Carillon News

Brian Swager is a contributing editor of THE DIAPASON.

Day of the American Carillonneur

Dave Hunsberger is assistant carillonneur at the University of California in Berkeley amd Organist and Director of Music at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Berkeley. He contributes the following report of activities in Utrecht.

People have lived at the location of modern Utrecht at least since AD 47, when the Romans built a fort at exactly the site the medieval builders chose for their cathedral twelve centuries later. The tower rose first, beginning in 1254, then the choir and transepts, and finally the nave. Work stopped in 1517, and then in 1674 a tornado laid flat the inadequately-buttressed nave. Only in 1826 did the city finally clear the rubble to make way for the fine Domplein we find today, separating the 112-meter tower from the surviving part of the church.

At least as early as the 1630s, Jacob van Eijck played music of some sophistication on the bells of the Dom Tower. The old bells retired from carillon service when, in 1663, the city invited Pieter and François Hemony to cast a new 35-bell instrument, whose bourdon of about 2750 kg sounded B. The Hemony carillon has grown several times, with the contributions of Melchoir de Haze, Severinus van Aerschodt, van Bergen, Taylor, and Eijsbouts. As a consequence of the 1972–74 rebuilding by Eijsbouts, today its 50 bells (16 by Eijsbouts and 34 by the Hemonys) sound clear and full, in meantone temperament, with a 7000+ kg bourdon sounding F-sharp (attached to G), and with a keyboard compass of G, B-flat, c1, d1 through 5. The carillon resides in the tower's upper bell chamber, a climb of some 70 meters from the street.

On 15 August 1998, one day after the world congress ended in Belgium, Utrecht opened its tower and its sunny sky to a Day of American Carillon Art. Host Arie Abbenes invited American carilloners Wylie Crawford, Todd Fair, Margo Halsted, and David Hunsberger to perform. Three of their 30-minute recitals contained exclusively works by Americans, and the fourth included also two Baroque pieces arranged by Americans and a work by Kamiel Lefévere, a Belgian who spent his career in New York. The performers all remarked on the challenge of choosing representative music by composers who unquestionably and unquestioningly wrote for the possibilities and limitations of equal temperament. They then performed the chosen works on the meantone instrument, tellingly revealing its particular musical beauties while sidestepping its hazards. Mr. Abbenes also played the elegant light 31/2-octave instrument nearby at the Nicolaïkerk, which includes Hemony bells from 1649.

The day rang rich with other events. At the opening ceremonies the Mayor honored American composer John Courter for his contributions to carillon literature. Later, Mr. Abbenes spoke on the contrasts and the interplay between the American and Dutch carillon cultures, and Milford Myhre offered a program of slides and recordings on the art of the carillon in North America. Jan Janssen and four assistants presented a colorful concert of works by Americans using the Bätz/Van Vulpen organ in the Dom, and Stephen Taylor gave insightful readings in a program of works by composers who have emigrated, on the landmark 1957 Marcussen organ at the Nicolaïkerk, the instrument that helped set the standard for the organ reform movement of succeeding decades. The day ended with a grand barbeque in the serene Gothic cloister garden.

But for all the day's fine moments, the Dom tower itself may have provided the most unforgettable for most listeners, when the Utrecht Bellringers' Guild coaxed the 14 swinging bells (which weigh a total of about 32,000 kg) in the lower chamber to unite their bronze throats in a great Stentorian midday roar.

1995 GCNA Congress

The 53rd Congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America was held at Princeton University, June 21-25, 1995. Robin Austin, Carillonneur of Princeton University, served as host. There were 114 registered participants representing Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Ireland, The Netherlands, and the USA. The Congress served as a commemoration of Professor Arthur Lynds Bigelow (1910-1967), Princeton's first carillonneur and one of America's first campanologists. Bigelow hosted GCNA Congresses at Princeton in 1946 and 1966.

Guild President Larry Weinstein opened the Congress with a recital on the Princeton University Carillon. His program featured Ronald Barnes' Capriccio 3, commissioned by the University for the rededication of the renovated instrument in 1993. Other congress recitalists included Janet Dundore, Carillonneur at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh, PA; Richard Watson, campanologist and designer of the refitted Princeton carillon; Jeff Davis, Assistant Carillonneur at the University of California, Berkeley; Tin-shi Tam, Carillonneur at Iowa State University; and Luc Rombouts, Carillonneur at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium and City Carillonneur of Tienen, Belgium.

An excursion on Friday enabled participants to visit two other area carillons. Robert Byrnes, Carillonneur at the University of Northern Iowa, was heard in recital at Grace Church in Plainfield, New Jersey. Arie Abbenes, instructor at The Netherlands Carillon School and City Carillonneur of Utrecht, Eindhoven, Asten, and Oirschot, performed at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Morristown, New Jersey. Richard Morgan, Organist and Choirmaster of St. Peter's Church, demonstrated the 1930 E.M. Skinner organ there as well as playing a recital on the organ in the Princeton University Chapel.

John Agraz presented a case study on carillon maintenance and construction, stemming from his experiences with the Berkeley carillon. Karel Keldermans and Richard Watson made presentations on the North American Standard for carillon keyboard construction. Milford Myhre and Sally Slade Warner led a workshop on arranging music for carillon—participants had sent in arrangements and transcriptions in advance for commentary at the Congress. Jo Haazen gave a talk on the Belgian Carillon School, of which she is director. Arie Abbenes and Jacques Maassen presented the Dutch Carillon School's video production on carillon playing technique. Luc Rombouts reported on the recent discovery (April, 1995) of a  manuscript of the carillon works of Matthias van den Gheyn which includes six unknown works.

Princeton University Archivist Ben Primer organized an exhibit on Arthur Bigelow and the "Class of 1892 Bells" from materials in the Bigelow Papers at Firestone Library. Chimemasters Bob Feldman and Donald Beer organized activities at Trinity Church for those who play chime. The church has a 12-bell Meneely/Paccard chime.

Officers for 1995-96 include Larry Weinstein, President; Gloria Werblow, Vice-President; Phillip Burgess, Treasurer; Janet Tebbel, Corresponding Secretary; and David Hunsberger, Recording Secretary. Jane Tebbel, Jeff Davis, and Andrea McCrady were elected as members at-large of the board.

A certificate of extraordinary service was awarded to Margo Halsted upon completion of her 15-year editorship of Carillon News, the newsletter of the GCNA. Her successor in that position in Brian Swager. Honorary membership  status was conferred on Albert Bertram, Walter Pittis, Gary Walker, and Ronald Barnes. Lori Lamma, a student of Ronald Barnes, played an advancement recital and was voted into carillonneur membership.

The Royal Eijsbous Bellfoundry sponsored an elegant banquet. John Taylor Bellfounders sponsored a luncheon at St. Peter's in Morristown. And the Verdin Company sponsored the annual pizza party. As a post-congress event, Janet Dundore and Janet Tebbel organized a tour of Philadelphia-area carillons. Sally Slade Warner extended an invitation to the 1996 Congress which she will host in Cohasset, Massachusetts, June 25-28.

GCNA composition competition

The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America is sponsoring a composition competition for new music for carillon. The piece must be written for an instrument of up to 48 bells with a compass of C, D, D#, thence chromatic through c3. First and second prizes will be $800 and $400, respectively. The deadline for entries is January 15, 1966. Winning compositions will be performed at a congress of the GCNA and will be published by that organization. A 90-minute video tape demonstrating aspects of playing and composing for the carillon, geared toward composers, is available for $15 postpaid. For competition rules and to obtain the video tape, contact John Gouwens; Att. Composition Competition; CMA #133; 1300 Academy Road; Culver, IN 46511-1291.

Send Carillon News to Dr. Brian Swager, Indiana University, School of Music, Bloomington, IN 47405.

Profile: Utrecht, The Netherlands

Situated amongst the picturesque canals in the heart of Utrecht, the freestanding Dom Tower was connected with the Dom Church until a storm destroyed the church on the first of August, 1674. The tower was built in the years 1321-1382 in gothic style and was restored in the beginning of the 20th century. It has served as an example for many other Dutch towers. Of the three sections, the first two are square and of brick construction, the third is octagonal and built with natural stone. The ornate tower reaches the vertiginous height of 112 meters (367 feet)--the highest of all Dutch church towers.

In 1663 the city council of Utrecht ordered a 35-bell carillon from François and Pieter Hemony. This carillon, one of their last instruments, had as its bourdon a B(0) weighing 6056 pounds. The famous Hemony brothers were from Lorraine and worked as itinerant bellfounders until establishing themselves in the Dutch city of Zutphen in 1641. It was there in the year 1644 that, with the help of Utrecht Dom carillonneur Jacob van Eyck, they succeeded in tuning a series of carillon bells. They tuned in meantone.

Before the major tower restoration in 1902 there were a few modifications to the carillon. In 1695 seven bells made by Melchior de Haze were added. In 1888 Severinus van Aerschodt replaced one of the Hemony bells. During the period of the tower restoration which went from 1900 through 1930, considerable modifications were made to the carillon between 1902 and 1907. A modern steel frame was made to support the bells. The founder Van Bergen of Heiligerlee supplied C-sharp and E-flat bells for the bass octave in 1906; these were removed in 1951. In 1928 and 1929 the Van Aerschodt bell and one of the De Haze bells were replaced by Taylor bells. A rather extensive renovation was done in 1951. The Eijsbouts foundry replaced the De Haze bells, one of the Taylor bells, as well as a broken Hemony bell. The carillon was also extended to four octaves (47 bells) at this point.

In 1965 it became evident that rust was affecting the 1906 frame A thorough restoration, not only of the technical installation but also the bells, was deemed necessary. Between 1972 and 1974 the steel frame was replaced by a wooden frame. The Hemony bells were retuned in order to level out the effect of three centuries of corrosion. All of the non-Hemony bells were replaced by new (1972) Eijsbouts bells. Furthermore, three new bass bells were provided, the largest of which weighs upwards of 15,000 pounds.

There are now 34 Hemony bells and 16 Eijsbouts bells. The keyboard range is G, B-flat, c1, d1, then chromatic through c5. The carillon transposes down one half-step, hence the bourdon sounds F-sharp. This transposition is the result of the historical phenomenon of "c-orgeltoon" which was a B, when a¢ was 415 Hz rather than the standard present day pitch of a'=440 Hz. The Hemonys cast a total of seven carillons based on a B, three of which no longer exist.

The original automatic playing mechanism built by master clock maker Jurriaan Spraeckel of Zutphen is still in use in the Utrecht Dom Tower and plays the lowest three octaves of the carillon. The F-sharp bourdon sounds the hours, and the B(0) sounds the half-hours.

The following dactylic verse by A. den Besten appears on the bourdon:

DAGELIJKS ROEP IK U TOE,

DAG EN NACHT SPEL IK U HOE LAAT HET IS, HOE VER GIJ ZIJT: LEEF EN HEB  LIEF, HET IS TIJD!

[Daily I call out to you

Day and night I play you what

Time it is, how far you are:

Live and let live, it is time!]

Arie Abbenes is Municipal Carillonneur not only of Utrecht but also in Eindhoven, Oirschot, and Asten. He teaches at the Dutch Carillon School in  Amersfoort. Abbenes studied carillon with Peter Bakker in Hilversum and with Piet van den Broek in Mechelen, and he received the final diploma of the Royal Belgian Carillon School in 1968 with great distinction.

The carillon of the Dom Tower is played every Saturday from 11 am to noon. There is a summer series of evening recitals, Mondays at 8 pm during July and August. Additionally, Utrecht hosts a yearly Holland Early Music Festival at the end of August and beginning of September in which the carillon plays a part.

The Utrecht Dom Tower is also known for its impressive set of 14 tolling bells. While the carillon bells hang at a height of about 230 feet, this peal is at 165 feet. The six heaviest and one of the lighter bells were cast in 1505/1506 by Geert van Wou of Kampen. Van Wou originally cast a diatonic series of 13 bells for the Dom Tower, but in 1664 the smallest seven were sold and melted to finance the new carillon. In 1982 these were replaced by new bells cast by the Eijsbouts Bellfoundry of Asten. The 14th bell is of unknown origin. In this day and age, most tolling bells are swung electrically, but the bells in the Utrecht Dom are rung by hand. This means that some 70,000 pounds of bronze must be brought into motion manually. It takes four people to ring Salvator, the largest bell, which weighs 18,000 pounds. This task has been performed by members of the Utrecht Bell Tollers' Guild since 1979.

Also worthy of mention in Utrecht is the National Museum "Van Speelklok tot Pierement" where all manner of automatic music instruments--from violins and musical clocks to street organs, orchestrions, and dance-hall organs--are displayed and demonstrated.

Historical Carillon Recording

Historische Beiaardopnamen - Volume 1 - 1925-1950. Vlaamse Beiaardvereniging, 2000.

The Flemish Carillon Guild has begun a compact disc series featuring historical carillon recordings. The first CD documents the carillon art in Flanders during the period between 1925 and 1950. The recordings, taken from the archives of the Flemish Radio & Television and from the archives of the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn," are invaluable sources of information.

Several carillons are heard in conditions which no longer exist: either they were completely retuned (Ghent), completely or partially destroyed during World War II (Nivelles), or recently replaced by new instruments (Oudenaarde). These recordings are our only link to the former sound of these instruments. They demonstrate that some carillons had a surprisingly warm timbre, but that the majority were quite out of tune.

Another revealing aspect of the CD is the interpretation of the performers:  Jef Denyn, founding director of the Belgian Carillon School, his celebrated colleagues Staf Nees and Léon Henry, as well as seven less well known carillonneurs. Their manner of playing often reveals the technical condition of the instrument:  a stiff connection between the keys and clappers was inherent to nearly every carillon. That they succeeded nonetheless in virtuosic and finely nuanced performances is a testament to the talent of carillonneurs such as Jef Denyn.  His legendary musicality is substantiated, for example, in the sublime interpretation of his own Prelude in B-flat--and this at age 76!

The CD is divided into two parts.  The first features Jef Denyn and Staf Nees, the first two directors of the Belgian Carillon School, performing primarily their own compositions. Additional tracks include Jef Denyn speaking about the Carillon School, and an interview of Staf Nees by Karel Albert Goris (Marnix Gijsen) which includes comments on the influence of Jef Denyn.  The second part is a series of sound documents in which the focus is on the sound of the instrument itself rather than the interpretation. This part includes the Hemony carillon of Ghent and the Du Mery carillon of Brugge before they were retuned. One piece is played on the Mechelen World Exposition carillon (1938) which was installed at Stanford University in 1941.

The cover photo shows the playing console in the St. Rombout's Tower in Mechelen--a vivid example of a bygone era. For a genuine impression of the state of affairs during the period in question, this CD is indispensable. Any filtering which would have altered the timbre and adversely affected the authenticity of the recordings was avoided in the editing process. The primitive recording equipment with which the original recordings were made provides for a nostalgic character such as it would have sounded on an old phonograph.

One track features Jef Denyn speaking in 1937 (translated from Flemish):  "The Carillon School was founded in Mechelen in August, 1922, in commemoration of my 35 years as carillonneur.  Its purpose is to train excellent carillonneurs to play the instrument artistically and sensitively. The curriculum consists of playing both manual and pedal; secondly:  the automatic carillon, theory, adapting accompaniments, knowledge of the notes and names. Applied:  arranging music, programming the automatic carillon, carillon construction."

Interview of Staf Nees by Karel Albert Goris (Marnix Gijsen)

Mr. Nees, what do you think was the significance of your great predecessor?

Above all I believe that Jef Denyn is the one who revived the carillon art which in general had waned by the end of the previous century. I must say, however, that Mechelen kept the tradition going, a tradition that Denyn perpetuated by founding the Carillon School in 1922.

The work of our great master carillonneur is significant in that, beginning in Mechelen, he resurrected the carillon art by renovating neglected or poorly installed carillons, by building new instruments, by having other cities organize evening concerts in the Mechelen tradition, and last but not least by creating and promoting a carillon repertory that had been virtually nonexistent and is now known both here and abroad.

And of course I must ask you Mr. Nees, how many carillonneurs has the school in Mechelen trained so far?

Well, we can't say exactly, but there have been approximately 250, and note that these were students from fifteen different countries. The best of these students are now working not just in Belgium but all over the world. Under Mechelen's impulse, a new carillon school has been established in The Netherlands that helps to promote the carillon art. Our former students are also active in countries such as France, England, Ireland, Denmark, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, etc.

So you're saying that it is thanks to Jef Denyn that the carillon art is thriving once again?

Absolutely. We owe everything to Jef Denyn and the traditions maintained in Mechelen. His influence continues to have an impact and to grow. Take for example the ever increasing number of new carillons here and elsewhere. In this respect, we can easily compare our time with the carillon art's most flourishing period in the 17th century.

Even a layman such as myself can tell that Mechelen is without rival as the center of the carillon art.

Of course! Let me add that not only does our carillon school continue to thrive, it is held in high regard all over the world as the central source of carillon art. Former students eagerly return to Mechelen to reunite in their efforts to spread the Mechelen tradition abroad. So you see, it is above all Mechelen that plays a guiding role for carillonneurs throughout the world.

Good music for the carillon is either music written specifically for the instrument or good arrangements of existing music. Our primary concern is that it is simple and clear, not too complex harmonically or contrapuntally. Excellent pieces for the carillon repertory can be drawn from the music of the early Flemish harpsichordists: Fiocco, Krafft, Boutmy, Vanden Gheyn--who was an exceptional organist and carillonneur and wrote several excellent works for carillon--and composers from earlier times such as Couperin, Rameau, Purcell and others.

Works written specifically for carillon are especially important. We heartily urge all composers--especially our own Flemish composers--to take an interest in our instrument. We encourage them to consult with a proficient carillonneur and by all means to take inspiration from our beautiful old Flemish songs that are so simple but sound uncommonly good on the carillon.

With this CD, Historical Carillon Recordings I (1925-1950), the Flemish Carillon Guild is making a significant contribution to the preservation of our cultural heritage.  The Guild hopes to present the second volume (1950-1975) in the near future.

Travelogue III

This is the third and final installment of my travel journal with candid reflections on a 10-week carillon and organ recital tour through Europe.

Last month's journal left off on a Saturday afternoon following my recital in Almere-Haven, near Amsterdam. From there I make my way back to my pied-a-terre in Mechelen. On Sunday morning the entire family assembles for breakfast and the family portrait. On my first visit to Belgium I started the tradition of making a photo of the family gathered around the display case in the bell shop. Now they want me to dig out all the photos and frame the series. The boys, age 8 & 10 in the first photo, now both have partners and are roughly the same age that I was when I first set foot in Belgium. After the photo, the two young couples and I drive to Brussels. It is the final day of the bloementapijt, a "carpet of flowers" that covers the huge market square. We have a bite to eat, and I catch a train to Ieper in West Flanders.

The Hallentoren--the belfry--is part of the Cloth Hall which was destroyed in World War I and rebuilt in the original style. Inside the Cloth Hall, the In Flanders Fields Museum is an impressive interactive museum devoted to The Great War 1914-1918. The recital is at 4:00 pm on what feels like the hottest, most humid day of the summer. The carillon is heavy; the action is cumbersome; the console is that detestable old Denyn standard for short people. I hope that someone is enjoying this music in spite of my suffering. Fortunately, I am alone in the bell chamber. Except for shoes and socks on my feet, and bandages and leather protectors on my pinkies, I play buck naked, leaving huge puddles of perspiration on the bench and floor. As much as I'd like some air circulation, the sound in the glass-enclosed playing cabin is excruciatingly loud with the door open, so to avoid going deaf, I keep the door closed. Between each number I go out into the bell chamber to cool off a bit in the breeze and to drink some water. Afterwards, I dry off, cool off, don my dry clothes and go downstairs to discover that Charles Wilson, a retired major general from the US Air Force, was in the audience with his lovely Belgian wife, and they were waiting to greet me. Together with Geert, the municipal carillonneur, we all go to an outdoor café for drinks and lively conversation, eventually ordering dinner. Suddenly a fierce wind comes out of nowhere and showers us with rain. So much for dry clothes.

Geert drives me to nearby Kortrijk where I stay for three nights in a bed and breakfast in the restored Begijnhof. Begijnhofs--or béguinages--were self-contained lay sisterhoods devoting themselves largely to charitable work. It is virtually only in Flemish Belgium that begijnhofs survive today, although most are no longer inhabited by religious communities.

On Monday evening I play at the St. Maartens Church in Kortrijk on another of the dreaded Denyn playing consoles. The carillonneur warns me in advance of the atrocious tuning of the bells, but I am still shocked when I play, constantly glancing in a panic at my feet to ascertain that I really am playing the right pedal keys. I find it a fascinating historical phenomenon that it is just this sort of carillon that once made Flanders famous for its singing towers--then quite a marvel. But now, these instruments make some of the Flemings somewhat infamous for their reluctance to move forward with the times now that the art of tuning bells and building quiet, responsive, ergonomically de-signed playing consoles and action nearly has been perfected. In fact, I was astonished to hear one prominent carillonneur from West Flanders proclaim, with reference to another old carillon with abominable action, console, and tuning, that he really liked playing that instrument. Fortunately, the younger generations studying at the Belgian Carillon School in Mechelen are being instilled with a more musically responsible aesthetic. Back to Kortrijk. The large audience is appreciative nonetheless: they hear the music despite the tuning and timbre, and forgive the inadequacies of the instrument if they are aware of them.

Tuesday's recital is in nearby Menen, still in the province of West Flanders, right on the border with France. Most of the bells are modern, relatively speaking (only 40 years old), and the playing console is brand new, so playing is not such a chore, and the musical experience is more fulfilling.

Wednesday morning I board a train back to the south of France. This summer's schedule has made me zigzag across Europe more than usual, but I take advantage of the time on the train to read. Since one of my minors during my doctorate at Indiana University was French literature, I'm always delighted when I find time to read another novel. I've also been fascinated by comparing the styles of French, Dutch, German, and Belgian newspapers. They view the world from a different perspective than the American press.

My host Elizabeth picks me up at the train station in Perpignan and informs me that we are invited to a paella dinner party at a friend's home in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Remembering the disastrous paella in Barcelona, my stomach started churning immediately, but as luck would have it, this was the best paella I've ever eaten, complemented by several delicious wines and cheeses.

On Thursday morning after coffee, croissants, and pain au chocolat, we head for the cathedral Saint-Jean-Baptiste so that I can practice on the carillon. It is another oddball instrument. The bells were made by the19th-century French foundry Bollée. The compass is a standard four octaves with a few exceptions. Although it is not unusual to leave C-sharp out of the lowest octave, the G-sharp is also missing in this instrument, which is most annoying. Also, in that Bollée and Perpignan are so far from Flanders and The Netherlands, the real cradle of the carillon art, the playing console has a most unusual design: the pedalboard is only one octave and is displaced quite a ways to the left, creating a challenge especially when playing pedal notes along with the top octave of manual keys. Then there is the highest "A" which I discover is not an "A" at all, so I must remember always to play something else in its place. Adaptation is the name of the game here. Fortunately I brought a copy of the version in C of Courter's In memoriam which, with some adaptation, is playable here.

Laurent and Louis, the other two Perpignan carillonneurs, come to meet me, and they treat me to a lovely dinner at the restaurant terrace under the tower, actually the parvis of the cathedral. After a brief siesta at home, we head back to the cathedral where they've arranged for me to have a few hours to play the four-manual Cavaillé-Coll organ. They had to drag me away in time to get upstairs for the carillon recital. Now, Louis is in the tower communicating via walkie-talkie with Laurent on the ground who is giving verbal program notes to the large audience. Despite the challenges of the instrument, I manage to produce an exciting and musical program, and they are happy that I've come to end their summer series "with a bang."

In the morning Laurent offers me his computer and Internet connection long enough for me to type up my travelogue #2 for The Diapason and send it to Jerome. Laurent, Elizabeth, her children and I have lunch, and I catch my train to nearby Agde. Now I have vacation at a naturist resort on a beach on the Mediterranean. The week goes by much too quickly, and I wish I had planned for two weeks here, but alas, there are more bells to ring. The train takes me to the other end of France: the Alps between the Mont Blanc and Geneva.

Taninges is a small village of about 4000 inhabitants where there is great enthusiasm for their two-and-one-half octave carillon. Shortly after arrival we head to the home of one of the local carillonneurs for a dinner party. Monique, being of Swiss origin, prepares a delicious cheese fondue. She remembers that two years ago at a reception in Taninges I was so taken by one of their dishes that I demanded the recipe on the spot. So, after some champagne, she invited me into the kitchen to share her ingredients and techniques with me.

In the morning I practice on the carillon--another "exceptional" instrument. Here again there is only one octave of pedals, but the range is from B to B instead of C to C. I am perplexed. Why would anyone do this? But I've learned that when I'm in France and start taking these things too seriously, it's time to dine with a good glass of wine, and so we did. Then we went up into the mountains for a hike. We passed a bunch of cows wearing large bells around their necks. I called them the mobile carillon of the Haute-Savoie. After a short siesta at home, we head for a community hall under the tower where the members of the carillon committee meet for a meal. Their practice console is here in the hall, so I review a few of my "adaptations" before we eat.

Another unique facet of the tower in Taninges is the seating area with bleachers inside the tower. It is rare that so many people can come inside and watch the carillonneur play. It is a very intimate setting, and the audience was most appreciative that I gave commentary on the program between each of the pieces. A champagne reception followed the recital. In the morning there was time for a trip to the boulangerie and a walk in the botanical garden in Samoëns before catching my train in Cluses.

Back at home in Mechelen, I spend Monday morning helping Luc to prepare the cellar for the evening reception. Their home dates from the 17th century and is a registered historical landmark. In return for the government subsidies that they received to help defray the costs of restoration, they open the home to the public in some way on special occasions. This evening, the cellar with its low vaulted ceiling will be the site for a candlelight reception following the carillon recital in the St. Rombouts Tower, presented in the framework of the Festival of Flanders.

In the afternoon I head for Zaventem to greet my friend John who arrives from San Francisco to travel along for my final two weeks. We spend the rest of the week sightseeing in Belgium and Amsterdam, with a visit to Haarlem on Thursday afternoon for Jos van der Kooy's recital at the St. Bavo Church.

My final two of the summer's 28 recitals are on Sunday in Wavre, Belgium, where there is a two-day Carillon Festival as part of Open Monument Day in Belgium. My host forgot to pick us up at the train station in Ottignies, so by the time we figure this out, wait for the next train to Wavre, and walk to the church, all of my time for practicing on the organ is gone, and I must go directly to the carillon and begin the recital. On the way, I run into Major Wilson and his wife who I had met in Ieper.  A torrential rainstorm lets loose about 40 minutes into the program, and the chief insists that I stop playing and go to the organ. I suggest lunch, as I am famished and feeling faint by this time. Then I am informed that they have changed the original schedule and have sent the audience into the church to stay dry and to hear my organ recital--so I must sit down and play with no preparation. The two-octave pedalboard (completely chromatic, thank goodness, but I could use a few more notes) has no independent stops; it pulls down the great keys. So, if you want the 16-foot stop to sound in the pedal, you have it on the great as well. Some ranks were discant-only stops or were divided into separate discant and bass registers. Some but not all of this was evident from looking at the stop knobs. The first thing I did wrong was to begin the recital on the wrong manual, but since I had drawn no stops on that manual, and since there were no pedal notes involved, no one knew except my page turner. The recital went surprisingly well, as I had no time at all to get nervous or to think about anything besides making music out of this mess. Major Wilson, by the way, later accused me of shaking up the heavens and causing a deluge every time I play the carillon. I suggested that if the carillons in Belgium were all in tune, the heavens might be less troubled, and the sun would shine there more often.

On Monday the Thalys whisks us to Paris for a delightful vacation until Friday when we fly to Southampton and sail to New York on the Queen Elizabeth 2. The End.

News from Iowa State University

1. Spring Carillon and Organ Festival 1997

Iowa State University hosted the Spring Carillon and Organ
Festival 1997 and the Carillon Composition Competition during the weekend of April 25-27. The Festival also celebrated the tenth anniversary of the installation and dedication of the Brombaugh organ of the Music Department. Guest artists were Brian Swager, former University Carillonneur at Indiana University, Bloomington, and David Dahl, organist from Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington. The Festival began with two recitals by the guest artists. Brian Swager performed carillon music from Belgium and America that included Johan Franco's Ames Nocturne, a work commissioned by The Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation in 1984. David Dahl performed organ works by two women composers: Fanny Mendelssohn and Ethel Smyth, and Michel Corrette's Magnificat du 3e et 4e ton with Donald Simonson as cantor. A workshop on "Organ Works by Three 19th-century Women Composers: Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn and Ethel Smyth" was conducted by David Dahl on Saturday morning, and Brian Swager held a carillon seminar in the afternoon on "Music for the Carillon: A Distinguished Repertoire Emerges." The Festival continued with a Family Concert featuring ISU student carillonneurs, ISU Wind Ensemble, ISU Dance Tour Company, and ISU Oratorio Choir. Echo by Amy Michelle Black was premiered by Michael Tammaro at the carillon and the Oratorio Choir under the baton of Robert Molinson. The Festival concluded on Sunday with carillon music from The Netherlands performed by Tin-shi Tam, Iowa State University Carillonneur.

A  Carillon
Composition Competition was held to encourage young composers to write original
carillon music. Judges were Brian Swager, Jeffrey Prater, and
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Tin-shi Tam. Contestants were from all
parts of the country and overseas. The winning composition was By de dei
lâns (The Proceedings of the Day) by Klaas R. R. de Haan of Amsterdam,
The Netherlands. It was premiered by 
Tin-shi Tam during the Festival. The next Spring Carillon Festival
and  Carillon Composition
Competition  will be held from
April 24-26, 1998. Guest carillonneur will be Albert Gerken, University
Carillonneur  at University of
Kansas, Lawrence.

II. Junior High Keyboard Camp

The Fifth Annual Keyboard Explorations junior high school
summer music camp was hosted by the Iowa State University Music Department from
July 7-12, 1997. Participants had the opportunity to learn about various kinds
of keyboard instruments and had hands-on experiences in playing them. Seven
participants studied carillon under ISU Carillonneur, Tin-shi Tam. Two carillon
concerts were performed by students towards the end of the week.

III. 1998 Carillon Composition Competition

Iowa State University has announced the Carillon Composition
Competition '98. The purpose of the competition is to encourage the writing of
original carillon compositions by composers under age 35. The submitted work
shall be an original composition for four-octave carillon (tenor C to C4), with
a two-octave pedal board (tenor C to C2). The composition may be a solo, duet
for one carillon, or a work for carillon with one or more other instruments or
chorus. The submitted composition must be postmarked no later than March 31,
1998. For more information contact the University Carillonneur at Iowa State
University; Music Department; 149 Music Hall; Ames, IA 50011; phone:
515/294-2911, e-mail: tstam@iastate. edu or web-site: www.music.iastate.edu

Bell information requested

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Belgian
Carillon School, a festschrift will be published. Marc Van Bets is preparing a
paper on Mechelen bellfounders for this book. He requests reports on all
Mechelen bells that currently are, or ever have been, in
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  North America. Such bells would have
been brought by Capuchin monks who came to North America as missionaries. All
bells are included in the scope of the paper: carillon, church, tolling,
ornamental, etc. All information is welcome, such as the function of the bell,
measurements, pitch, anecdotes, photos. Please contact Marc Van Bets; Ridder
Dessainlaan 27; 2800 Mechelen; Belgium. Phone: (0112)32.15.42.38.52. Fax:
(011)32.15.43.17.07. Email: [email protected]

1998 Queen Fabiola Competition

Since its founding in 1922 the Royal Carillon School
"Jef Denyn" in Mechelen, Belgium, has fostered a greater blossoming
of the carillon art. Toward this end, the school established the Queen Fabiola
International Carillon Competition in 1987. This competition has grown rapidly,
becoming the most important of its kind and providing a strong stimulus for the
recognition of the carillon art as a high-quality artistic expression.

The winners of the first three competitions were: Geert
D'hollander of Belgium in 1987; Boudewijn Zwart of The Netherlands, in 1990;
and Gideon Bodden of The Netherlands, in 1993.

The fourth Queen Fabiola Competition will take place August
5-9, 1998. Carillonneurs from around the world are invited to take part. There
is no age limit. After an elimination round, a maximum of six competitors will
be selected for the finals. Judging will be done by an international jury.

The candidates are required to present nine pieces of a high
virtuosic level: three baroque, three romantic, and three contemporary pieces.
The romantic and contemporary selections must be original carillon compositions
and not transcriptions. One of the baroque pieces must be a carillon prelude
written by Matthias van den Gheyn. In addition, there will be an obligatory
piece.

The school's 1997 international composition competition
brought 21 entries from seven countries: Belgium, The Netherlands, Australia,
The USA, Spain, Russia, and Sweden. Performance of the winning composition will
be required for participants in the Queen Fabiola Competition. Winners of the
composition competition will be announced once registration for the Fabiola
Competition is closed.

During the competition, the participants perform on the new
carillon in the St. Rombouts tower. This instrument was founded by Koninklijke
Eijsbouts in 1981. It is tuned in equal temperament and consists of 49 bells;
the bourdon sounds F and weighs eight tons.

The first-prize winner will receive 100,000 BF, a bronze
bell, a certificate, and a concert tour in Belgium  in 1999. Five additional prizes with cash awards will be
given. The SABAM prize of 25,000 BF will be awarded for the best interpretation
of a contemporary Flemish carillon composition, and an additional 25,000 BF
will reward the best improvisation. Participants should send their completed
applications to the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn"
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  before April 30, 1998. After their
repertoire has been approved, the full list of regulations and practical
information will be sent to each competitor. The obligatory piece will be sent
to the participants two months before the beginning of the competition.
Participants are granted a per diem of 1000 BF for as long as they take part in
the competition.

For information and applications, contact
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  the Royal Carillon School "Jef
Denyn"; Frederik de Merodestraat 63; 2800 Mechelen; Belgium. Phone:
32.15.20.47.92. Fax: 32.15.20.31.76.

McLellan appointed at MSU

Ray McLellan has been appointed University Carillonneur at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. His responsibilities include playing weekly recitals, teaching carillon and organ, coordinating and
producing the MSU Summer Carillon Recital Series. Ray studied carillon with
Margo Hal-sted at the University of Michigan and with Todd Fair at the
Netherlands Carillon School. He earned the Bachelor of
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Arts degree at Florida Southern College
in Lakeland and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at the
University of Michigan. He also studied on full scholarship at the
Pädagogische Hochschule in Freiburg, Germany. Besides the position at MSU,
Dr. McLellan continues in his church and temple positions.