Carillon News

Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.

Riverside reborn

The installed in the Park Avenue Baptist Church in 1925. Benefactor John D. Rockefeller, Jr., continued his close collaboration with Cyril Johnston and project consultant Frederick Mayer when in 1930 the instrument was moved to The Riverside Church and expanded to 74 bells. For all its glory in the bass range, G&J had yet to thoroughly succeed in producing bells in the treble range that were consistent in quality of tuning and timbre. Furthermore, the sound of the bells was somewhat muffled, and carillon music could not be heard clearly from the ground. The church was persuaded to replace the 58 highest treble bells in 1955, and unfortunately, the new bells cast by the Van Bergen foundry of The Netherlands proved to be a step in the wrong direction.

For the most recent renovation, the Riverside Church chose Olympic Carillon, Inc. of Port Townsend, Washington. The re-engineering of the instrument, under the direction of Peter Hurd, included the replacement of the 58 treble bells, fabrication of a new playing console, revision of the bell chamber and playing cabin, and installation of a new transmission system. The mechanism for the chiming peal and hour strike was to be installed this spring. The 74 bells of the carillon range in weight from the 10-pound treble bell to the 40,900-pound bourdon bell, which is the largest and heaviest tuned bell in the world.

The new bells were cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and were designed to complement the original 16 Gillett & Johnston bells. In order to have greater sound projection from this 390-foot tower, the new bells have considerably greater mass than the Gillett & Johnston treble bells from 1930.

The former playing cabin and a machine room were removed from the bell chamber as they both blocked the egress of bell sound from the tower. The new playing console was designed to a “new world standard” by Olympic Carillon. It is constructed of African Padauk hardwood and marine-grade stainless steel, equipped with stainless steel “flexures” for manual keys and roller bearing clevis assemblies for the pedal coupler mechanism. The Carillonneur’s Study was also supplied with a new practice console.

Former carillonneurs of The Riverside Church were Kamiel Lefevere (1927-1960), James R. Lawson (1960-1989), and Joseph Clair Davis (1990-1998). Dionisio A. Lind is the current carillonneur.

The rededication of the instrument was celebrated on Sunday 17 October 2004. Milford Myhre then gave the dedicatory recital. The service included a prayer of thanksgiving, words from the architect, and comments from David Hurd on the renovations. Mary Morgan was present for the dedication and recital. She shared the legacy of her great grandmother, Laura Spelman Rockefeller, for whom the Riverside carillon is named:

“I never met Laura Spelman. She was born in 1839, a hundred years before my birth . . .

“I think our family will be very touched to hear about the efforts and the victorious conclusion of what’s happening here today with the carillon. It seems grandfather’s gift was like a seed, and now it’s turned into a forest of accomplishment all around this beautiful instrument, bringing such amazing joy and spiritual uplifting to many people.

“So I also want to join my family in giving our thanks to all of those who spent so much time and effort and took such care in this rejuvenation.

“Laura was brought up in a home that was very connected to her community and to the important and emotionally troubling times they were living in. She went to [high] school in Ohio, and that’s where she met John D. Rockefeller.

“Laura loved music. She became an accomplished pianist and also had a lovely singing voice. One of the things that she and John D. Rockefeller did when they first started going out with each other [was] accompany each other in the evening singing and playing the piano. When Laura married John D. Rockefeller, they both had incredibly similar sensitivities, values, and interests.

“To dedicate this carillon to her…is a beautiful thing. She had a spirit that swelled and expressed itself way before its time. She was courageous and her spirit soared. . .

“Her middle name is Celestia. . . . Laura Celestia Spelman was her name before she was married. I like to think of that name, Celestia. . .  I think it’s really appropriate today, now as we get near time of the concert with this beautiful carillon.

“There was a foundation . . . that grandfather set up in her name. It was called the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Foundation. This foundation supported areas of Laura’s interest that included child study, education, public health, race relations, religion, and social welfare. An early beneficiary of support was the Atlantic Baptist Female Seminary, which was subsequently renamed Spelman College in honor of Mrs. Rockefeller’s family. . .  As many of you know, Spelman is the oldest black college for women.

“So I take my hat off to my great-grandmother, and I am so proud to be her great granddaughter. And I am happy to be present with you here today as we listen to this beautiful carillon and as we feel our spirits rise and expand, as we hopefully can enter into that place within us where we can bring out the best of who we are, just as the music swells to the celestial heavens.”

Send items for “Carillon News” to Dr. Brian Swager, c/o The Diapason, 380 E. Northwest Hwy., Suite 200, Des Plaines, IL 60016-2282; e-mail:

<[email protected]>. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, write to: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221.

Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.

Robert Byrnes,
carillonneur of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, died May 28,
2004. Byrnes graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1972, earned a
master's degree in music from UNI in 1974, and taught at UNI since 1972
in the School of Music. He was also an administrative assistant and director of
the UNI Varsity Men's Glee Club. He was especially known among
carillonneurs for his compositions such as On the San Antonio River and
Reflection.

The Royal Carillon School “Jef Denyn” in
Mechelen, Belgium, held a carillon composition competition. Sixteen entries
were received from composers in Belgium, America, and Russia. The winner was Geert
D'hollander. His composition, We
Ring, We Chime, We Toll, became the obligatory work for the Fifth International
Queen Fabiola Carillon Competition, which was held in Mechelen, Belgium, in
September 2003. Twelve carillonneurs from six countries participated. Winners,
from first to fifth place, were: Twan Bearda (The Netherlands), Ana Lucia Elias
(Portugal), Liesbeth Janssens (Belgium), Charles Dairay (France), and Henk
Veldman (The Netherlands).

A list of carillons all over the world and a list of CD
recordings of carillons are available on the website of the World Carillon
Federation:

<www.carillon.org/&gt;.

The 2006 World Congress will be held in Gdansk, Poland. The
first carillon in Gdansk dates from the 16th century, and it was the first city
outside the Low Countries to have a carillon. Both of Gdansk's historic
carillons were lost during the war. Currently the city has two carillons. The
larger one is an instrument of 49 bells hanging in the tower of St.
Catherina's Church. The Gdansk Town Hall has a three-octave, 37-bell
carillon dating from 2000.

A new 49-bell carillon was installed in
theHelligåndskirken in Copenhagen, Denmark. It has four fully chromatic
octaves from “C” and has a total weight of 14 tons. The new
carillon was christened by Bishop Erik Norman Svendsen with a special mass. The
church's organist and carillonneur, Hans Ole Thers, began the dedicatory
recital with Salute to the C-Sharp Key as a tribute to the lowest semitone,
which is absent on most other carillons. Ulla Laage
style='font-weight:normal'> also played a recital as part of the festivities.

Send items for “Carillon News” to Dr. Brian
Swager, c/o The Diapason, 380 E. Northwest Hwy., Suite 200, Des Plaines, IL
60016-2282; e-mail:

<[email protected]>. For information on the Guild
of Carillonneurs in North America, write to: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville,
NY 14221.

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.

Brian Swager is a contributing editor of THE DIAPASON.

Cobh bells return home

Adrian Patrick Gebruers, carillonneur of St. Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Ireland, sends the following news. Adrian Gebruers and St. Colman's Cathedral will be hosts for the congress of the World Carillon Federation in 2002.

Early in the morning of Wednesday April 15, 1998, the ship "Mathilda" sailed past St. Colman's Cathedral in Cobh,  Ireland, en route from Rotterdam to the Port of Cork.  On board was the precious cargo of the bells of the cathedral carillon returning from the Royal Eijsbouts Foundry in Asten, The Netherlands, where they had been since the previous October as part of the complete restoration and modernization of this famous carillon. The following Sunday afternoon, all forty-nine bells were lined up at the base of the cathedral tower to be viewed by the general public. In all, several thousand people came to admire and photograph the bells which have always been so much a part of the life of the community. An exhibition of material illustrating the history of the Cobh Carillon past and present aroused great interest. At 6 pm, Bishop John Magee of Cloyne, who had specially returned from the Vatican where he was on official business, performed the solemn blessing of the bells. The two new bass bells were named for the Irish martyrs St. Oliver Plunkett and Blessed Dominic Collins, and the five treble bells added in 1958 but not named at the time were christened Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, the great Irish educationalist. In his homily, the Bishop referred to the significance and importance of bells in religious worship and in the daily life of the community. He also thanked all those who had made the carillon restoration possible, including Royal Eijsbouts. The choir was under the direction of Adrian Patrick Gebruers, organist, choirmaster, and carillonneur of St. Colman's Cathedral. Readings were done by members of the Cobh Carillon Committee, including David H. Cox, professor of music at University College Cork, and Dr. Elizabeth Gebruers, wife of the carillonneur. The responsorial psalm "I Will Sing Forever of Your Love O Lord" was sung by Adrian Gebruers in a setting composed by his late father, Staf Gebruers, the first carillonneur of St. Colman's. The intercessions included prayers for those deceased carillonneurs who had played the Cobh Carillon and for Jef Rottiers, teacher in Mechelen of the present carillonneur. As the Bishop blessed and incensed the bells, the cathedral choir sang the church's great hymn of thanksgiving, the first line of which is inscribed on the bourdon of the carillon: "Te Deum Laudamus" ("We praise Thee, O God").

The formal rededication of the restored and modernised 49-bell carillon of St. Colman's Cathedral in Cobh took place on Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 1998. The day began with a live link-up on the regional radio station of key figures involved in the restoration, including Bishop John Magee and the Cathedral Carillonneur. This was followed at noon by a special Mass in the Cathedral, concelebrated by the Bishop and members of the Diocesan Chapter. The first Carillonneur of St. Colman's, the late Staf Gebruers, and his wife Maureen were commemorated in the Bidding Prayers. In addition, the Cathedral Choir sang compositions by Staf Gebruers during the Mass. The two new bass bells, named St. Oliver Plunkett and Blessed Dominic Collins, were formally rung for the first time during the Elevation. At the conclusion of the Mass, the Bishop and other dignitaries walked in solemn procession to the tower entrance where a commemorative sculpture was unveiled. The Bishop then formally declared the carillon rededicated and the Carillonneur played the hymn, "The Bells of the Angelus," which was the last piece heard on the bells the previous October just before the restoration work began. This was followed by the "Te Deum" Prelude by Charpentier. The short recital concluded with the first performance of The Sacred Metal by David Harold Cox, Professor of Music at University College Cork. This work was commissioned for the occasion by the Cobh Carillon Committee, with funds provided by the Arts Council, and especially highlights the two new bass bell notes of C-sharp and D-sharp. There followed a formal reception in the Bishop's House. In attendance were local and visiting dignitaries, including Ministers of State and TD's (Members of Parliament). In a speech, Bishop Magree spoke emotionally of his joy in finally having the carillon restored. A letter of congratulations from Mr. Loek Boogert, President of the World Carillon Federation, was also read out. There was an hour-long recital at 4:30 during which guests and journalists were given an opportunity to view the new carillon installation. They were shown the computer-operated automatic and practice-console systems, the galvanized steel framework and mechanism and the playing cabin now located within the belfry. All expressed their approval of the quality of the workmanship and congratulations were extended to P. J. Hegarty & Sons, the main contractors, and Royal Eijsbouts, the bellfounders, for a job well done.

Dutch Carillon Museum

The National Carilllon Museum in Asten, The Netherlands, publishes the quarterly Berichten uit Het Nationaal Beiaarrdmuseum. Here follows some information from recent issues.

* Many bells were removed from towers during World War II to be melted for their metal. A number were saved from destruction and were the subject of research. One resulting dissertation was Acoustical Measurements on Church Bells and Carillons by E.W. van Heuven (Delft, 1949). Less well-known is the research done by E. Thienhaus of Hamburg which includes detailed drawings of hundreds of German bells. Simon Lighthart of Bemmel has taken on the project to do statistical research on this collection of information in the Dutch National Carillon Museum.

* A recent donation to the museum is an African mask which was traditionally used in an adolescent's initiation rite to manhood. A bell is found on the back of the mask with which the Great Spirit announced its coming. The mask has its origins in the Baga tribe in Guinea. The museum also acquired an African mask used by the Dan tribe of the Ivory Coast in their ritual dances. A beard of bells forms a half circle which is completed with jingle bells around the forehead hairline. Further, the museum acquired items worn by shamans from Nepal: two leather belts are decorated with bells, a tail, and tiger teeth.

* Museum curator André Lehr tells the fascinating story of "A squabble between Nijmegen and Liege--or--how Jean-Baptiste Levache of Liege cast a false-sounding carillon for  Nijmegen in 1735." It could also be entitled "The merry pranks of an unscrupulous bellfounder."

* The traditional western European bell profile has scarcely changed since the Middle Ages. The cost of experimentation has been drastically reduced thanks to the advent of special computer programs. A recent design demonstrates that it would be possible to produce a bell with the same pitch and timbre as, yet 20% lighter than, a bell with a traditional profile.

* The Dutch National Service for the Preservation of Monuments publishes a brochure concerning the nuisance of pigeons in towers.

* Bert Augustus discusses the Eijsbouts firm's restoration of the tolling bells for the cathedral of Seville. He describes the Spanish tradition of tolling bells in which the bells are swung in complete revolutions causing characteristic rhythmic patterns, a characteristic timbre due to the dampening of the bell by the clapper, and lots of damage to the bells. For a web page on the bells of Seville, see "Campanas de las Catedrales de España" at <http://www.cult.gva.es/scripts/gcv/campacat.idc?cpoblacio=sevilla&gt;.

* André Lehre muses over what possessed the 16th-century inhabitants of the Low Countries to enthusiastically acquire incredibly false-sounding carillons for virtually every city. He says that a pilgrimage to Monnickendam is in order to hear the Speeltoren carillon that was cast in 1596 by Peter III van den Ghein, since it is the only place that one can witness the original sound of a complete 16th-century carillon. He notes that the imperfections of early carillon bells were masked to a certain extent in several ways. Old playing consoles and photographs indicate that there was sometimes the possibility of reducing the keyfall in which case the bells were struck with less force producing a sound that favored the fundamental pitch and reduced the strength of the overtones. The use of wrought iron clappers gave a milder sound. Furthermore, performance practice differed: virtuosic playing was the exception. Also, dissonance was minimized in a musical texture in which normally only two notes were struck simultaneously.

* The National Carillon Museum's Internet address is <www.carillon-museum.nl&gt;. The e-mail address is <[email protected]>.

Send items for "Carillon News" to Dr. Brian Swager, c/o The Diapason, 380 E. Northwest Hwy., Suite 200, Des Plaines, IL 60016-2282. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, write to: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221.

Travelogue

From Philadelphia immediately following the national AGO convention, I hopped on a plane to Belgium to begin a two-month recital tour in Europe. Here follows an assortment of reflections as I proceed along my way, to be continued next month.

The intense six-month period of preparation was a challenge: a myriad of details to arrange for the 26 carillon and two organ recitals, dates, programs, lodging, travel, etc.; preparations for being away from home and work for 12 weeks; selecting music that will actually work on most of the varied instruments that I'll be playing--and learn it all!

Dear friends from my Fulbright years (1984-86) at the Belgian Carillon School meet me at the airport in Brussels and whisk me off to their home in Mechelen--it will be my pied-à-terre for the next few months. After dinner it was time to visit the carillon school for a session on the practice console. The dimensions of the standard European playing console differ significantly from the more ergonomically-conscious American consoles. Instead of our standard two-octave pedalboard, Belgian and Dutch carillons normally have a 11/2-octave pedalboard which is shifted quite a bit to the right in relationship to the manual keyboard. The distance between keys in both the manual and pedal keyboards differs, as does the keyfall.

A good dose of melatonin seems to have helped me get a good night's sleep and to minimize the effects of any jet lag. On Monday I return to the carillon school to practice on the lightweight carillon in the tower of the Hof van Busleyden adjacent to the school. Alas, there is no opportunity to rehearse on the carillon in Turnhout before this evening's recital. This is a bit distressing, as the console is rather uncomfortable for tall carillonneurs like me, predating the European standard. I must remember here, when playing chromatic ("black") pedal notes, to shift my knees off to the side lest they block the manual keys. The bells are enchanting, however, made some 230 years ago by the Belgian founder Vanden Gheyn.

Tuesday is a work day: more practice at the carillon school, including organ music on the piano, plus typing the text of the Flemish Carillon Guild's website (www.beiaard.org) which I had translated into English during my "spare time" during the AGO convention last week.

On Wednesday I validate my Eurailpass and take the train to Nivelles, south of Brussels in the French speaking part of Belgium. After the short walk to the Collégiale Ste. Gertrude, the organist Robert greets me. I am eager to practice for my Sunday recital. The 38-stop organ was built in the French classic style by Patrick Collon of Brussels. I set to work. The positif is a bit stiff, but the grand orgue plays like butter. Over the course of my practice sessions here I notice my technique adapting to the action. The tension that plagues my hands from practicing at home on an organ with horrible action begins to melt away. I draw the grands jeux and slide the G.O. manual towards me to engage the coupler: a treat for my ears, yet more work for my fingers. At one point while playing, the manual inches forward a bit, and excruciating sounds emanate from the organ. Yikes! I must now also concentrate on "pulling" the keys toward me so as not to disengage the coupler during performance. But it is worth the effort. DeGrigny is coming alive for me. As an undergraduate and master's student I could never get excited about French baroque organ music. Give me a Skinner with a 32' bourdon purring under some lush strings and a vox humana, or a fiery swell box and a 32' bombarde, and I was in seventh heaven. Who wanted to play Couperin with a wimpy American cornet? But then I went to France, and Monsieur Clicquot taught me a lesson or two, and now the sounds and the feel of this instrument are reminding me, teaching me more. I have the uncanny feeling that this instrument has a soul, that it is alive, that it is communicating with me when I listen carefully.

On Thursday the train takes me to Goes, a small but lively town in The Netherlands. Sjoerd, the resident carillonneur, leads the way up to the carillon cabin, and at one point we traverse a gangplank over the vaulted ceiling of the church below. We hear the organist practicing on the Marcussen. Once I've climbed the final ladder and squeezed by a huge wooden beam, there is just enough time to position the bench, set out my scores, and adjust the carillon: an adjuster above each key brings the clapper to the desired position. Since the connecting wires expand and contract with temperature changes, this adjustment is usually necessary before each recital. With the key fully depressed, I prefer that the clapper be as close as possible to the side of the bell without actually touching. This prevents the clapper from grinding into the bell (not a pretty sound) and ensures that the lightest of strokes will actually make a sound. The playing console here in Goes is old and rickety, and again the pedals are much too close to the manual, but by now I'm accustomed to moving my knees out of the way without missing the pedals. Sjoerd was enthusiastic about my playing, and with the president of the local "friends of the carillon" we went to his home on the canal for a few beers before I had to catch the last train back to Mechelen. Trains are off schedule tonight: I miss my connection in Antwerp, wait 90 minutes for the next one, land in bed at 1:45 am.

Friday: The 8:42 train takes me back to Nivelles where I have the luxury of practicing from 10 until 3. I am amazed at how focused my work is today. Perhaps because the pressure is on? Perhaps because I don't always have the opportunity to play such a fine instrument? Back in Mechelen, Koen picks me up again and drives me to Louvain. After a light meal, we head for St. Pieter's Church across from the impressive city hall. As we enter, Koen warns me to duck my head--which has bumped into something once or twice a day so far. I conclude that Europe was not built for tall people. Koen mentioned that a tall Dutchman had gashed his head there last year; sure enough, the concrete floor was still stained by huge drops of blood.

On Saturday I practice again in Nivelles and have dinner with friends in Mechelen. The recital goes well on Sunday, and Robert and I celebrate with the local beer of choice: "Jean de Nivelles," named after the jacquemart that is perched atop one of the towers of the Collégiale, poised to strike the hour bell. Monday is free for chores like laundry, making a bunch of train reservations, practicing the alternate carillon recital program, and having dinner with Mimi. I rented a room in Mimi's home for a year when I was a student at the carillon school. Back then I dropped out of the local Dutch language course after the first meeting, much preferring my evening chats with Mimi. Learning with her, and my other Flemish friends, was faster and more enjoyable. On Tuesday I took advantage of my Eurailpass and hopped on a train to Amsterdam for the afternoon and on to Haarlem to hear Wolfgang Zerer's recital in the St. Bavo Church as part of the summer organ academy. I ran into Marianne of Dresden whom I had met while studying at the academy two years ago, so we headed to the Carillon Café to catch up. A few hours and a few bottles of Westmalle (delicious Belgian Trappist beer) later I headed back to my room in Amsterdam.

Riding first class on two TGVs to Chambéry in the Savoy region of France made the long train rides more tolerable, although having to get off in Paris at the North station and traipse down to the Gare de Lyon was annoying. Chambéry carillonneur Jean-Pierre Vittot calls his instrument the "Cavaillé-Coll" of carillons. It is a "grand carillon" in the American tradition with the extended bass range to G, and 21/2 octaves of pedals. The Paccard bells sing gloriously from the chapel tower of the Château of the Dukes of Savoy. In my opinion it is one of the most beautiful sounding carillons in the world. Unfortunately, rather than serving the performer, the key action is more of an obstacle. It did not take kindly to the rapidly repeated notes in my rendition of the "Preludio" from Bach's Partita for solo violin (S.1006). I had transposed it from E up to A, a lighter range, and took a slower than usual tempo, hoping that the action could keep up with me. But alas, a C-sharp gave way early on, so I stopped. Jean-Pierre insisted that I continue, but I figured that I needed that C-sharp about 100 times in the Bach Prelude alone, so I pleaded for repairing the carillon. It wouldn't have been the first time that I had crawled up amidst the bells to fix something during a recital. It looked to me as if a screw had merely come loose. Jean-Pierre went to retrieve the bolt, knocked his head on a rather large bell, returned with the bolt and another mysterious-looking part, and promptly declared that it was broken. So I played the rest of the program, without the Bach, and without the C-sharp.

This was the first of five recitals in the festival week "Campanaires Chambéry." A camera crew was in the playing cabin, with several bright, hot, lights, filming the performances which were to be projected onto a large screen adjacent to the Château. Unfortunately the threat of rain prevented the unfurling of the screen, although the filming and bright lights continued. From the playing cabin sound system, Jean-Pierre announced each piece on the program with brief program notes. A wonderful dinner of Savoyard specialties and Chignin Bergeron wine completed the evening.

Another long train ride on Thursday took me back to The Netherlands. Changing trains and train stations again in Paris, I had just enough time to get some fresh air, sunshine, and a baguette sandwich on a short walk from the north station past the Place Franz Liszt, the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, and the Square Cavaillé-Coll. Once in Roermond, my host's nephew Wouter meets me at the train station and escorts me to the city hall to check out the carillon: light, bright, easy to play. Whew! After dinner we meet up with my e-mail pen pal Inge and her daughter Sonja who come upstairs to watch me play and then take me home to Gelsenkirchen. Inge and I have been practicing German and English together for a few years now. Friday is free to spend with their family, and we attend an exciting flamenco performance in the evening. Inge brings me to Oirschot for my Saturday afternoon recital. It is a very nice medium-weight carillon with good action. After a few Duvals (devilishly strong Belgian beer) with the carillonneur and the mayor of Oirschot, my next host Erik takes me to Peer where I will play on Sunday evening. The Peer carillon is now one of the nicest in Belgium. The transmission system is well done and the recently installed playing console is the American standard--unique in Belgium. It is comfortable to play and very responsive. The American pedal range plus the extra treble bells here enable me to play my original transcription of Francisco Tárrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra rather than the compromised "Euro" version that I've had to play in most venues. The warm Petit & Fritsen bells sing well from this tower, making the tremolando style of playing live up to its Flemish monicker, gebonden zang (legato melody).

Here is the program that I've been playing in most places:

Prelude III, Matthias van den Gheyn; Evocation, John Courter; Preludio (Partita for Violin, S.1006), J.S. Bach; Variations on a Slavonic Theme, John Pozdro; Klinget, Glöckchen, klinget (from The Magic Flute), Laudate Dominum (from Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore), Four German Dances, W.A. Mozart; Sweelinck Fantasy, Albert de Klerk; Burlesca, John Ellis; Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Francisco Tárrega; Variations on "Ode to Joy," Brian Swager.

Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.

2005 GCNA Congress

The annual congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North
America was held June 13’17 on the campuses of Grand Valley State
University in Grand Rapids and Allendale, Michigan. University Carillonneur
Julianne Vanden Wyngaard was the host. Recitalists for the congress were
Tin-shi Tam, Ray McLellan, Todd Fair, and Ms. Vanden Wyngaard. On the Allendale
campus is the 48-bell Eijsbouts carillon that was installed in 1994. The
48-bell Beckering Family Carillon built by Paccard in 2000 is on the Grand
Rapids Pew campus. Milford Myhre gave a masterclass. Grand Valley organ faculty
member Gregory Crowell gave a presentation on historic keyboard instruments.
Jeremy Chesman gave a presentation on carillon degree programs in North
America. The next GCNA congress will be held June 13’17, 2006 at Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut.

New Carillon Compositions

The Johan Franco Composition Fund committee of the Guild of
Carillonneurs in North America, chaired by John Gouwens, is responsible for three
new carillon compositions. 

Pealing Fire, by the
American composer Libby Larsen, was commissioned by the committee. Larsen has
written for all manner of instrumental and vocal media, solos, and ensembles. Pealing
Fire is a fresh addition to the repertoire,
bringing together numerous idiomatic bell figurations, along with the
“Veni creator” plainchant that is woven throughout the piece.

Neil Thornock, a doctoral student in composition at Indiana
University, won the first prize in the Johan Franco Composition Competition
with his Sonata in three movements. The
second prize was awarded to Geert D’hollander of Belgium for his Two
Poems for Children.

Merger of Taylor with Eayre & Smith

John Taylor Bellfounders Ltd. of Loughborough, England, has
announced a merger with Eayre & Smith Ltd. of Melbourne, effective July 1,
2005. Not bellfounders themselves, Eayre and Smith is an engineering and
bellhanging firm whose primary focus is on installation, service, and repair of
tower bells intended for English-style bell ringing, or “change
ringing,” with rope and wheel. It has been in business for about 30 years
and had become the largest independent bellhanging company in the United
Kingdom. John Taylor Bellfounders continues a line of bellfounding that has
been unbroken since the middle of the 14th century and is now one of the
largest bellfoundries in the world. The largest bell in Britain, “Great
Paul,” the massive bourdon bell at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London,
was cast in Loughborough in 1881 and weighs 17,002 kilos/37,483 pounds. There
are several significant Taylor carillons in the United States, including
Washington National Cathedral, Duke University Chapel, and Bok Tower Gardens.

The new business will be known as Taylors Eayre & Smith
Ltd.  Production will continue at
both sites in the short term while redeployment of equipment and facilities
takes place at the present Taylor foundry in Loughborough.