Carillon News

Brian Swager is a contributing editor of THE DIAPASON.

Day of the American Carillonneur

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Call for papers

From August 9 through 13, 1998, the biennial congress of the World Carillon Federation will take place in Mechelen and Louvain, Belgium. As part of this event, the Catholic University of Louvain will sponsor a congress on campanology. Since campanology is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship, papers from various areas of research are welcome, including but not limited to musicology, history, sociology, psychology, theology, law, physics, and environmental science. Topics will be organized in the following categories:

1) The use of bells as public signaling devices in Europe from the 12th to the end of the 18th century (secular and religious forms or aspects, musical applications)

2) Determinants of the sound quality of bells (material, bell profile, bell chamber, environmental influences, etc.) and of the perception of bells (ideology, customization, conditioning, etc)

3) The state of carillon art between 1800 and 1900

Papers on other topics will be considered. Abstracts are due on June 30, 1997. Direct questions, suggestions, and abstracts to: Luc Rombouts, Congress Coordinator, University Hall, Oude Markt 13, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; e-mail: [email protected]

Profile: Amsterdam's Westertoren

The West Church (Westerkerk) was officially opened on Whitsunday 1631. It is one of the oldest churches especially built for Protestant services, and the largest such church in The Netherlands. Hendrick de Keyser, the city architect, built the church in Dutch Renaissance style, which is characterized by a combination of brick and stone. The famous painter Rembrandt van Rijn was buried inside the church in a rental grave in 1669. In 1966 Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus were married in the church. From 1985–1990 the church was completely restored.

Not until 1686, when organ accompaniment to singing had become customary, was the Westerkerk organ built by the father and son team of Duyschot. In 1727 it was considerably extended by the father, and it was further enlarged in the 19th century. Between 1988 and 1991 Flentrop of Zaandam restored the organ as nearly as possible to its original condition of 1686/1727.

In the medieval tradition, the 280-foot tower stands projecting from the center of the west facade. The base of the tower, up to the first gallery, is of brick, while the section above this is constructed mainly of wood with a facing of sandstone. The uppermost sections are also of wood, with an outer covering of lead. It was completed in 1638. The tower, which occupies a unique place in the affections of the people of Amsterdam, bears the symbol of the imperial crown of Maximilian of Austria, which was his gift to the city in gratitude for the support given to the Austro-Burgundian princes. The tower has inspired many songs and poems and remains a symbol of the city for Amsterdammers abroad. In her famous diary, Anne Frank makes fond references to the bells of the Westertoren ("I loved it from the start, and especially in the night it's like a faithful friend.").

The hour bell is the heaviest in Amsterdam and weighs more than 16,500 pounds; the hammer alone weighs some 450 pounds. In 1658 the famous Amsterdam bellfounder François Hemony delivered a 32-bell carillon based on a 4500-pound bourdon sounding D-flat. To complete three octaves, Claude Fremy was commissioned to found an additional three bells, but due to his death in 1699, his widow passed the contract on to Fremy's foreman, Claes Noorden. An extensive renovation of the carillon was undertaken in 1959. The 14 brass bells made by Hemony were retained while the treble range was replaced and extended by the Eijsbouts bellfoundry of Asten, The Netherlands. Presently, the carillon has 50 bells and is tuned in meantone temperament.

Boudewijn Zwart of Schoonhoven is the carillonneur of the Westertoren. He plays weekly, Tuesdays from noon to 1:00. The carillon can be heard to its best advantage from the courtyard of the Pulitzer Hotel or from the north side of the church. Four of the Amsterdam carillons are featured in a special series of summer recitals at 7:00 in the evening. Recitals at the West Tower are on Wednesdays, at the Old Church on Tuesdays,  and Saturday recitals are at the South Tower or the Mint Tower. Performers include guest carillonneurs from The Netherlands and abroad, as well as the Amsterdam municipal carillonneurs: Boudewijn Zwart, Todd Fair, Gideon Bodden, and Bernhard Winsemius.

Profile: Barneveld, The Netherlands

West of the Veluwe forest in the province of Gelderland is the city of Barneveld. The 160-foot tower of the St. Adolf Church (Oude or Sint Odulphuskerk) in Barneveld dates from the 13th century. Ravaged by fire and struck by lightning on numerous occasions, it is always restored to its old splendor. Until 1927 it was topped with a pear-shaped cone spire. As part of the restoration in that year, this was replaced with an open lantern topped by an onion-shaped crown.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Baron van Nagell as Mayor of Barneveld in 1927, a two-octave carillon was placed in the upper tolling chamber of the tower. The bells were made by the English firm Gillett & Johnston and were installed by the Dutch firm Eijsbouts. Placement was not optimal; the bells were audible only from near the tower. A few bells were added in 1948 and 1949. During a tower renovation in 1961 the carillon was moved into the lantern and expanded to four octaves. Finally, four bass bells made by Eijsbouts were added in 1977 and 1992. The current ensemble of 51 bells includes 17 made by Gillett & Johnston, one by Petit & Fritsen, two by Van Bergen, and 31 by Eijsbouts. The keyboard compass is B-flat, C, D, then chromatic through D. The bourdon sounds D-flat, hence the instrument transposes up a minor third. It is tuned in equal temperament.

Henry Groen is the municipal carillonneur. He plays on Thursdays at 10 am and Fridays from May through September at 7:00 pm. During the Old Veluwe Market--Thursdays in July and August--the carillon is played at 9:30 am. A special summer series on Tuesday evenings from 8:00 to 9:00 during June, July, and August features Groen as well as guest carillonneurs from The Netherlands and abroad.

Profile: Maastricht, The Netherlands

Capital of the province of Limburg, Maastricht lies near the Belgian and German borders in the southeastern Netherlands. It takes its name from the Maas (Meuse) river which runs through it. The Roman settlement, Trajectum ad Mosam, was founded around 50 B.C. at this strategic river crossing point. A variety of structures bear witness to its ancient past and lively present. The Milanese architect Aldo Rossi designed the modern Bonnefanten Museum building (Limburg Museum of Art and Antiquities) which houses paintings from the southern Netherlands and modern works, as well as prehistoric material and relics from Roman and early medieval graves. However, many local artifacts remain buried under modern buildings in the city. Some remnants of the first (1229) and second (mid-14th century) town walls still exist including the Helpoort (Hell Gate), the oldest town gate in The Netherlands.

The Sint Servaaskerk, founded at the end of the fourth century, is the oldest church in The Netherlands. The original building was erected over the grave of St. Servatius, the first bishop of Maastricht. The oldest part of the present church--a Romanesque cruciform basilica--dates from the year 1000.

While the present carillon of St. Servaas is relatively new, the church has a history of bells beginning in the 16th century. A tower clock was ordered in 1544 and eleven years later the bellfounder Henrick Van Trier, actually of Aachen, was commissioned to cast 19 bells. The bells did not pass inspection and were recast before being hung in the middle tower of the west section of the church. When the trio of towers was  rebuilt in baroque style, it was deemed time to replace the falsely-tuned Van Trier bells with a new instrument. Andreas Jozef van den Gheyn of Louvain was engaged in 1767 to build a new carillon of 40 bells based on a bourdon sounding F. Several legends describe how the carillon narrowly escaped plunder during the French occupation. It is said that a commission of the city warded off the danger by declaring the instrument "un chef-d'œuvre de l'art." Some contend that a plea was made claiming that the inhabitants of the area that had previously been Belgium were of the belief that a tower without a carillon was a body without a soul, and that the citizens could not be denied the pleasure of the carillon to which they were so dearly attached. More convincing is a tactic used by a number of cities in various wars: the Maastricht people told the French that the carillon should be preserved in order to play for victories of the French army and French national celebrations. The argument worked, as seizure of the carillon for its bronze content was definitively cancelled. The Maastricht carillon was not immune, however, to the general decadence that plagued the carillon world during the 19th century. Local piano builder Frederik Smulders got his hands on the instrument and installed an ivory-type keyboard. A 20th-century revival of the art was inspired by the Belgian Jef Denyn, and he served as an advisor when a new manual playing console was installed in 1935. But alas, the instrument was lost to a fire in 1955.

A brand new carillon for Maastricht was cast by the Royal Eijsbouts Bellfoundry of Asten, The Netherlands, in 1976. The 47 bells were hung in the south tower of the choir end of the church. With a 595-pound bourdon sounding C, the instrument was very lightweight--transposing up an octave. With the restoration of the church in 1984 the carillon was moved to one of the towers at the west side. It was enlarged with ten new bells and incorporating the three Petit & Fritsen swinging bells (c, d, e) which were already hanging in that tower. The carillon now spans five octaves and plays in concert pitch with a bourdon of C (4,961 lbs.). In addition to a special summer series of recitals on Thursday evenings from May through August, the instrument is played incidentally throughout the year.

A 14,112-pound bell (G) hangs in the other west tower; it was cast in 1983 by Eijsbouts as a replica of a bell by the brothers Moer which was broken in the 19th century. This bell is called "Grameer" (grandmother) which indicates its very special place in the hearts of the people of Maastricht. It is rung only a few times each year on very special occasions. The old "grameer" was placed in the church courtyard, the listening area for carillon concerts, on the spot where it was cast in 1515.

Maastricht also has a 1664 Hemony carillon (bourdon F-sharp, 1,687 lbs.) which hangs in the city hall. Recently restored, the instrument comprises one bell made by François and Pieter Hemony in 1663, sixteen by François Hemony in 1664, 26 by Eijsbouts in 1962, and six by Petit & Fritsen in 1996. It is played every Friday from 11:30 to 12:30 pm.

Frank Steijns is municipal carillonneur, not only in Maastricht but also in Weert and Heerlen. He received the Final Diploma with great distinction from the Royal Belgian Carillon School in 1991. Steijns studied violin, music theory, and orchestral conducting at the Lemmens Institute where he obtained four First Prizes, and graduated in 1994. He wrote a thesis on the Dutch composer Henk Badings. He has made numerous recordings as a carillonneur and violinist. He tours as a violinist with the Johann Strauss Orchestra of André Rieu which, in Monaco in 1996, won the "World Music Award" as the best selling Benelux artist of the world. Also, Steijns founded a commission that will organize an International Composition Competition "Henk Badings" with the purpose of stimulating composers all over the world to write carillon music.

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.