Carillon News

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.

Profile: Wiesbaden, Germany

The Evangelical Lutheran Market Church in Wiesbaden, Germany, was built in 1853-1862 as the "Cathedral of Hessen-Nassau." In neo-gothic style and with a three-nave basilica form, the church was built of brick with red sandstone steeples, with Schinkel's Werder church in Berlin as a model. The architect was Carl Boos. The center steeple is 300 feet high, while the side narthex steeples are 190 feet and the sanctuary steeples are 240 feet.

The Grand Organ was built in 1863 by E.F. Walcker. It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1929, 1938, 1970, and 1982 by Walcker, Sauer, Oberlinger. The Choir organ was built in 1970 by Oberlinger. Both organs can be played from one four-manual console, thereby controlling the total of 125 ranks.

The carillon in the center steeple of the Marktkirche of Wiesbaden was built by the Royal Eijsbouts Bellfoundry in Asten, The Netherlands, in 1986. Four of the five swinging bells cast by the Rincker bellfoundry in 1962 were integrated into the new carillon which consists primarily of 45 new Eijsbouts bells. The bourdon sounds C and weighs nearly 4800 pounds; the lightest bell is 28 pounds. The Wiesbaden carillon is one of only about 30 such instruments in Germany.

Hans Uwe Hielscher is organist and carillonneur of the church, and Thomas Frank is assistant carillonneur. The carillon is played every Saturday at noon, during the weekly market. Visits to see the keyboard room and the bells may be arranged through either carillonneur at (0611) 30.34.30.

Profile: Carillon Beach

Carillon Beach is a gated community in Panama City Beach, a coastal city in Florida's panhandle. The focal point and namesake of the community is a carillon that hangs in a 50-foot tower that stands just one block from the Gulf of Mexico. The carillon, installed in 1993, is the fourth in the state of Florida, following those at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, the University of Florida in Gainesville, and the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Clearwater. Carillon Beach is still being developed and will have over 300 homes.

The 35 bells were cast by the Petit & Fritsen Bellfoundry in Aarle-Rixtel, The Netherlands. The tower and carillon were designed by Richard M. Watson of Meeks, Watson & Company of Georgetown, Ohio, following sketches prepared by Carillon Beach architect Lloyd Vogt. The clappers, bell fittings, action, electric control equipment and tower steel were fabricated by the Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. Petit & Fritsen made the electric strikers, and Meeks, Watson & Co. bouilt the manual playing console. All bells are playable from the manual playing console with batons for hands and feet. Fourteen of the bells can be programmed by an automatic playing system which also sounds the Westminster quarters and the hour strike.

With a bourdon sounding middle C and weighing only 583 pounds, the instrument transposes up an octave which results in a light, clear sound suited to the relatively low placement of the bells in a smaller, open tower. The three-octave range is chromatic with the exception of the two lowest semitones (C# and D#). The carillon is owned by the Carillon Beach Institute. Beverly Buchanan was appointed Resident Carillonneur on August 1, 1996.  She plays one or two concerts weekly and on some holidays. Tours are given following concerts and by appointment. Visitors are welcome to call 904/234-5600 to ascertain concert times and arrange for a tour.

Brian Swager is a contributing editor of THE DIAPASON.

Profile: Germantown, PA

In Philadelphia's historic Germantown on Germantown Avenue at High Street stands the First United Methodist Church of Germantown. In the tower hangs the 50-bell Shelmerdine Memorial Carillon.

The Shelmerdines were industrial people. Their mansion, built in 1900, is three blocks from the church, replete with marble, gold dentils, stained glass, and all the ornate woodwork and crystal chandeliers one could ever dream of. They gave the tower in 1896 in memory of a young son who drowned and gave the carillon in memory of a second son who had died at age 43 in 1923. An inscription reads: "To the glory of God and in loving memory of Thornton S. Shelmerdine (1880-1923). A gift of his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Shelmerdine."

Originally, the carillon comprised 63 bells for 48 notes, the highest 15 pitches having two bells per note. The bourdon was a 6,720-pound Bb1 keyed to C. The bells were cast by John Taylor & Sons in Loughborough, England, and dedicated May 8, 1927. The 15 duplicate bells were eventually disconnected. In 1989 two new treble bells cast by Petit & Fritsen of Aarle-Rixtel, The Netherlands, were added to the top of the range, and the bells were keyed to concert pitch. The compass is now Bb1, C, then chromatic to c3.

Bernard Mausert was the first carillonneur at First United Methodist. W. Lawrence Curry played there for many years, from 1931 to 1965. James B. Angell, Robert Kleinschmidt, Robert Benner, Frances Rodgers, and Eloise DeHaan complete the list of carillonneurs through 1979 when the current carillonneur--Janet Tebbel--began. A frequent recitalist in the earlier years was the Belgian Anton Brees, and his compatriots Jef Denyn and Staf Nees also performed in Germantown.

First United Methodist is currently celebrating its bicentennial and the centennial of the building. The church has 18 Tiffany windows including the large "Resurrection Morn" in the west end. The church office building is a historic tavern built in 1748; George Washington and Lafayette both slept there! The church is on the main street of historic Germantown, which was founded in 1689. The tower is over the Germantown well, which was the site of the reading of the first ecclesiastical protest against human bondage in the New World. Francis Daniel Pastorius read the testimony which was used 150 years later as the inspiration for the Emancipation Proclamation. The church has been an activist church in social justice issues since the mid 60s. It is a sanctuary church, a reconciling congregation, and part of a network of churches that hosts homeless families on a rotating basis. The church is partnered with a peasant cooperative in Haiti. Prominent preacher and author Reverend Theodore Loder has been the minister for 34 years.

The carillon is played occasionally on Sunday mornings after the service by volunteer carillonneur Janet Tebbel. There is a series of five guest recitals in June and July, and there is special carillon music on the fourth Sunday in Advent and on Easter morning.

Brian Swager is a contributing editor of THE DIAPASON.

Dennis Reppen, Nunc Dimittis

Dennis W. Reppen died on September 29, 1995, in St. Paul,
MN, of cancer. From 1987 to 1993, Dennis was carillonneur and assistant
organist at House of Hope Presbyterian Church, St. Paul. During this period,
the Noyes Memorial Carillon at House of Hope underwent a major renovation. This
included enlargement of the instrument to 49 bells, installation of a new
practice keyboard, and a new playing cabin. In the summer of 1992, Dennis
inaugurated a Sunday evening recital series, and continued the series in 1993.
In September 1992 he organized a highly successful carillon workshop, taught by
Todd Fair, whose participants came from across the country.

Dennis grew up in Edgerton, Wisconsin, where as a high
school sophomore he began playing organ in 1963 at Central Lutheran Church. He
continued organ study with Theo Wee at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota,
obtaining a BA in Music in 1970. For the next four years he studied organ,
church music, musicology and theology at Heidelberg University. And, at Luther seminary in St. Paul, he studied theology.

Friends and family celebrated Dennis' life at services held
in Edgerton on October 4 and at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, North St. Paul,
where he was formerly organist, on October 9.

Citizen of the year

June Somerville was given a "citizen of the year"
award for playing the Norfolk Soldiers War Memorial Carillon at Simcoe,
Ontario, for twenty years and teaching carillon classes. The presentation was
made by the mayor at Simcoe Town Hall following a reception on January 8.

Until 1992, Somerville was carillonneur at the Niagara Falls
Rainbow Tower, where she played for 16 years, and carillonneur at the Cathedral
of Christ the King in Hamilton, Ontario, 
where she served for 13 years. She continues as director of the handbell
choir at Tyerson United Church in Hamilton, and next May will celebrate 25
years as director there. June is a member of the American Guild of English
Handbell Ringers and is now honorary president of the Ontario Guild of English
Handbell Ringers. She holds both a B.M. and a B.S. degree as well as a Master's
in Education.

June's carillon recitals at Simcoe are on Sunday afternoons
from May through September. In December there are daily evening recitals for
the Christmas "Panorama of Lights" in the park.

Niederlander Carillon renovation

The following appeared in the Calvary Church Communicator in
January, 1995, when twenty-six bells were to be removed from the tower,
signaling the start of the renovation and enlargement of the Niederlander
Carillon at Calvary Episcopal Church in Williamsville, New York:

'Twas two days after New Years, and up in the tower,

Ten a.m. had arrived, the removal hour.

It was Fall '92 that the project began,

The Vestry first heard of the Carillonneur's plan.

There was a new way that was recently found,

To retune the carillon and improve the sound.

When the Vestry was told how much it would cost,

Their first inclination was, "Tell her . . . get
lost."

But cool heads prevailed, their outlook turned sunny,

We'll let our Carillonneur raise all the money.

Where will it come from everyone did ask,

To raise all that money is no easy task.

She simply agreed, and despite a few fears,

The money was raised, though it's taken two years.

What's happening in the tower, what's all the commotion?

Seven new bells from across the ocean.

Twenty will be retuned, six will be recast,

Thirty-three clappers will fit right at last.

Down F#, down Eb, now here comes the C,

The bell chamber's looking quite empty to me.

Thirty-seven were there, just eleven remain,

To get a new sound, no one should complain.

The tunes will be small from the bells that will stay,

And hopefully around the middle of May,

There will be a service of rededication,

A concert, reception and big celebration.

When the work is all finished, the last bell they'll raise,

And once again the carillon will ring out God's Praise!

And it came to pass that on April 1, (no fooling) the Verdin
truck arrived with Theo King, seven new bells cast by Petit & Fritsen,
thirty bells retuned by Richard Watson, and thirty-three new cast-iron clappers
and headpieces from the Verdin Co. Three more retuned bells followed a week
later.

Within two weeks the carillon was pronounced ready to ring.
And ring out it did! On Sunday, May 21, at 3 p.m., an outdoor service of
rededication was held. The service was followed by a recital, played by Janet
S. Dundore, which was designed to demonstrate the new range and sound of the
instrument. The day's festivities concluded with a reception in the church.
Janet was featured on a television newscast later that evening in a prerecorded
interview in the tower.

The original 15-bell chime was a gift to the community and
Calvary Church by Daniel and Grace Niederlander in 1959. In 1966, twenty-two
bells were added by Mrs. Niederlander, making the instrument a carillon. Seven
new bells were given this year as thank offerings or memorials by several
donors. The range of the instrument is now 31/2 chromatic octaves (44 bells)
from c, which weighs approximately 590 pounds, to g3 which weighs in at 20
pounds. The retuning of the original Van Bergen bells and the new cast-iron
clappers have made a great improvement in the quality of the instrument's
sound.

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.

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.