Carillon News

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.

1995 GCNA Congress

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GCNA composition competition

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

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

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.

Brian Swager is a contributing editor of THE DIAPASON.

New carillon in West Virginia

Nestled in the southern West Virginia Appalachian mountains, atop the administration building of a small liberal arts college, stands one of the newest additions to the world of carillons. This beautiful 48-bell carillon was cast by Paccard and installed by the Van Bergen Bellfoundry of Charleston, South Carolina. The Marsh Memorial Carillon is the first true carillon in the state of West Virginia. It ranges from a C of 4310 pounds to a 29-pound C. The bells can be played manually or by computer. By way of a fiber-optic cable, the system has recording capabilities from the midi keyboard to the bells. All of these units are located in the climate-controlled playing cabin directly under the bell chamber. In the music building is a unique practice console that uses batons, and rather than xylophone bars it uses an electric device for producing computer-generated sound through speakers. The practice console, like the manual console, is equipped with a two-octave pedalboard that duplicates the lower two octaves of the manual keyboard.

Twenty-three of the bells have the Concord College seal, a decorative band, and various other inscriptions. Of particular interest is the inscription on bell number ten, an A-sharp: "Dedicated to the musicians and carillonneurs who will play this carillon and enrich for the centuries to come the college community with melodious tones and provide inspiration to all who hear these bells."

The Marsh Memorial Carillon is a statement of one of man's joy of life, of giving, and of love for college and community and is the realization of a 40-year dream for Dr. Joseph F. Marsh, Jr., the donor. A resident of Athens and a former President and President's son of Concord College, Dr. Marsh became enamored with bells during his years at Dartmouth and Oxford and planned his tower in the 1960s while serving as President of Concord College. During his Presidency the administration building was renovated and redesigned to accommodate a tower room complete with a slit in the roof for the rods and pads on the floor to support a bell frame. Because Dr. Marsh was unable to raise the funds from private sources to finance the bells, he had privately bequeathed the money to the college so that the carillon could be built after his death. In 1995, however, he decided to donate the funds during his lifetime so that he too could enjoy the carillon. It is truly a magnificent gift to the college, the community, and the state.

The carillon was dedicated on 10 October 1997 with a concert by Robin Austin. His program included original works by Barnes, Byrnes, as well as arrangements and transcriptions by Myhre, Austin, Warner, Dundore, Gerken, Rusterolz, and Lannoy. Attending the dedication were representatives from the French government, the United States Navy, the Paccard Bellfoundry, Concord alumni, and local dignitaries.

In addition to the striking of hourly chimes and a special chime--the Concord Chimes, written by Dr. Marsh--that rings at the close of classes, the bells are programmed to ring daily for fifteen minutes in the early evening.

Concord is located between Princeton, West Virginia, and Pipestem State Resort on Route 20. There is easy access to Athens from Interstate 77.

News from Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin Carillonneur Lyle Anderson sends the followong news.

The first set of bells for the University of Wisconsin's Memorial Carillon in Madison was cast by the English firm of Gillett and Johnston late in 1935 and installed in 1936. This was a two-octave span of 25 bells with a bourdon of E-flat (with the then common omission of the two lowest semi-tones, corresponding to C# and D# on the keyboard). G&J often cast numbers on their sets of bells beginning with the highest, so that the smallest bell of this group, an F in pitch, was number one.

As fortune would have it, there was money left over (!) in the carillon fund, so five additional bells were purchased and installed in the tower in early 1937. When the Paccard foundry of France was contracted to next expand the carillon in 1962, the smallest six G&J bells were deemed too delicate of profile to successfully anchor an additional 21 treble bells. So six more Paccard bells replaced these G&J bells (including therefore the original "number one" bell cast in 1935).

When the carillon was next expanded ten years later, the Dutch firm of Royal Eijsbouts won the contract to cast five large bells that would complete the carillon with a bourdon of B-flat. The instrument was reconfigured to play in concert pitch. As part of that installation, Eijsbouts offered to replace all 27 of the Paccard bells for the cost of the metal alone, a deal too good to refuse. Thus no French bells resounded from the carillon after 1973. Like a group of abandoned orphans, the Paccards lost various members and several of them suffered abuse at the hands of a local theatrical company for several years, but eventually 20 of them were put into silent storage for most of the last decade.

On May 29, 1998, Wisconsin celebrated 150 years of statehood. To mark the precise moment at noon of that date, a statewide bell-ringing was planned, initiated by Governor Tommy Thompson on the grounds of the State Capitol in Madison and carried by radio and television throughout the state. Through a mostly coincidental series of connections, the largest of the Paccard treble bells--the "F" that replaced the original G&J number one bell--was brought out of storage and mounted by the carillonneur's father, Gordon Anderson, in a visually striking frame that allowed it to be swung by hand by the governor. Several weeks later the bell was returned to the tower, where it resounds in the lively acoustics of the tower's lower stone chamber and serves as a historically significant "hands-on" introduction to the tower.

--Lyle Anderson

News from Ann Arbor

Margo Halsted sends this news from Ann Arbor.

A chime of 17 bells was installed in the Kerrytown Market and Shops in Ann Arbor, Michigan last September. The chime is the third bell instrument in Ann Arbor, since the nearby central and north campuses of the University of Michigan each have a carillon.

The Kerrytown Chime has an interesting history. During a 1993 vacation in Cork, Ireland, Kerrytown owners Joe and Karen O'Neal ascended the tower of St. Anne's Church and were allowed to perform on the Ellacombe system installed there for the eight tower bells. (Around 1850, the Rev. H. T. Ellacombe, an Englishman, devised a system so that one person could play melodies on tower bells that were used at other times as swinging bells.) Next to the Ellacombe apparatus there were pages of melodies written out to correspond to numbers on the ropes. The O'Neals played and then wrote out the numbered melody notes for the University of Michigan Fight Song "The Victors." Later, from the street below, the couple heard someone else playing "The Victors" from the church tower. The O'Neals were surprised and thrilled.

In 1996, Karen and Joe O'Neal discovered some bells for sale in a Brooklyn, Michigan "used bell" shop. They purchased seven bells, planning to acquire one missing bell and install an Ellacombe apparatus in Kerrytown. The bells originally had been installed in the 1920s in the carillon at St. Stephen's Church, Cohasset, Massachusetts (the top octaves of the Gillett & Johnston Cohasset carillon had been replaced in 1989). At that point the O'Neals contacted Margo Halsted, who persuaded them to purchase three more of the Cohasset bells and to order seven additional bells to form a chime to be played from a traditional chimestand.

The Kerrytown Chime, for the most part, is built to the measurements of the Cornell (NY) University Chime, including a pedal note for each manual lever. With a complete pedal range, quite fast and complicated music can be performed. Assisting with the instrument design was Ann Arbor resident Judy Ogden, a former Head Chimemaster at Cornell University, where she played the 19-bell chime for 19 years. In addition, Judy Ogden is a GCNA carillonneur member and an Assistant Carillonist at the University of Michigan. Twice a week she plays 30-minute noonday chime concerts and reports that the action is even and that the bells sound "wonderful."

Kerrytown Market has an open-air market three days a week. In addition to being visually beautiful, the bells also fulfill concert and market-day functions. The chimestand is located at the side of a second-floor hallway in the shopping center, and the public is able to see the chimestand behind glass or watch it being played when a performer is present. Once a practice mechanism is developed, other bell aficionados will have a chance to learn to play the chime.

The seven new bells were cast and the keyboard and mechanism were created and installed by the Royal Eijsbouts Bellfoundry of the Netherlands. There are inscriptions on the seven new bells, and the largest bell has an outside hammer which strikes the hour. The new bells well match the old in finish, shape and timbre. The pitches of the chime are B (of 699 pounds) C, D, E, F, F#, G, A, B-flat, B, C, C#, D, E, F, F#, G.

Visitors are very welcome to visit the three bell instruments of Ann Arbor.

--Margo Halsted

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.

Carillon dedication

A new carillon on the North Campus of the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, will be dedicated during a special ceremony on Thursday, October 19 at 9:00 p.m. During the spring and summer, the instrument is to be installed in the new and modern tower designed by the late architect Charles Moore of Austin, Texas. The dedication ceremony is planned to include music played on the new carillon and music performed by the University of Michigan Symphony Band, by itself and with the carillon. In addition to the music, there will be special tower lighting effects and fireworks.

The Lurie Carillon and Lurie Tower are named after Robert
Lurie and were donated by his widow, Ann, of Chicago. Robert Lurie held two
degrees in engineering from the University of Michigan. Royal Eijsbouts of The
Netherlands cast the 60 bells (bourdon G of six tons) to a modified Hemony
profile. Thirty-eight of the bells will also have MIDI capability. A new
practice keyboard will be installed in a nearby building.

Two works for carillon have been commissioned for the
dedication. The commissions went to University of Michigan composer William
Albright and to Mannheim Steamroller composer and director, Chip Davis, a
graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music. To help celebrate the
event, there is also a carillon composition competition for University of
Michigan student composers with cash prizes. The winning student pieces will be
performed at special concerts following the dedication.

Ronald Barnes honored

Honorary membership in the Guild of Carillonneurs in North
America was conferred on Ronald Barnes at the 1995 Congress in Princeton, New
Jersey. David Hunsberger nominated Mr. Barnes for this honor with the following
tribute.

Born and brought up in Lincoln, Nebraska, Mr. Barnes
believes his parents took him as a young child to hear Anton Brees dedicate the
carillon at First Plymouth Congregational Church. Fifteen years later, he
studied organ with Myron Roberts, the church's organist, who one day asked if
he would consider learning to play the carillon, since Mary Guest, the woman
then playing, planned to move away.

Young Ronald ascended the tower to watch her play, and
remembers that she played melodies only, and only in the bottom two octaves,
grasping the keys chime-style. When he asked her why she did not also use the
higher notes she replied that they didn't work, and sure enough, when he tried
one it would not move. Only a few days later, when he and his older brother
Bryce actually made their way into the bell chamber (in those days a hazardous
climb indeed) did he realize that all those notes had bells attached to them.

The two young men carried twelve bushel baskets full of dead
pigeons, droppings, and other dirt from the tower. They cleaned and lubricated
the playing action, disassembling some of it. When they had finished, Ronald
went up the following Sunday to play. Since he owned no carillon music, he simply played scales up and down the compass. The phone immediately began to ring, with neighborhood people wanting to know when the church had gotten the new bells. So far as he can determine, the last person to have played the small
bells on that carillon had been Anton Brees at the dedicatory recitals a decade
and a half earlier!

At the end of World War II Mr. Barnes served in the US Navy
in Japan during the occupation, on a destroyer tender as a specialist working
with navigational instruments, and later as a helmsman on a destroyer.
Afterwards he used the GI Bill to earn a Master of Arts degree in musicology at
Stanford University, where for his thesis he wrote a study of the carillon
preludes of Matthias van den Gheyn. He attended his first GCNA congress in 1948
at Ann Arbor, where he, Theophil Rusterholz, and Bertram Strickland played
their advancement recitals. Following the Congress he spent the summer in
Ottawa with Robert Donnell, which was to be his only formal study of the
carillon.

In 1951 he accepted an appointment to play the large new
Taylor carillon in Lawrence, Kansas, which he says was the finest in the world
at the time. While on the Kansas University faculty he also taught harpsichord
and cared for the university's instrument collection. In 1963 he again accepted
an appointment to play a brand new Taylor carillon, which he again thought was
the best carillon in the world, this time at the Washington Cathedral.

Finally, in 1982 he returned to California to preside over
the Class of 1928 Carillon at Berkeley. Under his supervision the Berkeley
instrument has been enlarged once and improved several times.

He has been host of three congresses, one at each of his
towers beginning in Kansas in 1956, and will be one of the hosts, along with
his successor, at the 1998 congress in Berkeley. He was President of the Guild
during part of the 1960s, and served for seven years during the 1950s as editor
of the Bulletin.

It was Mr. Barnes' personal encouragement that led several
of our most important composers, among them Roy Hamlin Johnson, John Pozdro,
and Gary White, to develop an interest in the carillon. He has played pivotal
roles in beginning and nurturing the carillon careers of some of our most
distinguished players, including Milford Myhre, Richard Strauss, and Daniel
Robins. He has written provocatively and with penetrating insight several times
for the Bulletin, working to set new standards for quality of performance,
choice of repertory, and sophistication in design and construction of instruments. But there is no doubt in my mind that the contribution that overshadows all others is his contribution to our instrument's musical literature. Dating back to his earliest years at Kansas and deepening during the years, the flow of compositions in his mature years has made our lives as performers increasingly worth living.

After 13 years of service, Ronald Barnes retired from his
position as University Carillonist at the University of California, Berkeley,
on October 15, 1995. Jeff Davis has been appointed Acting University
Carillonist.

Eurocarillon Festival

The first Eurocarillon Festival took place in Bruges and
Damme, Belgium, on September 1–3, 1995. It was organized by the two
cities and the newly founded European carillon organization, Eurocarillon, which
consists of representatives from Portugal, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany,
Spain, England, and The Netherlands.

On the first two days several concerts were given on the
carillon hung in the high Bruges town hall belfry overlooking the central market
square. The 47-bell instrument with a six-ton bourdon was cast in 1748 by Joris
Dumery and renovated in 1969 by Eijsbouts. A four-hands rendition of Vivaldi's
The Four Seasons given by Abel Chavez and Anna Maria Reverté was one of
the festival's high points. During another concert Aimé Lombaert and
Boudewijn Zwart's performance was seen on video and heard on loudspeakers in
one of the town hall's rooms where it was coordinated with the simultaneous
playing of a percussion ensemble. The closing concerts were held on the town
hall carillon of the nearby port of Damme which was reached by a boat trip
through a picturesque landscape.

The purpose of Eurocarillon is to strengthen the position of
the carillon and the carillonneur in European cultural life. The organization
will serve as an important showcase of European carillon culture. Each year a
special Eurocarillon concert featuring the same program will be given on the
same day at the same time in all of Eurocarillon's member cities, and a
Eurocarillon festival will be held in one of the member countries. Discussions
are currently underway to hold festivals this year in Lyons, next year in
Barcelona, and in 1998 in Amsterdam.