Carillon News

Carillon composition competition

The fifth international Queen Fabiola Carillon Competition will take place in 2003 in Mechelen, Belgium. It is the most prestigious performance competition for carillonneurs. To complement this event, the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn" in Mechelen, in conjunction with the city of Mechelen and with the support of local carillon associations, has organized a composition competition. The winning score will be performed by the finalists in the 2003 Queen Fabiola Competition.

The composition should last about five minutes and should be adapted to the carillon of the St. Rombout's tower in Mechelen, which comprises 49 bells. The instrument transposes down a fourth. (C on the keyboard sounds G.)  The keyboard compass is B-flat, C, D, E-flat, then chromatic to C.

The jury will be asked to focus on:

* Suitability: Is the composition suitable for carillon and can it be played by an experienced carillonneur?

* Originality: How inventive is the piece?

* General musicality: Does the composition appeal to the general music lover?

The winning score, which will be the obligatory work for the Queen Fabiola Competition, will be awarded the "Jef Denyn Award" of 1000 Euros.

A special "Staf Nees Award" of 300 Euros will be awarded to a work based on a folksong.

Each participant may submit one or more original compositions. Scores can be written by hand or notated with a computer. Entries must reach the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn," F. de Merodestraat 63, B-2800 Mechelen, Belgium, by October 31, 2002. Besides the name and address of the Royal Carillon School, the outer envelope and the musical score itself may only mention the following:

* "Composition Competition 2002"

* a motto

* the award sought (Jef Denyn or Staf Nees)

A closed inner envelope mentioning only the motto on the outside, contains a page with the name and address of the composer. This envelope will be opened only after the jury has made its decision.  The identity of the composer must not be discernible in any way from the envelope or the score. 

The winners will be notified and invited for the presentation of awards in the Mechelen City Hall. The results of the competition will be announced by the press. The winning scores remain property of the Royal Carillon School, which retains the right to publish the works. Scores of non-winning works will be returned on request. Finally, the jury may decide not to award a prize if the scores presented do not meet the requested standards.

A new type of bell

It has been said many times that since the computer made its appearance in bell foundries in the mid-eighties, the possibilities have expanded greatly. For example, Dr. André Lehr, conservator of the Dutch National Carillon Museum and former director of the Royal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry, developed a considerably lighter bell with the same diameter as the customary bell while maintaining the same pitch and sonority. A traditional C2 bell with a diameter of 30 inches (77 cm.) weighs approximately 631 pounds (286 kg.) The new bell design with the same diameter only weighs 472 pounds (214 kg.). With 25% less bronze, the result was surprising. The Royal Petit & Fritsen Bell Foundry in Aarle-Rixtel, The Netherlands, cast a prototype. It has a beautiful sound and moreover a long, resonant decay. More details are available in an article written by Dr. Lehr entitled "The Geometrical Limits of the Carillon Bell," published in the periodical, Acustica, Vol. 86, 2000, pp. 543-549. There is no copyright on the bell--it can be cast and used by anyone who wishes.

The Joseph Dill Baker Carillon in Frederick, Maryland, has been renovated recently and expanded to 49 bells. The carillon began as the last chime cast by Menneely and Company of Water-vliet, New York, in 1941. The chime of 14 bells was installed in a neo-Gothic tower of reinforced concrete and granite. The tower stands in the middle of Baker Park, a linear, downtown park. The tower is 16 feet square at the base and stands 70 feet.

In 1966, Tony Elderhorst, working for Schulmerich/Eijsbouts, installed a two-octave baton keyboard and nine additional bells in the tower, making the instrument a 23-bell carillon. This addition was made possible by unusual circumstances. An election which was planned in 1965/66 in the City of Frederick was not held, as all contenders for office were running unopposed. The funds budgeted for this election were used to pay for the carillon expansion.

The most recent renovation project has been made possible by a fund raising drive by the Friends of Baker Park, the advocacy organization for the park, and by additional funding from the City of Frederick. The carillon now comprises 49 bells. The 3,384-pound bourdon sounds D and is keyed to Bb1. The keyboard compass is: Bb1, C, D1 C#, chromatic through c3. The 26 new bells were cast by the Petit & Fritsen foundry and installed by the Verdin Company. The Meeks & Watson firm designed the frame and the keyboard. Richard Watson modified the tuning of the existing 23 bells. A used, 1926, 50-note, Taylor practice keyboard was also acquired. The dedication recital was played on September 10 by John Widmann, Frederick City Carillonneur.

The annual Northeastern Regional Carillon Event was held at the newly renovated and expanded Joseph Dill Baker Carillon on Saturday, November 4. In addition to a recital by John Widmann, the host carillonneur, the City of Frederick sponsored a special guest recital featuring Larry Weinstein, president of The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. All present for the event had an opportunity to play the new instrument. There were lectures and discussions on building a student carillonneur program and on fund raising techniques for carillon programs. Students had the opportunity to play for, and be critiqued by, carillonneur members of the GCNA.

News from Belgium

Jef Denyn's Unwritten Prelude

One of the cornerstones of the Flemish romantic carillon repertory is undoubtedly the Unwritten Prelude by Jef Denyn. It is a work that neither he nor his students put on paper. Improvisatory in character and with opening chords reminiscent of Rachmaninov, this prelude has been handed over from generation to generation, a method not customary in Western culture but of common occurrence in eastern civilizations. Rabindranat Tagore--who was not only a writer and poet, but also a musician--improvised many works that later were taken over by his son and are still taught to this day in his school in Santiniketan.

The Unwritten Prelude was put on paper first by Gaston Feremans to the dismay of Staf Nees who wanted to maintain the "unwritten" tradition. Later the work was published by the Belgian Carillon Guild in a transcription by  Piet  van den Broek and Frans Vos based primarily on a prewar recording published by "His Majesty's Voice."

In spite of the intriguing beauty of this extremely romantic work, with its typical Mechelin-style lyricism, performances of the Unwritten Prelude are relatively infrequent. Many carillonneurs struggle with Denyn's tremolos, rendering disagreeable performances of this prelude. The scores offer no clarity with regard to the interpretation of the tremolos. The performer who has never really heard the prelude remains uncertain and finds it easier to set the piece aside. Playing tremolos well is indeed an art of its own, just as vibrato on the violin. Nevertheless, this style of playing is part of the carillon playing tradition, especially in Flanders, and adds an enchanting dimension that moves many listeners deeply. According to Leentje Denyn, Jef Denyn's granddaughter and a student at the Carillon School, the composer's inspiration for writing this piece was profound. It may have been an "outpouring" around 1904 upon the birth of his first daughter Emma.

This prelude made an undeniable contribution toward Denyn's great success as a carillonneur in the beginning of this century.

http://www.carillons/caught.in.the.net/

Sydney J. Shep is Associate Carillonneur of the National War Memorial Carillon in Wellington, New Zealand. She wrote this reflection on carillon web sites for the newsletter of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. Dr. Shep is also a Printing Fellow at the Wai-te-ata Press at Victoria University of Wellington.

New tech, high tech, more tech, no tech? As everyone gets on the proverbial bandwagon to create web sites, the world of the carillon is no exception. In this review of carillon sites, I want to survey some of the existing sites,  assess them according to some principles of effective web design, look at the fundamental nature of the electronic medium, and point out the pitfalls for those contemplating their own entry into this new performance field.

What are the advantages of a web site? As most of us are aware, the contemporary hunger for information has engendered a network of facts and figures which requires a different kind of tool for efficient access and navigation. The internet is one such tool which complements but does not substitute for existing tools. This is particularly true both in its role as a dynamic, continually updateable, on-line database and in its populist form, the newest vehicle for super-marketing and advertising. Print-based resources still have a place in our lives and consciousness,  and books are definitely not dead. So, what information about the carillon can be best delivered through the internet rather than through any other communication medium? Pictures, sound, video, statistics, recital programs, publications? Most of these, yes; some, definitely not; and others, well, design is everything.

Virtually all web sites these days include a picture of the tower, possibly the bells themselves, maybe even the clavier and performer. Great--a picture can paint a thousand words. But remember, not all computers have image-capabilities and those that do may not be operated by a user who wants to spend time (and money) downloading a full-screen, full-color bitmap. A useful text tag describing the image both permits the non-image user to feel part of the imaginative net-scape, and acts as a signal for the image-capable to click here if s/he so desires. Another shortcut is to provide only a thumbnail of the image with a hypertext link to its "full" size version, but again, use the full-size image opportunity to add a caption line.

Many web designers think images add a little spice to the page to save it from boredom and inertia. However,  a few images here and there, surrounded by text so dense you might as well read it in a book is not the answer. Screen resolution is an eyewearying 72 dpi, not the 1220-2400 dpi we are accustomed to in print. For example, if you are presenting a guided tour of your carillon, don't let the text do the driving. Add graphic navigational aids like maps and pointers. Otherwise, you are encouraging the reader to download to a print version, and haven't you then lost the whole point of using this electronic medium? On this point, compare <http://www.chapel.duke.edu/chapel/tour.htm&gt; Duke University Chapel with <http://smith2.sewanee.edu/gsmith/MapServe/AllSaints.html&gt; All Saint's Chapel.

Furthermore, like creating an advertising slogan or a poster, the web site requires a different kind of writing--clear, concise, to the point--definitely more a report than an essay. Hypertext links assist in ordering these chains of information nuggets. Think of the home page as both cover and table of contents, not the whole book itself. Since first impressions are everything, the home page can either tempt your reader to continue the journey, or can turn her/him away completely. A simple, catchy layout with the primary facts plus a road map for further exploration all in the space of one screen, are sufficient for the home page. The advent of frames and tables-supporting browsers has led to greater awareness of the need for simple design, a tune called KISS ("Keep It Simple, Stupid") which paper-based graphic designers have been singing for decades. Good examples are found at: <http://www.cis.yale.edu/carillon/&gt; Yale University Carillon and at <http://www.bells.usyd.ed.au/&gt; University of Sydney War Memorial Carillon.

Through several levels of linking hierarchy (the pros suggest three levels maximum--with four you're in danger of getting lost yourself), a large amount and variety of information can be presented, but order it in advance to help your readers along the path.

Let them savor the information byte by dark chocolate byte rather than confusing them with the whole cake. And to prevent information overweight, recall what Dorothy says in "The Wizard of Oz"--there's no place like home. At the bottom of each page, a "Home" or "Back to Home Page" link provides a way of getting out of the sensory maze. For the overindulgent, take a look at <http://www.cict.fr/toulouse/carillon/carillons.html&gt; if you want to be overwhelmed by blinking video clips, dark image backgrounds and text which is barely decipherable. We are in the business to communicate, even in the postmodern world, n'est-ce pas?

Additional multimedia features available on the net can be a trap. As with images, both sound and even more so, video, require enormous amounts of time to download, memory, and specialist software. Are the results worth it? Let's look at sound for a moment, something most folks probably think is an ideal marketing tool for an instrument which, after all, is an audio experience. We all know that the carillon and its acoustical environment is one of the most difficult instruments to record, new digital technologies notwithstanding. Translate that to computer reproduction on the net and are you really doing the carillon a favor by including a sound byte? A barely recognizable, 410K, 20-second morsel of Jef Denyn complete with high-volume hiss and overmodulation certainly doesn't do justice to the composer, performer or instrument. Ditto, a 312K, 30-second, unnamed and unnameable folksong. As the net is becoming more and more a powerful marketing tool, you could be responsible for turning people right off the carillon because your sonic shorthand is  such an inadequate representation of the real thing. No wonder an electronic carillon sounds like a better option for the un- or mis-informed!

Until sound reproduction is more advanced on the computer, an excellent solution is to list where good-quality carillon recordings can be bought. The easiest mechanism for this is to include a linked e-mail address for further information, or even an order form if you are in the distribution business yourself and have no qualms about electronic commerce. If you want to list recordings, music editions, catalogs, or other statistical information, you need to provide clearly, visually-oriented material. Take the example of music composition. Some organizations go to a lot of work to provide octave range capabilities of the music they are selling, recognizing that most carillonneurs are shopping for music they can play on their own instruments, or music of a particular variety such as original compositions, arrangements, solo, duets, etc. So, rather than long composer/title lists which make the screen-reader go cross-eyed in short order, why not provide a set of links starting with instrument size, or with genre of music. Shaping the information in a manner appropriate to the instrument and its musicians is important. Long alphabetized lists just don't sell your product to carillonneurs or anyone else out there.

And, don't forget to update your information. The whole advantage of the net is that it provides the opportunity to furnish the most recent information. Such dynamic, online database capabilities are useless if the material is inaccurate or obviously outdated. The record of last year's concerts, workshops, and congresses may provide an interesting archive of facts and figures, but does nothing for the image of an institution if such information is tired and worn, or worded in the present tense. In the hiatus between annual events, why not include a general announcement about forthcoming events and retain last year's to give an indication as to the breadth of programming. The need to be vigilant about this is an essential part of the public profile of the instrument Similarly, don't rely on someone else to tell you when your links to other sites no longer work. It is your responsibility to check them regularly or use one of the software packages that can autocheck for you. There is nothing so frustrating to the first-time surfie or seasoned user to come up with a screen which shouts "URL Not Found." This also goes for many web sites which have changed servers or directory architecture and are likewise inaccessible unless you too change your html files.

Finally, where to start to get an overview of the wealth of carillon sites out there today and to assess their strengths and weaknesses? Most people begin with the proprietary search engines which come with your browser software: yahoo, lycos, etc. Yahoo's search pulls up nine entries for carillon; judge for yourself their relevance to our concerns: the Lubbock, Texas "Carillon Retirement Center" (not a bell in sight except for the corporate identity); two entries for electronic carillon manufacture (why spend money and time on old bells when you can have the chime master system); and most obscurely of all, the University of Regina's long-standing student newspaper entitled (what else) "Carillon." Lycos is more fruitful, with 1,225 "relevant documents," the first 19 out of 20 at least having something to do with the bell instrument we all know and love. In the interests of time and sanity, I suggest you bypass this route completely and jump to an excellent point of departure, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut Guild of Carillonneurs' home page, URL <http://www.trincoll.edu/~carrill/carillon.html&gt;. In one hit, the major carillon installations worldwide are available for your surfing pleasure. Enjoy!

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.

News from Belgium

Belgian Carillon School dubbed "Cultural Ambassador"

Minister of Culture Hugo Weckx announced the list of Flemish
Cultural Ambassadors, naming primarily musicians for the task of carrying the
reputation of Flanders abroad. Twenty-four musical projects were recognized
with this distinction which carries a cash award. Honored were notable groups
such as I Fiammingi, the Walter Boeykens Ensemble, Philippe Herreweghe's
Collegium Vocale, the Ensemble Currende, Jos van Immerseel's Anima Eterna, and
the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn" of Mechlin.

Although the director of the School, Jo Haazen, was
nominated by the City Council to become a Cultural Ambassador in October 1995,
Haazen encouraged Minister Weckx to honor the school first with this
distinction. "I hope that you will seriously consider the Royal Carillon
School 'Jef Denyn', that will soon celebrate its 75th anniversary and as the
first carillon school in Flanders and in the world has more than proven its
significance, as a candidate for the cultural ambassadorship in 1995."
(5/30/94)

The nomination was made, and the official proclamation came
on Friday June 16, 1995 in the Marquis Building in Brussels. The beautiful
Eijsbouts mobile carillon was rented for the occasion and played by Jo Haazen.
During a formal ceremony, charters were presented to the representatives of
each organization. Also in attendance from the Carillon School were Jean van
der Sande, president of the Board of Directors; Viviane Vanroy, secretary; and
Rien Aarssen, president of the student organization "Campana."

The text of the charter reads: "FLEMISH GOVERNMENT:
Considering that valuable cultural projects with a strong international
reputation witness in an original manner the historical wealth and the current
creativity of the Flemish culture, and that they contribute to the emanation of
the Flemish openness and identity,

Considering that the hereafter named enterprise adheres to
the abovenamed criteria, we have decided to appoint:

THE ROYAL CARILLON SCHOOL "JEF DENYN", Mechelen as
Cultural Ambassador of Flanders 1995."

Grants totalled 102 million Belgian Franks, 79 million from
the Ministry of Culture and 23 million from the Ministry of Economics.

Colloquium on a Universal Standard Keyboard

On Saturday February 25, 1995 a forum was held in the
Mechelen Cultural Center on the development of a universal standard in order to
promote scientific research toward the unification of carillon keyboards.

Panel members included Dr. André Lehr, campanologist
and director of the National Carillon Museum in Asten; Foeke De Wolf, president
of the Dutch Carillon Guild; Jo Haazen, director of the Belgian Carillon
School; Loek Boogert, president of the World Carillon Federation; Jos
D'hollander, representative of the Flemish Carillon Guild; and Mr. A. Voet,
ergonomist and instructor at the Mechlin Industrial College "De
Nayer." Dr. M. Heremans, Professor at the Catholic University of Louvain
la Neuve, presided.

An ingenious apparatus had been constructed in the workshop
of the National Carillon Museum in Asten which permits experimentation with the
keyfall of a carillon keyboard. Sophie Heremans of Louvain demonstrated,
playing the keyboard with a reduced keyfall. It was called a
"Hazeleerklavier" with regard to collaborators Haazen and Lehr.

After a short introduction by Mr. F. Nobels, Councilor of
Culture, members  of the panel
spoke. It was observed that there have been numerous "standards"
through history, and currently the foremost examples are the American and
North-European standards. The director of the Belgian Carillon School strongly
defended the idea of a "universal standard" such as already exists
for the piano. The purpose is to promote uniformity in the whole world.
Carillonneurs must not resist this progress. Moreover he pleaded for a shorter
keyfall if this will lead to a more fluent, beautiful, and refined playing
technique without loss of the control of nuance. The law of physics was pointed
out that shows that the best result is attained through a minimal use of
energy, technically and artistically, a law that all carillonneurs will need to
take into account sooner or later.

Schools Unite

The Board of Directors of the Belgian Carillon School has
prepared a cooperative agreement which will link the Saratov State Conservatory
in Russia with the Belgian School, permitting exchanges between the schools.
The Russian bell tradition is taught at the Saratov Conservatory as a part of
the Folklore Department, guided by Professor Alexander Jareschko.

As a part of a ministerial decree on art education, the final
touches were put on a cooperative agreement between the Belgian Carillon School
in Mechelen, the Flemish Music Conservatory in Antwerp, and the Lemmens
Institute in Louvain. This will make professional training possible for
carillonneurs pursuing studies at the other institutions and will be called the
"Master of Music, Carillon Major." All technical carillon courses
will be taught at the Mechelen School by specially appointed guest professors.

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.