Skip to main content

Guild of Carillonneurs in North America to hold Carillon Composition Competition in January

THE DIAPASON

The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America will hold its annual Carillon Composition Competition in January; the deadline for submissions is January 15.



The competition is open to composers of any age or nationality. Compositions must be four to ten minutes’ duration, playable on a four-octave carillon (47 bells, C, D, E—chromatic to c4). Compositions that have already been performed or published, or that were written prior to August 1, 2009, are ineligible.



First prize is $800, second prize $400. Prize-winning pieces are premiered at a congress of the GCNA and published by that organization. The competition is organized by the Johan Franco Composition Fund Committee, which is also active in commissioning new music for carillon.



For information: John Gouwens, attn. Composition Competition, The Culver Academies, 1300 Academy Rd., #133, Culver, IN 46511-1291; [email protected].

Related Content

Carillon News

Brian Swager

Brian Swager is a contributing editor to The Diapason.

Default

Bok Carillon Festival 2004

Historic Bok Sanctuary announces its 19th International
Carillon Festival to be held 28 February through 7 March 2004. The festival will
feature guest carillonneurs Geert D'hollander (Belgium), Bernard Winsemius (The
Netherlands), John Courter (Berea, Kentucky), David Hunsberger (Berkeley,
California), as well as resident carillonneurs Milford Myhre and William De
Turk.

This will be Milford Myhre's final official festival
appearance, as he will be retiring at the end of June 2004. This festival will
also be a part of the 75th anniversary celebration of Historic Bok Sanctuary.
Events will include daily recitals at 3 pm, a moonlight recital by D'hollander
at 8 pm on Thursday 4 March, carillon and art exhibits, and non-carillon
concerts as well.

Information is available from Bill De Turk; Historic Bok
Sanctuary; 1151 Tower Blvd.; Lake Wales, FL 33853-3412; 863/676-1154. E-mail:
<[email protected]>

<www.boksanctuary.org&gt;.

GCNA Composition Competition

The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America has announced
its biennial Carillon Composition Competition. The competition is open to
composers of any age or nationality. Compositions must be of four to ten
minutes' duration and playable on a four-octave carillon (47 bells, C, D, E,
chromatic to c4). Compositions which have already been performed or published,
or which were written prior to August 1, 2001, are ineligible. First
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 
prize is $800 (US) and second prize is
$400. (The judges reserve the right not to award either prize.) Prize-winning
pieces are premiered at a congress of the GCNA and published by that
organization. Deadline for submissions is 15 January 2004.

The competition is organized by the Johan Franco Composition
Fund Committee, which is also active in commissioning new music for carillon.
For information: John Gouwens, attn: Composition Competition, The Culver
Academies, 1300 Academy Rd., #133, Culver, IN 46511-1291;

<[email protected]>

<www.gcna.org/compcomp.html&gt;.

Carillon News

by Brian Swager
Default

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.

Carillon News

by Brian Swager
Default

Slater to Retire

James "Bud" Slater will retire from his position
as Carillonneur of the Metropolitan United Church in Toronto, Ontario. With his
final Sunday on the job on March 28, Slater will mark the conclusion of his
35th year as carillonneur of the church. His association with the instrument
actually commenced in late 1954, and his first official recital was played
before the Sunday evening service May 22, 1955 under the watchful eye of his
tutor, Stanley James. Slater was appointed Assistant Carillonneur in 1959. During his tenure at Metropolitan, he had temporary appointments at other Ontario carillon locations, i.e., in Toronto at Exhibition Place and the University of Toronto, as well as Niagara Falls. He appeared frequently as guest carillonneur at the towers in Simcoe, Hamilton, and Ottawa, as well as Montréal, Que., and Victoria, B.C.

Slater became a student member of the Guild of Carillonneurs
in North America in 1955 and qualified as a carillonneur member in 1957 upon
passing an exam at the Guild's congress in Cleveland, Ohio. From 1969 to 1971
Slater served as GCNA president and subsequently, he and his wife, Cecilia,
hosted the Guild's Toronto Congress in 1972. James Slater is the father of
Gordon Slater who since 1977 has served as Dominion Carillonneur at the Peace
Tower Carillon in the Houses of Parliament in Ottawa.

On the eve of his 70th birthday in January, 1997, Bud cites
stairclimbing, cranky knees and reluctant elbows as his reasons for retirement.

1997 GCNA Congress

The Department of Music and Dance and Professor of Music
Albert Gerken have announced that the 1997 Congress of the Guild of
Carillonneurs in North America will be held at the University of Kansas, June
4-7. Major presenters will include Bill De Turk, George Gregory, Mark Holmberg,
Associate Professor of Music Theory at KU, Karel Keldermans, Roy Hamlin
Johnson, Brian Swager, and Edward Williams, Associate Dean of the Graduate
School of Penn State.

With ca. 28,000 students, the University of Kansas is in
Lawrence, a community of ca. 70,000. Directly off Interstate 70, Lawrence is
located about 250 miles from the geographical center of the U.S.A. The
picturesque campus of the University of Kansas is situated atop Mount Oread
overlooking the Kaw River valley to the north and the Wakarusa valley to the
south. Not flat as most foreigners picture Kansas, there will be some climbing
to do to get to various places. The Campanile is central to the campus
overlooking the football stadium and Kansas river valley. It was provided by
alumni and friends of the University as a memorial to the 276 KU students and
faculty who died in World War II.

Unquestionably the most prominent and central feature of the
campus, the 120-foot tall World War II memorial tower houses a 41/2-octave
carillon, cast in 1950 by the John Taylor Foundry. Transposing down a half
step, the 53 bells range in weight from 13,490 lbs. to 12 lbs. The instrument,
which was dedicated in May, 1951, with Anton Brees playing the dedicatory
recitals, was rededicated on April 26, 1996, following a complete renovation by
the I.T. Verdin Company with new consoles supplied by Meeks, Watson &
Company. The new radial action is void of any counter weights and assisted only
by coil springs. The sound is full and resonant but light in the top register,
typical of Taylor bells of that vintage.

Major funding for the renovation was provided by Honorary
members of The GCNA, and Keith and Joan Bunnel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Both were born and raised in Holmboldt, Kansas, not far from Lawrence, and
Keith Bunnel attended the University of Kansas, graduating in 1946. He was
president of his class and served on the World War II committee that selected
the Campanile and carillon as the memorial project to honor those who were
killed in battle.

The importance of the University of Kansas carillon has been
significant in that it has been at the center of a new genre of carillon
composition since the 1950s. Indeed, until the mid 1950s, very little music of
any significance had been written for the carillon. It was the likes of Ronald
Barnes, the first carillonneur at the University of Kansas, Roy Hamlin Johnson,
formerly of the KU piano faculty, John Pozdro, Professor Emeritus of
Composition and Music Theory at the University, and Gary White, one of Pozdro's
former graduate students in composition, who were the central figures
responsible for creating this wealth of marvelous and exciting new music. Their
works brought about recognition for the carillon as an instrument worthy of
recital status.

Because of the significance of their tremendous contribution
to the art form, many of their works will be featured in recitals during the
congress. It will be a meaningful experience to hear many of these works that
were written for this instrument or carillons of similar timbre. Two new
carillon compositions by Roy Hamlin Johnson and John Pozdro, commissioned by
the KU Department of Music and Dance and The GCNA respectively, will be
premiered at the congress.

Tours of the Reuter Organ Company will be made available to
participants and the beautiful new Wolff concert organ in the recently
completed Bales Recital Hall will be demonstrated and played. This is a
one-of-a-kind instrument you must see and hear.

Registration information is available from congress host
Albert Gerken, Department of Music and Dance, Murphy Hall, The University of
Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045.

"Overtones"

Beginning last October, new bells rang out up and down the
Avenue of the Arts (Broad Street) in Philadelphia. Thirty-nine Eijsbouts bells
were installed, each on top of a light post, weighing from 40 to 300 pounds.
The creator, Robert Coburn, a sound artist and composer from California,
describes the "worlds longest horizontal carillon" as a half-mile
long piano with the capability of playing pre-programmed or live music on an
electronic ivory keyboard which will be located in the basement of the Academy
of Music.

In observance of the 68th anniversary of The Rochester
Carillon, two special performances were given. Dean Robinson's program on
September 16 included favorite songs of the Mayo brothers. David Johnson of St.
Paul, MN, was the guest recitalist on September 17. The Rochester Carillon was
dedicated on September 17, 1928, and is located in the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minnesota.

David McCain sends word of a new 49-bell carillon at the
First Baptist Church on the Square in LaGrange, Georgia, replete with
"ninety-two electrical connections from the bells to the keyboard and
computer."

In response to a request from Unesco for a program
commemorating the tenth anniversary of the accident at Chernobyl, carillonneurs
Charles Semovich and Pieter Blonk gave a recital at the Albany City Hall in
Albany, New York, on April 26, 1996. Works performed included Lagrima by
Francisco Tárrega, Bells of Hell by Theophil Rusterholz, and Larence
Curry's Prelude on "Dies Irae." Both Charles and Pieter were shown
playing the Albany carillon on the Channel 13 news broadcast.

The fourth annual Keyboard Explorations junior high school
summer music camp was hosted by the Iowa State University Music Department from
June 17-22, 1996. Participants had the opportunity to learn about various kinds
of keyboard instruments and had hands-on experiences in playing them. Eight
participants studied carillon under ISU University Carillonneur Tin-shi Tam.
Two carillon concerts were performed by students towards the end of the week.

After over a decade of silence, inactivity, and exposure to
the elements, the 23-bell carillon located on the property of Schulmerich Carillons, Inc. in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, rang again in a recital given by Lisa Lonie (Trinity Church, Holland, PA) on September 21. Approximately 250 listeners attended the recital which marked the end of a five-day sales and service conference. The carillon, cast in 1928 by Gillett and Johnston, was moved to its present location in 1952 from Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1979, Frank Law, carillonneur at Valley Forge, began a nightly summer recital series in Sellersville which continued for six years.

Competition winners

The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America has awarded
Second Prize to two composers in its 1996 Carillon Composition Competition. (No
First Prize was awarded.) The winning compositions were Nocturne
style='font-style:normal'> by Ennis Fruhauf, of Santa Barbara, California (USA)
and
Prelude con Fughetta by
Marcel Siebers, of Cuyk, The Netherlands. Both compositions were given their
première performance by Todd Fair, of Amsterdam (Netherlands), at the
congress of the GCNA on June 4, 1996 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church,
Cohasset, Massachusetts. Both composers received a cash prize, and both pieces
will be published by the guild in the near future. Another competition is
planned for January of 1998.

Premières

A new carillon composition, Winter Song
style='font-style:normal'>, by Roy Hamlin Johnson, was given its
première performance by John Gouwens on June 26, 1996 on the carillon of
the Town Hall in Norwood, Massachusetts, at the congress of the Guild of
Carillonneurs in North America. The new piece was commissioned by the Johan
Franco Composition Committee of the GCNA and is published by the guild. Many of
Dr. Johnson's earlier compositions are staples of the repertory of
carillonneurs throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
This is the sixth carillon composition to the commissioned by the GCNA.

Carillon News

Brian Swager

Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.

Default

Carillon composition competition
On the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the city of Rhenen, The Netherlands, and the 50th anniversary of the Van Bergen carillon in the St. Cunera tower, the Cunera Carillon Association is very pleased to announce an international carillon composition competition. This competition is organized in cooperation with the Dutch Carillon Guild.
St. Cunera was a virgin and martyr. She was born a princess from York, England. On October 29, 340, she was strangled by Aldegonde, the wife of King Radboud, out of jealousy. She is now the patroness of the city of Rhenen.
The best composition will be awarded a first prize of €1,500. The second and third prizes are €1,000 and €750. Furthermore, there is an incentive prize of €750 for the best composition by a composer under than 30 years old. Anyone may submit more than one piece. Only pieces that have not entered other competitions or were published before are welcome, and only original compositions for carillon are allowed; no arrangements of existing works. However, variations on a song or an existing theme will be accepted. There is no limitation on the duration or difficulty of the entries.
A piece must be playable on a standard European four-octave carillon: 47 bells, 4 octaves without low c-sharp and d-sharp. Pedal range from c to g1, manual from c to c4. To assure total objectivity, an entry may not have any signs or marks that can reveal the identity of the composer. The names of the winning composer(s) will be revealed to the jury only after their deliberations.
A committee of judges consisting of Ton Hartsuiker (musician and former director of the Sweelinck Conservatory of Amsterdam), Carl Van Eyndhoven (carillonneur and carillon teacher), Marco de Goeij (composer), and Gideon Bodden (carillonneur), will evaluate all entries received by the deadline. The jury judges on originality, musicality, and usefulness or effectiveness for the instrument. The judges may also decide not to award any composition, or to divide the prize money between more than one submitter.
The announcement of the prize-winning piece(s) will take place at the annual meeting of the Dutch Carillon Guild in Rhenen on March 29, 2008. The winning piece(s) and a selection of the other entries will be performed that day. All the composers of the performed pieces will be informed in advance.
Two (good readable) copies must be sent (please no originals!). The date on the envelope will be used to determine the timely receipt. Send them to Freek Bakker, the secretary of the jury (address below). Participants must write their name, address, the title of the submitted piece(s), and a short curriculum vitae in a letter that accompanies the entry or entries. Also, every participant agrees to the publication and performance in the scope of the competition. The prize-winning composition(s) and a selection of other interesting entries will be published and distributed by the Dutch Carillon Guild and the Cunera Carillon Association after the competition.
The deadline for entries is Tuesday, January 1, 2008. For further information, contact the secretary of the jury: Freek Bakker, Van Kluyvelaan 14, 3862 XG Nijkerk, The Netherlands; phone: +31 (33) 245 90 53; e-mail: <[email protected]>.

Current Issue