind instrument you must see and hear.

Registration information is available from congress host
Albert Gerken, Department of Music and Dance, Murphy Hall, The University of
Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045.

"Overtones"

Beginning last October, new bells rang out up and down the
Avenue of the Arts (Broad Street) in Philadelphia. Thirty-nine Eijsbouts bells
were installed, each on top of a light post, weighing from 40 to 300 pounds.
The creator, Robert Coburn, a sound artist and composer from California,
describes the "worlds longest horizontal carillon" as a half-mile
long piano with the capability of playing pre-programmed or live music on an
electronic ivory keyboard which will be located in the basement of the Academy
of Music.

In observance of the 68th anniversary of The Rochester
Carillon, two special performances were given. Dean Robinson's program on
September 16 included favorite songs of the Mayo brothers. David Johnson of St.
Paul, MN, was the guest recitalist on September 17. The Rochester Carillon was
dedicated on September 17, 1928, and is located in the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minnesota.

David McCain sends word of a new 49-bell carillon at the
First Baptist Church on the Square in LaGrange, Georgia, replete with
"ninety-two electrical connections from the bells to the keyboard and
computer."

In response to a request from Unesco for a program
commemorating the tenth anniversary of the accident at Chernobyl, carillonneurs
Charles Semovich and Pieter Blonk gave a recital at the Albany City Hall in
Albany, New York, on April 26, 1996. Works performed included Lagrima by
Francisco Tárrega, Bells of Hell by Theophil Rusterholz, and Larence
Curry's Prelude on "Dies Irae." Both Charles and Pieter were shown
playing the Albany carillon on the Channel 13 news broadcast.

The fourth annual Keyboard Explorations junior high school
summer music camp was hosted by the Iowa State University Music Department from
June 17-22, 1996. Participants had the opportunity to learn about various kinds
of keyboard instruments and had hands-on experiences in playing them. Eight
participants studied carillon under ISU University Carillonneur Tin-shi Tam.
Two carillon concerts were performed by students towards the end of the week.

After over a decade of silence, inactivity, and exposure to
the elements, the 23-bell carillon located on the property of Schulmerich Carillons, Inc. in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, rang again in a recital given by Lisa Lonie (Trinity Church, Holland, PA) on September 21. Approximately 250 listeners attended the recital which marked the end of a five-day sales and service conference. The carillon, cast in 1928 by Gillett and Johnston, was moved to its present location in 1952 from Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1979, Frank Law, carillonneur at Valley Forge, began a nightly summer recital series in Sellersville which continued for six years.

Competition winners

The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America has awarded
Second Prize to two composers in its 1996 Carillon Composition Competition. (No
First Prize was awarded.) The winning compositions were Nocturne
style='font-style:normal'> by Ennis Fruhauf, of Santa Barbara, California (USA)
and Prelude con Fughetta by
Marcel Siebers, of Cuyk, The Netherlands. Both compositions were given their
première performance by Todd Fair, of Amsterdam (Netherlands), at the
congress of the GCNA on June 4, 1996 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church,
Cohasset, Massachusetts. Both composers received a cash prize, and both pieces
will be published by the guild in the near future. Another competition is
planned for January of 1998.

Premières

A new carillon composition, Winter Song
style='font-style:normal'>, by Roy Hamlin Johnson, was given its
première performance by John Gouwens on June 26, 1996 on the carillon of
the Town Hall in Norwood, Massachusetts, at the congress of the Guild of
Carillonneurs in North America. The new piece was commissioned by the Johan
Franco Composition Committee of the GCNA and is published by the guild. Many of
Dr. Johnson's earlier compositions are staples of the repertory of
carillonneurs throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
This is the sixth carillon composition to the commissioned by the GCNA.

Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.

The 1999 Congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America was held at Iowa State University in Ames. University Carillonneur Tin-shi Tam hosted the congress. Ten candidates played successful examination recitals and were awarded “carillonneur” membership status: Elizabeth Berghout of Lawrence, Kansas; Jeremy Chesman; Michael Conrady; Ryan Hebert of Lawrence, Kansas; Julianne Vanden Wyngaard of Grandville, Michigan; Hisako Konno of Ashiya, Japan; Frecky Lewis of St. Louis, Missouri; David Maker of Storrs, Connecticut; Adrien Tien of Australia; and Rändel Wolfe. A special ceremony at the city hall of Douai, France, on 18 December 1998 honored retiring municipal carillonneur and director of the French Carillon School, Jacques Lannoy. Stéfano Colletti was appointed as Lannoy’s successor.

James R. Lawson, carillonneur of the Crystal Cathedral, in Garden Grove, California, was feted on the occasion of his 80th birthday, May 25, 1999. Senior Pastor Robert H. Schuller interviewed Lawson during a Sunday morning service. Lawson, seated at the console in the 236-foot Crean Tower, was surrounded by TV cameras and cables that were hoisted up for the event. This enabled taping for an Hour of Power telecast and alllowed the congregation to see via a giant JumboTron TV screen in the cathedral. Lawson has been the carillonneur at the Crystal Cathedral since its dedication in September, 1990. The Arvella Schuller Carillon is one of the few carillons in the world to have bells tuned with a major-third overtone rather than the typical minor third.

The organization Eurocarillon in conjunction with Dordrecht carillonneurs Henry Groen and Boudewijn Zwart organized a large festival of carillon activities in The Netherlands from May through September, 1999. The Eurocarillon “Survival Tour” was a bicycle tour of carillons in the Utrecht and South Holland provinces. A series of “Open Tower” concerts featured Eurocarillon performers from other countries in Europe. An exhibition “Dat klinkt als een klok” (That rings a bell) was presented in the Grote Kerk in Dordrecht with the help of Dr. André Lehr, curator of the National Carillon Museum in Asten. Several projects were organized around special themes such as the music of J.S. Bach, Dutch carillon music, carillon duets, CD recordings, and new music for carillon by Joep Straesser.

American organist and carillonneur Amy Johansen joined the Carillon Society of Australia and was named an honorary carillonneur at Sydney University. Her first exposure to the carillon came in 1981 when a new instrument was installed at the University of Florida in Gainesville where she was an undergraduate organ student. Amy was appointed official Sydney University organist in November 1998.

Profile: Oldenzaal, The Netherlands

A small industrial town in the eastern Netherlands, Oldenzaal lies just north of Enschede and near the German border. The streets in the town of Oldenzaal are laid out concentrically and lead to the St. Plechelmus Church. The building was begun in the first half of the 12th century as a Romanesque sandstone cross basilica. Through the centuries the church has undergone modifications, fires, restorations, and Gothic additions.

A 42-bell carillon was founded for the church in 1930 by the British firm Gillett & Johnston. Toon van Balkom, municipal carillonneur of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, played the dedicatory recital. Miraculously, the instrument escaped the German plunder of bells during the Second World War. Three bass bells (D, E, and F-sharp) were added by the Eijsbouts firm in 1949, and a tolling bell made for the tower in 1493 by Geert van Wou was tuned (to C, ca. 2400 kg.) and incorporated into the carillon as the bourdon. With the addition of two more treble bells (B and C) in 1965, the instrument reached a four-octave range. Five of the bass bells (C, D, E, G, and A) serve double duty as tolling bells. Hylke Banning has been carillonneur of the St. Plechelmus Church since 1992. He plays market recitals, April through September, on Friday evenings at 7:30. A special summer series features guest recitalists during July and August. Other carillons in this area of Holland known as Twente can be found in nearby Hengelo (city hall), Enschede (Grote Kerk), Alemlo (St. Georgiuskerk), and on the campus of the University of Twente.

“Le Nadalet”

Le Nadelet is an old bell tradition that fills the air with sonorous ringing each December. The tradition is common in the south of France, the Langue d’Oc, and involves sounding bells during the days preceding Christmas. The term “Nadalet” is the most common, but others such as “Gaudinas,” “Gaudetas,” and “Aubetas” are used in some areas. In some communities, the Nadalet begins on December 13, but not until the 17th in others. In general it seems that the celebration begins on the later date in cities and on the earlier date in the country. Since the period of Nadalet corresponds exactly to the Grandes Antiennes, the great Advent antiphons which begin on December 17, it appears that the Nadalet is a sonorous reflection of this liturgial tradition. J.P. Carme suggests that the discrepancy between dates could be due to liturgical developments. The Roman liturgy that was introduced in the middle of the 19th century has only seven antiphons in the breviary whereas the old neo-Gallic liturgy of the 18th century has three more. The more traditional rural areas tend to preserve the ancient custom. The clangor of bells is not totally haphazard but is presented in a particular manner. For example, in the city of Castres, the Nadalet sounds each evening from the 17th to the 23rd of December. At 7:00 pm all the bells in the city are tolled in a gradiose sonnerie. After a quarter of an hour the tolling slowly subsides and a single bell continues to swing for a few moments longer. After the carillonneur halts this final bell, he strikes it nine times to symbolize the three times three strokes of the Angelus. Then he begins to play old Christmas carols. The tolling on Christmas Eve takes on a different character and precedes the midnight mass. A final sonnerie is heard on Christmas day at noon. The history of this and other bell traditions of Castres and the south of France is in Jean-Pierre Carme’s book Le livre des cloches de Castres, available for 50 FF plus postage from the author at “Le Moulin du ramier”-Route de Sémalens-F81710 SAIX-France. Phone 33-5-6374-8760.