Carillon News

Brian Swager is a contributing editor of The Diapason.

Travelogue, Part II

This second installment of my travel journal begins in Peer, Belgium, where I left off in last month's column.

On Monday morning I awaken to a shaking bed: an earthquake! My host seems to be doing everything he can to make this San Franciscan feel right at home. After the midday meal he drives me back to Mechelen where I spend the rest of the day practicing at the carillon school and doing laundry. In the evening I attend the carillon recital at the St. Rombouts tower performed by Marina Nevskaya, a Russian pianist/ composer/organist who has just received her final diploma from the school. After the recital I greet several old friends.

When I return to the school in the morning, Jo Haazen, the director of the school and my former teacher, is there.  Jo leaves the office door open and listens while I practice some German dances of Mozart. He interrupts me several times with suggestions on how I can better adapt these transcriptions to a heavy carillon. He reminds me that the man who made these transcriptions plays carillons with bass bells that are much less resonant and lighter than those in the Mechelen carillon.

Later I catch a train to The Netherlands. It rains during my recital in Barneveld, but a few devoted listeners with umbrellas greet me at the tower door when I emerge. The next morning, my host Henry Groen takes me to Wageningen where he must play the carillon during the weekly farmers' market. Since there is no guest recital series in Wageningen, Henry has never heard the carillon from the street, so he asks me to play so that he can go outside and listen. In the evening I play in Ede where a closed circuit video installation enables the listeners to watch me play. One of the advantages of being alone in a tower is that I can take off as many clothes as I want. An hour of vigorous playing on a warm summer evening usually leaves me drenched in sweat. But tonight I stay dressed. They send me off with a bottle of wine in addition to my honorarium.

On Thursday I play in Venlo where for all I can tell there is no captive audience except for Ton, the man who opened the front door of the church for me and pointed me in the right direction. Since practice time on a real carillon has been extremely limited, I seize the opportunity to substitute several of the pieces from my alternate program. Ton didn't have a printed program, so he never knew the difference. We had coffee at an outdoor café on the town square, and then I caught a train to Amsterdam. I visit one of my favorite watering holes, sleep in the next morning, head for Schiphol, and fly to Copenhagen.

Ulla picks me up, we have dinner, I practice a bit on her carillon, and we head for her garden cottage on the outskirts of Copenhagen which will be my home for the next few days. In the morning Ulla takes me to Brøndby Strand, a suburb of Copenhagen, for my noon recital. The Brøndby carillonneur's husband rides up on his bicycle, kicking his feet in the air to display his American flag socks. The Danes love flags. Today I play my new program. It includes John Courter's In Memoriam September 11 which is appreciated everywhere I play it. Lunch is served after the recital, and then we head for the office where Annelise and Ulla make photocopies of my arrangements. Ulla and I head back to the city and I play at Our Savior's Church at 5:00. The tower is stunning and I go up early to soak up the view from the spiral staircase that winds around the outside of the gilded spire.

Sunday is a free day. Ulla is off to Ireland, so I have the day to myself at the cottage. The cottage has no running water, but it does have an electric piano. So, after practicing yoga in the garden, I start composing and arranging music for an upcoming recital. I had very little repertoire for a two-octave instrument, so when I had to send in a program for Cuijk, I said that I would play pieces such as "Three German Dances" and "Chant du Soir" by Brian Swager--pieces that didn't exist until today.

On Monday I fly back to Amsterdam and meet friends for dinner. On Tuesday the weather is hot, so I head for Zandvoort for a few hours to walk on the beach and frolic in the North Sea.  Going back to my room in Amsterdam for a shower turned out to be a waste of time, as there is no air conditioning on the train to Enkhuizen. It is a beautiful little port town, the harbor is bustling, and many people are sitting out on the decks of their boats. The carillon is audible from here when the wind is right. But the weather begins changing quickly. A mighty wind off the Ijsselmeer kicks up as I climb the tower. It is an "open lantern" type of tower which means that the top part of the tower containing the bells is exposed to the elements, and I had to scale a few ladders to reach the playing cabin. The rain hit just as I got inside the cabin. The storm blew over as quickly as it had come. The instrument is regal, a lovely historic Hemony carillon. After a drink with devoted, raingear-clad listeners, I caught a train back to Amsterdam.

On Wednesday I headed back to Mechelen and had my first practice session on the great carillon in the St. Rombouts tower. On Thursday I play in Genk where my gift after the recital is a clay bell filled with genever--a locally produced sort of gin. I can't help but sample it on the slow train ride home.

Friday's recital is on the two-octave carillon in Cuijk, The Netherlands, and is the debut of those little ditties that I wrote in Copenhagen. On Saturday I watch the gay pride parade on the canals of Amsterdam. These floats literally float! On Sunday I head back to Belgium, stopping in Mechelen to practice in the school before going on to Nivelles for a 4:00 recital. A television crew is there to film the recital and interview me afterwards. I had a surprise reunion with Guido, a colleague of my best friend in Mechelen, and his partner Francis. They came to the champagne reception, and I ended up having dinner with them. Guido took me to the train station in time to miss the last train home by the blow of a whistle accompanied by the evil grimace of the conductor. I've learned to maintain an intrepid, adventurous spirit. Guido graciously lodged me in Brussels, and I was back in Mechelen in the morning in time for a shower and my 11:30 rehearsal at St. Rombouts. Then I made my way quickly to Louvain where I played a program of 20th-century carillon music during an International Congress of Musicologists. The carillon in the University Library--having English bells--is an anomaly in Belgium. Wtih 32 bells from the original instrument cast in 1928 by the Gillett and Johnston foundry of Croydon, it is now a five-octave instrument, enlarged in 1983 with 31 new Eijsbouts bells. It is a heavy instrument, the second largest in Belgium, and the G&J bells give it a warm character. The action seems rather stiff at first, but by the end of the first piece I feel like I've figured out what I need to do to get the expressive effects that I want.

Back in Mechelen, I have a nap before my evening recital there. Playing in Mechelen is usually the high point of my summer recital tour. Mechelen is known as the mecca of the carillon art. The serious listeners sit quietly in the courtyard of the cultural center. The Monday evening summer recital series is a tradition that started here in 1896. The carillon is very heavy; the Eijsbouts bells are perfectly tuned in equal temperament; the classic enclosed bell chamber has vaulted ceilings and louvered openings projecting a homogenous sound; the awesome tower is high (about 450 steps to the playing cabin) and majestic; the sound is rich and resonant. Every carillon effect, except the tinkling sound of really small music box-like bells, is possible here: from thunderous fortissimo to cantabile to a whispering pianissimo. My program includes the Passacaglia of Jos Lerinckx, a masterpiece for carillon that sounds best with this wide range of effects. Lerinckx was a Mechelen resident and died just last year. I played his Variations on "There Were Two King's Children" on my examination recital at the carillon school in 1986. On subsequent visits to Mechelen, Jos often gave me scores of his organ and carillon music, and then he would talk my ear off in a most delightful way. I was sad that Jos was not at the base of the tower after my recital to greet me as usual, but the other "Mechelaars" were most appreciative of my performance--especially the Passacaglia--and assured me that Jos was indeed there. Another audience was assembled in a neighboring courtyard for an elegant birthday celebration. When the recital began, the partying stopped, and they sat quietly to listen. Amazing! I was invited to join them afterwards.

It has been a busy month, and I'm ready for a little vacation, so in the morning I catch a train to Paris where I spend the day before boarding a night train to Barcelona. Here I have a week to explore the city, view the famous art nouveau architecture of the likes of Antoni Gaudí and Montaner, get food poisoning from a rotten paella, and recover on the beach in nearby Sitges.

The playing resumes in Hannover, Germany. The sisters of the Henriettenstiftung, on the 100th anniversary of their order, installed a carillon in the courtyard of a hospital and home for the elderly. Cast by the F. Schilling bellfoundry of Heidelberg in 1940, the 49 bells hang in a very low tower, just above the playing console which is on ground level. The bells have a particularly sweet, round, resonant tone. About 100 people show up for the recital, and the sisters remind me that many others are enjoying the program from their rooms. I spend an extra day in Hannover as guests of the sisters, eating hearty meals, getting plenty of rest, practicing many hours on their organ, and making some carillon arrangements. The press was in attendance and promised to post a report on <www.citypix.de&gt; from the recital on 14.08.02.

Saturday afternoon's recital is in Almere-Haven near Amsterdam. The Dutch being masterful at holding back the sea have created a new city where there once was water and marsh. So, everything in Almere is very new, relatively speaking, in stark contrast to the historic architecture in most cities here. The carillon in the Harbor area of the city that I'm playing this year dates from 1979, whereas the city center carillon dates from 1985. The city is happy to support the carillons as part of its effort to build culture and community in Almere. The action is very light and sensitive, making one think of a harpsichord. I am taken by the contrast between the delicate nature of this instrument and the large movements that my fists must make to get from key to key and press them all the way down. On some instruments you can fling the keys down with the flick of a wrist, but to play this one sensitively, I must dpress the keys most of the way, feel the weight of the clapper, and then play. I conclude that even more control and virtuosity would be possible if the keyfall were significantly reduced, eliminating a lot of wasted motion. Nonetheless, it is a delight to play. Some people from the audience and the local carillon committee join municipal carillonneur Frits and me for a beer. Frits and I stay for dinner, and I enjoy the opportunity to talk shop with a colleague whom I haven't seen for several years.

To be continued.

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.

Brian Swager is a contributing editor of THE DIAPASON.

1998 World Congress Report

The 11th Carillon World Congress was held in Mechelen, Belgium, August 9-13, 1998. The welcoming recital was performed in the tower of St. Rombouts Cathedral by Jo Haazen, director of the Royal Belgian Carillon School. Other recitals that day were given by Patrick Macoska (Michigan), Adrian Gebruers (Ireland), Anna Maria Reverté (Spain),  Arie Abbenes (The Netherlands),  Timothy Hurd (New Zealand), Koen Van Assche (Belgium), Adrien Tien (Australia), Erik Vandevoort (Belgium), Xia Hua (China), and Liling Huang (Taiwan). A lecture on "75 Years Royal Carillon School in Mechelen" was given by musicologist Koen Cosaert, an instructor at the school. This was followed by a film, produced by Toshi Sakurai, documenting the school's history. The last two of the six finalists in the Queen Fabiola Competition played in the evening, and we were graced by the presence of Queen Fabiola herself. The winner was Tom Van Peer of Belgium. Second place was awarded to Belgian carillonneur Liesbeth Janssens.

The second day began with a recital by Helen Hawley (Kansas) who exclaimed that "it really was 441 steps up to the cabin in the St. Rombouts tower--there aren't even hills that high in Kansas!" Recitals that day were also given by Jeffrey Bossin (Germany), Frank Müller (Germany), Nico Swaenen (Belgium), Trevor Workman (England), Karel Keldermans (Illinois), and Carlo van Ulft (The Netherlands). Xia Ming Ming, director of the Museum of Antique Bells in Beijing, gave a lecture on bells excavated from the tomb of Zeng Hou Yi, the Marquis of Zeng, and on bells in ancient China. Liling Huang and Xia Hua provided musical intermezzi on traditional Chinese instruments. Alexander Iarechko, president of the Russian Association of Bell Culture, gave a lecture on the art of bell ringing in Russia. The vocal/instrumental trio Zolotoj Pljos from Zaratov, Russia (students at the Belgian Carillon School), performed musical intermezzi of traditional Russian folk music. The day concluded with a concert of carillon with guitar and brass quintet featuring Eddy Mariën (Belgium) on the Busleyden carillon.

Tuesday August 11 was a travel day.  The group first went to Grimbergen where a lovely concert of Gregorian chant was performed by organ and a men's choir inside a church. Once outside, a carillon concert based on Gregorian chant was heard. The concerts were followed by the obligatory drink of beer, and lunch, both offered by the town of Grimbergen. The group then traveled to Holsbeek to visit the Clock-O-Matic Company where lectures on the carillon console were presented. Karel Keldermans explained the standards set forth by the GCNA. Timothy Hurd spoke about his studies of the use of the keyboard, and the Clock-O-Matic representative discussed their data gathered from electronically monitoring the movement of a player's arm during a carillon performance. The day ended with a gala dinner at the Horst Castle on the edge of a lovely wooded lake where we were welcomed by a concert for carillon and concert band.

On Wednesday, the day's activities took place in Louvain, Belgium. Recitalists that day included Ann-Kirstine Christiansen (Denmark) on the University Carillon in Leuven. This carillon has a video system so that performers can be observed by the audience. Rosemarie Seuntiëns (The Netherlands) and Frank Steijns (The Netherlands) performed on a mobile carillon for the lunch hour. Henk Verhoef (The Netherlands) and Andreas Friedrich (Switzerland) performed on a mobile  carillon during the evening meal which was served in the Begijnhof garden. A concert of contemporary music was given by Klaas de Haan (The Netherlands), Brian Swager (California), and Carl Van Eyndhoven (Belgium) on the University Carillon, with each performer playing new Dutch, American, and Belgian carillon music, respectively.  The rest of the day was filled with various lectures which were given in a very warm room in a university building. The evening was reserved for "9 O'Clockworks," a musical happening on the large square facing the University Library. The Ghent bellman walked around the square introducing performances by various bell groups such as Valencian bell tollers, an Indonesian gamelan ensemble, Russian bell ringers, a mobile carillon, and the University Carillon. The happening concluded with a jam session.

David Hunsberger (California) performed the opening recital of the final congress day. Other recitals that day were given by Koen Cosaert (Belgium), Stefano Colletti (France) and Annick Ansselin (Australia). Sjoerd Tamminga (The Netherlands) played on the carillon in St. Peter's Church in Leuven.  Several lectures were presented that day including papers by Margo Halsted (the carillon music of Johannes Volckerick), Brian Swager (the carillon repertory of Gustaaf Brees), and Karel Keldermans (Gillett & Johnston).  A prelude to the closing session was the music of Matthias Van den Gheyn--including two carillon preludes--performed on harpsichord by Frank Agsteribbe (Belgium). Adrian Gebruers (Ireland) was announced as the new president of the World Carillon Federation. An evening of festive performances heralded the unveiling of the city of Leuven's new jacquemart "Meester Jan." Theban trumpets sounded, a mobile carillon and a renaissance brass quintet accompanied a renaissance dance ensemble, Arie Abbenes and Bob van Wely played a duet on the St. Pieters carillon, and the mobile carillon and a vibraphone accompanied ballet dancers in the Nutcracker Suite. An elegant reception in the University Hall was the final event in a most memorable Congress.

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.

Bok Tower Festival

The 16th International Carillon Festival, February 3–11, 2001, will feature guest carillonneurs Stéfano Colletti (France), Liesbeth Janssens (Belgium), John Courter (Berea College, Kentucky), George Matthew Jr. (Middlebury College & Norwich University, Vermont), and Bok Tower Gardens' Milford Myhre and William De Turk. Events will include daily recitals at 3 pm, a moonlight recital at 8 pm on Tuesday, February 6, carillon exhibits, and non-carillon concerts. For further information, contact Bill De Turk, 1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales, FL 33853-3412; ph 863/676-1154; fax 863/676-6770; e-mail: <[email protected]>;

web page: <boktowergardens.org>.

Paris carillon project

A new carillon for the city of Paris, France, is in the planning stages. The site is the Parc de La Villette. An architectural study has confirmed the possibility of installing a carillon in a contemporary structure that already exists in the park: la Folie Belvédère. The proposal is for a carillon of 51/2 octaves, 66 bells, from G2 to C8, with a total of 35 tons of bronze. The bells would hang on five levels in a conical cage of open construction without a roof. The performer in the playing cabin will be visible to the public.

Situated in the center of the park, the Folie Belvédère seems an ideal place for the resounding of bells, amidst the Cité des Sciences and the Cité de la Musique. There is ample green space for listening at an appropriate distance.  In contrast to the mystery plays that were enacted on church squares in front of cathedrals and churches in the Middle Ages, the Folie and its carillon envision popular theatrical productions such as circus, street theater, and all sorts of musical and artistic expression.

Major Dutch treat

The National Carillon Museum in Asten, The Netherlands, is expanding its facilities. The tower will be an attractive feature. It goes without saying that a carillon will be hung in the tower. Furthermore, this special tower deserves a special carillon. The choice was made for a carillon with bells that have a major-third overtone instead of the traditional minor third. These sound significantly different than classic bells and carillons. This modern type of carillon seemed to be a logical choice for the hpyermodern tower. Hence, with bells from ca. 1500 B.C. to the most contemporary specimens, the museum's collection will span 3500 years of bell history. The design for these major-third bells was developed a few years ago by Drs. André Lehr and Bert Schoofs (Technical University Eindhoven). This design was used for a carillon made by Eijsbouts for the Academy Tower of the University of Groningen. The Asten carillon will be relatively small, with 25 bells covering two octaves. The largest bell will weigh 236 kg., the smallest 10 kg., total weight 468 kg.

The museum is seeking sponsors to cover the cost of the bells which will be purchased at a significant discount from the Royal Eijsbouts Bellfoundry in Asten. Contact Dr. André Lehr at [email protected] or Ostaderstraat 23, 5721 WC Asten, The Netherlands.

An American in Peer

When a carillon committee was formed in 1989 in the city of Peer, Belgium, there were three tolling bells in the tower of the St. Trudo Church. At that time there were no carillons in the whole province of North Limburg that were playable manually. The 14th-century brick tower of Peer had a huge bellchamber capable of accommodating a heavy carillon. Financial resources were limited such that a choice was made for a medium weight carillon of 51 bells with a bourdon sounding D.

In 1992 the new Petit & Fritsen instrument was dedicated. After the festivities the carillon committee began its quest to expand the instrument as soon as possible to a heavy carillon. The project was completed in 1999 exceeding all expectations. The 17th-century bell frame was restored, the bell chamber got a new oak floor, and the electrical components were updated.

The carillon was completely dismantled and reinstalled, and a deluxe new playing cabin was built. Thirteen new bells were cast. Most significantly, an American standard playing console was chosen over the current European standard. The instrument now boasts 64 bells covering five octaves with a bourdon sounding B-flat. The keyboard compass is B-flat, C, then chromatic through D. Erik Vandevoort is the carillonneur of Peer.

Miscellanea from abroad

The Olsen Nauen Bellfoundry in Tønsberg, Norway, made a new four-octave carillon for the Oslo Town Hall in December 1999. The 49 bells replace a 38-bell carillon of inferior quality which dated from 1952. The new instrument can be played manually from a traditional baton-type console, electrically by means of an electric keyboard, and automatically by a computer. It is the largest carillon in all of the Nordic countries.

                  There are 80 carillons in Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland. Of these, 21 are concert carillons operated manually from a baton-type playing console. The remaining 59 are automatic carillons, and 29 of them can be operated from an electric piano-style keyboard. Most of the carillons were fabricated in The Netherlands (27% Petit & Fritsen, 45% Eijsbouts) with a few from France (7% Paccard) and England (4% Taylor).

Sculptor Eric Andersen created the Campana degli Umori for the Fairy Tale Gardens in Odense, Denmark. A ten-ton bell is suspended on a steel frame at street level. Also hanging on this frame are nine clubs or hammers for striking the bell in nine different areas. Campana degli Umori means "the bell of humors"—humors in the sense of moods. The nine striking areas on the bell are color coded and symbolize different moods such as black for pain and sorrow, red for love, etc. Consequently the bell can be used as a means of expression communicating to others the mood of the person who strikes the bell. Eric Andersen, who is both a visual artist and a composer, is fascinated with the bell as the carrier of a new language, and as a musical and poetical instrument the bell can be the tongue of the soul.

The 25th anniversary of the City Hall carillon in Magdeburg, Germany, was celebrated in 1999. In contrast with other concert performances, the carillon usually has the disadvantage that its players have no immediate contact with their listeners. The carillonneur sits in a  tower cabin, high above the ground, often remaining anonymous. Recognizing this situation, the city of Magdeburg rented a four-octave mobile carillon from the Royal Eijsbouts Bellfoundry in The Netherlands. Several concerts at various locations in the city were presented. Plentiful audiences comprising both locals and tourists witnessed the carillonneur hard at work (at play).

Zvonar ("The Bell Player") is a new periodical published by the Moscow Bell Center. The Center was established about four years ago primarily to train qualified bell players. Russian church bells are typically played by hand. The art of Russian bell ringing lost popularity because of  church reform measures in the Soviet Union. Bell players who were dying out in the 70s had few new recruits. Since it began, the Moscow Bell Center has educated over 150 bell players between the ages of 11 and 64. Most were from Moscow and its environs. The Zvonar newsletter will help spread information about liturgical tolling, bell repairs, and other technical questions while the Center will serve in consultation to church congregations and monasteries.

A new 45-bell carillon was built for the monastery tower in Kiel, Germany. The bells were cast by the Karlsruhe Bellfoundry, and the playing console, the mechanical action, and the electronic automatic player mechanism were fabricated by Otto Buer Bells & Clocks of Neustadt/Holstein. The carillon was inaugurated in September 1999. It incorporates a 1367-pound tolling bell (pitch "G") that dates from 1928 as the bourdon.

Profile: McDonogh School

The McDonogh School is an independent, endowed, non-denominational, college preparatory school for boys and girls. The spacious 775-acre country campus with colonial and contemporary brick buildings lies to the northwest of Baltimore, Maryland. Established in 1873, John McDonogh had provided for this school for promising boys who would not otherwise have been able to obtain an education. Paying students were admitted for the first time in 1922, and in 1975 the school became coeducational.

The McDonogh Carillon was given by Mr. H. Beale Rollins (class of 1915) and his wife in 1978. The 48 bells were cast by the Petit and Fritsen Bellfoundry of Aarle-Rixtel, The Netherlands. The bourdon weighs 3,300 pounds, sounds D, and is connected to C on the keyboard. The carillon hangs in the tower of the Tagart Memorial Chapel. A chime of ten bells, crafted at Baltimore's McShane Bellfoundry for the new chapel in 1898, was in use until 1978.

William S. Lyon-Vaiden has been the McDonogh Carillonneur since the instrument's installation. A special series of summer recitals on Friday evenings at 7:00 during July and August features guest recitalists from the U.S. and abroad.

Profile: Holland, Pennsylvania

Trinity United Church of Christ in Holland, Pennsylvania--near Philadelphia--is home to a unique carillon installation. The first 25 bells for the Schneider Memorial Carillon were a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schneider. Cast in 1929 by the Meneely Bell Foundry in Watervliet, New York, the original two-octave instrument was dedicated by Melvin Corbett in 1930. It was one of few American-made carillons. A third octave was realized in 1954/55 with the addition of twelve Petit & Fritsen bells. In September 1968, the carillon was removed from the tower at Broad and Venango Streets in Philadelphia and taken to the Verdin Company in Cincinnati for storage and renewal of some of the mechanism. Upon completion of the new church building, it was installed at its present location in 1970. On the occasion of the nation's Bicentennial, twelve more Petit & Fritsen bells completed the fourth octave. The 3000-pound bourdon sounds E-flat and is keyed to C, hence the instrument transposes up a minor third. In contrast with most tower installations, the playing cabin of the Schneider carillon is on ground level, and the bells hang from an open steel frame that sits atop the cabin.

Lisa Lonie, carillonneur of Trinity Church, plays for regular church services. A special series of summer recitals on Thursday evenings at 7:30 during July and August features Lonie, other Philadelphia-area carillonneurs, and guest recitalists from the U.S. and abroad.

Profile: Roeselare, Belgium

Each of the 13 stories of St. Michael's Church in Roeselare, Belgium, has a story to tell. Rebuilt following a fire that leveled the city in 1488, the Sint-Michielskerk lost its 300-foot spire to a storm in 1735, and the current campanile was erected in the middle of the 18th century. Four swinging bells hang in the attic from a large frame that supports their total weight of seven tons. A mechanical tower clock from the city hall is preserved in the tower of St. Michael's. Tourists can read a series of didactic texts on the walls that chronicle the history of several centuries of bell ringing traditions in this old Flemish city. In fact, the Roeselare bell ringers guild claims that theirs is the only place in Flanders where the tradition of tolling bells manually is preserved.

During the 19th century, the Roeselare carillon was composed of a hodgepodge of 38 bells that were played by a pneumatic system from an ivory type keyboard devised by the Ghent organbuilder Lovaert. The bells were played by the church organist until the system fell into an unplayable state of disrepair. In 1893 a new carillon was cast by Severinus van Aerschodt of Louvain and connected to a Mechelen/Denyn-standard console fabricated by Desiré Somers. In 1917, during the first World War, these bells were plundered by the Germans. Marcel Michiels of Doornik cast 35 bells (bourdon of 1,332 pounds) for Roeselare  in 1921. The bells were recast in Doornik in 1939 and returned to the tower. The bourdon had grown to 1,378 pounds. Twelve Eijsbouts bells were added in 1988, and in 1992 the old bells were returned, a new bass bell was added, and a new playing console was installed. The lightweight instrument now comprises 49 bells from a 1,962-pound bourdon which sounds F and is keyed to B-flat; hence the instrument transposes up a fifth. Koen Cosaert is municipal carillonneur of Roeselare, Izegem, and Harelbeke, an organist in Kortrijk, and an instructor at the Royal Belgian Carillon School in Mechelen. The carillon is played every Tuesday morning and every other Saturday at noon. A special series of evening recitals is organized each year from June through September. Guided tours of the tower are available from June through September; phone (051)207-843 for group reservations.