The festival Musica Divina will be held September 15 through October 2 in monasteries, beguinages, and churches of the province of Antwerp, Belgium. Belgian and international artists will present music from the Renaissance to the present age.
For more information, visit www.musica-divina.be.
British harpsichord maker Mark Stevenson died of cancer on July 4, 2000, aged 56. Born in Cambridge in 1943, Stevenson studied art history at St. John's College. By age 30 he was working full-time as a builder of harpsichords. More than 200 of his finely-crafted, historically-inspired instruments are in use in many countries throughout the world.
The 38th Early Music Festival in Bruges, Belgium, will include the 13th playing of its well-known harpsichord competition, 1–8 August 2001, as well as a separate competition for fortepianists, 5–8 August. Both events are open to players born after 31 December 1968. Members of the international jury include Borbala Dobozy, Jesper Christensen, Gustav Leonhardt, Davitt Moroney, Ludger Rèmy, Christophe Rousset, and chairman Johan Huys.
Harpsichord competition repertoire for the first round consists of François Couperin: Prelude 5 from L'Art de toucher le clavecin; J. S. Bach: Sinfonia 12 in A, BWV 798; and Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata in C, K 421 (L 252). Those advancing to the semi-final round will play G. Salvatore: Toccata Prima; Byrd: Fantasia number 46 in D minor; Chambonnières: Pavane L'Entretien des Dieux; J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in B minor, WTC II (BWV 893); and Scarlatti: Sonata in B-flat, K 57 (L 38). Pieces by Rameau (Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Les Trois Mains from Nouvelles Suites, 1728) and the Bach Concerto in A, BWV 1055 are on the docket for the final event of the competition.
For application forms or further information, contact the Festival Office, Collaert Mansionstraat 30, B-8000 Brugge; telephone 0032 50/33 22 83; <http://www.musica-antiqua.com>; email:<[email protected]>.
In light of the competition requirements above, it is well to note that the Neue Bach Ausgabe edition of Bach's complete Keyboard Concerti (NBA VII/4) is now available as separate, individual concerti from Bärenreiter-Verlag of Kassel. These scores reflect the scholarship and care expected from the new Bach edition, and the reductions of the string parts for a second keyboard avoid unwanted doublings and inappropriate slurs or other markings. Clean and easy on the eyes, these will doubtless become the editions of choice for most players who learn these concerti. (The Concerto in A, BWV 1055, is BA 5227, priced at DM 24, with string parts also available at DM 6.50 each.)
Early Music for May 2000 contains Andreas Beurmann's rebuttal letter concerning insinuations that his early Iberian harpsichords are not authentic. In the issue for August, Edward Corp's brilliant reconstruction of Couperin's probable early biography is to be found in "François Couperin and the Stuart Court at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 1691–1712: A New Interpretation."
French author Philippe Delelis has written a suspense-filled novel (completely fictitious) concerning the missing cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach. Set in modern-day Paris, the book is replete with references to musical craft and number symbolism, especially that found in The Musical Offering, as well as a goodly number of murders. There are clever connections, as well, to the lives and music of Mozart, Mahler, and Webern. I emphasize (as does the author) that the work is pure fiction, but it is a fascinating read, and an absorbing postscript for this Bach-celebratory year. The recent English translation (by Sue Rose) of Delelis's La Dernière Cantate is available from The Toby Press, London (tobypress.com). ISBN 1 902881 31 1 (Paperback).
News items and features for these columns are welcome. Address them to Dr. Larry Palmer, Division of Music, Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275. Email: <[email protected]>.
Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.
Sixth International Queen Fabiola Carillon Competition
Since its foundation in 1922, the Royal Carillon School “Jef Denyn” in Mechelen, Belgium, has been involved in the support and development of the art of carillon playing. As part of this effort, the school organizes the international Queen Fabiola Carillon Competition in cooperation with the city of Mechelen. This competition, widely recognized as the most prestigious of its kind, provides a powerful stimulus for the recognition of carillon playing as an artistic expression of the highest level.
The winners of the previous competitions have acquired international fame:
1987 - Geert D’hollander
1990 - Boudewijn Zwart
1993 - Gideon Bodden
1998 - Tom Van Peer
2003 - Twan Bearda.
The sixth international Queen Fabiola Carillon Competition will take place on September 10–14, 2008. Carillonneurs from all over the world are invited to participate; there is no age limit. Candidates should submit nine compositions of a high degree of virtuosity: three baroque or classical works, one of them being a prelude by Matthias Vanden Gheyn; three romantic works originally composed for carillon; and three contemporary works also originally composed for carillon. Candidates must send one copy of each score along with their application. These scores may not show any references or indications from which the name or the nationality of the participant could be traced. An obligatory work is to be performed in the elimination round and in the finals.
All performances will be played on the new carillon in the tower of St. Rombouts in Mechelen. It was cast by Royal Eijsbouts, Asten, the Netherlands, in 1981. This carillon comprises 49 bells: B-flat, C1, D1—chromatic through—C5. The instrument transposes down a fourth: the pitch of C1 is G0. Candidates are offered the opportunity to practice on this instrument as well as on the practice consoles in the carillon school.
The elimination round takes place on Wednesday, September 10 and, if necessary, also on Thursday the 11th. During the elimination round, all candidates will perform three works: the obligatory work, one work chosen by the candidate, and one work chosen by the jury and selected from the candidate’s repertoire. The order of performing is assigned by lot. Performers are unknown to the members of the jury. The five competitors who receive the highest marks will be selected for the finals. Those who are not selected for this final round will receive an allowance of €125.
The finals will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 13–14, 2008, at 7:30 pm. On Saturday, finalists will perform three works chosen by the jury: one baroque or classical, one romantic, and one contemporary. On Sunday, the candidates will perform the obligatory work as the contemporary composition, a baroque or classical work chosen by the jury, and a romantic composition also chosen by the jury.
First Prize: €3000, Prize of the Minister of Culture of the Flemish Government
Second Prize: €2000, Prize of the Province of Antwerp
Third Prize: €1500, Prize of the City of Mechelen and the Mechelen City Guides League
Fourth Prize: €1300, Prize of the City of Roeselare and the Royal Tower and Carillon Society “Jef Denyn”
Fifth Prize: €1000, Prize of Mr. A. Jans, honorary president of the Archeological Society and Mr. P. van den Broek, honorary director of the carillon school
Extra Prize: €1000, Prize of SABAM for the best interpretation of a Belgian contemporary work.
Applicants should send their curriculum vitae with a suitable photograph, the nine scores, and the choice of which work they will perform in the elimination round before May 15 to the Royal Carillon School “Jef Denyn,” Frederik de Merodestaat 63, B-2800 Mechelen, Belgium.
The organizers may refuse any submissions that do not meet the required standards. No appeal against their decision is possible. After approval by the organizers, candidates will receive a confirmation and additional practical guidelines.
Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.
Aimé Lombaert, a well-known Flemish carillonneur, passed away on October 30, 2008, at age 63. He had just retired from his positions as municipal carillonneur in the Belgian cities of
Bruges, Deinze, Poperinge, Damme, and Geraardsbergen. Lombaert was born in Oudenaarde, Belgium, and studied at the Royal Music Conservatory in Ghent, the Lemmens Institute, and the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen. He received his diploma from the Royal Carillon School in 1978, became assistant carillonneur to Eugeen Uten in Bruges in 1980, succeeding him as municipal carillonneur in 1984. In Deinze, he played one of the few “major-third” carillons.
As a result of the economic downturn, Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, announced the cancellation of its International Carillon Festival in 2009 as well as the elimination of the positions of the assistant carillonneur/librarian and the administrative assistant.
David Monaghan, Curator of Canada’s House of Commons, announced the appointment of Andrea McCrady to the position of Dominion Carillonneur on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada. McCrady’s former carillon position at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane, Washington is open.
Trinity College, a liberal arts school with approximately 2,200 students in Hartford, Connecticut, is seeking a college carillonneur. The original 30-bell carillon built by the John Taylor Bellfoundry was enlarged to 49 bells in 1978. It hangs in the tower of the Trinity College Chapel.
Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, holds its 2009 Carillon Festival September 5, 10 am–4 pm. The guest carillonneur is Adrian Patrick Gebruers from Cobh, Ireland. He will conduct a seminar on Irish carillon music and perform a recital at the festival. In addition, the ISU Celtic Dance Society will present a program on Celtic dances. Hosting the festival is associate professor of music and university carillonneur Tin-shi Tam. In conjunction with the carillon festival, a carillon composition competition is being held to encourage the writing of original carillon compositions by young composers, under age 35. Prizes include a cash award of $500 and the premiere performance of the winning composition at the festival.
The Begijnhof Church, Sint-Jan-de-Doper (St. John the Baptist), in Leuven (Louvain), Belgium, is expanding its 16-bell chime into a carillon. The historic series of 16 Gillett & Johnston bells, which were once part of the carillon of the Leuven University Library, have been played in recent years by an automatic chiming mechanism. The Royal Eijsbouts firm of Asten, the Netherlands, is casting 29 new bells in the profile and tuning of the Gillett & Johnston bells. The instrument will be played by means of a baton keyboard in the new world standard. The Begijnhof is now part of the university and belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage. The carillon will be played for the first time during the Open Monument Day on September 13.
Carillonneur Piet van den Broek passed away on October 26, 2008, at age 92. Van den Broek was director of the Royal Belgian Carillon School and municipal carillonneur in Mechelen, Belgium, from 1965 until his retirement in 1981. Born in Chaam, the Netherlands, he left at age 18 for Mechelen to study at the Lemmens Institute. Upon his graduation in 1938 he became adjunct organist at St. Rombouts Cathedral. He began carillon studies with Staf Nees in 1941 and received his final diploma from the carillon school four years later.
Send items for “Carillon News” to Dr. Brian Swager, c/o The Diapason, 3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60005-5025; <brian@
allegrofuoco.com>. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221; <www.gcna.org>.
Iowa State University hosted the Spring Carillon and Organ
Festival 1997 and the Carillon Composition Competition during the weekend of April 25-27. The Festival also celebrated the tenth anniversary of the installation and dedication of the Brombaugh organ of the Music Department. Guest artists were Brian Swager, former University Carillonneur at Indiana University, Bloomington, and David Dahl, organist from Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington. The Festival began with two recitals by the guest artists. Brian Swager performed carillon music from Belgium and America that included Johan Franco's Ames Nocturne, a work commissioned by The Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation in 1984. David Dahl performed organ works by two women composers: Fanny Mendelssohn and Ethel Smyth, and Michel Corrette's Magnificat du 3e et 4e ton with Donald Simonson as cantor. A workshop on "Organ Works by Three 19th-century Women Composers: Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn and Ethel Smyth" was conducted by David Dahl on Saturday morning, and Brian Swager held a carillon seminar in the afternoon on "Music for the Carillon: A Distinguished Repertoire Emerges." The Festival continued with a Family Concert featuring ISU student carillonneurs, ISU Wind Ensemble, ISU Dance Tour Company, and ISU Oratorio Choir. Echo by Amy Michelle Black was premiered by Michael Tammaro at the carillon and the Oratorio Choir under the baton of Robert Molinson. The Festival concluded on Sunday with carillon music from The Netherlands performed by Tin-shi Tam, Iowa State University Carillonneur.
A Carillon
Composition Competition was held to encourage young composers to write original
carillon music. Judges were Brian Swager, Jeffrey Prater, and
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Tin-shi Tam. Contestants were from all
parts of the country and overseas. The winning composition was By de dei
lâns (The Proceedings of the Day) by Klaas R. R. de Haan of Amsterdam,
The Netherlands. It was premiered by
Tin-shi Tam during the Festival. The next Spring Carillon Festival
and Carillon Composition
Competition will be held from
April 24-26, 1998. Guest carillonneur will be Albert Gerken, University
Carillonneur at University of
Kansas, Lawrence.
The Fifth Annual Keyboard Explorations junior high school
summer music camp was hosted by the Iowa State University Music Department from
July 7-12, 1997. Participants had the opportunity to learn about various kinds
of keyboard instruments and had hands-on experiences in playing them. Seven
participants studied carillon under ISU Carillonneur, Tin-shi Tam. Two carillon
concerts were performed by students towards the end of the week.
Iowa State University has announced the Carillon Composition
Competition '98. The purpose of the competition is to encourage the writing of
original carillon compositions by composers under age 35. The submitted work
shall be an original composition for four-octave carillon (tenor C to C4), with
a two-octave pedal board (tenor C to C2). The composition may be a solo, duet
for one carillon, or a work for carillon with one or more other instruments or
chorus. The submitted composition must be postmarked no later than March 31,
1998. For more information contact the University Carillonneur at Iowa State
University; Music Department; 149 Music Hall; Ames, IA 50011; phone:
515/294-2911, e-mail: tstam@iastate. edu or web-site: www.music.iastate.edu
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Belgian
Carillon School, a festschrift will be published. Marc Van Bets is preparing a
paper on Mechelen bellfounders for this book. He requests reports on all
Mechelen bells that currently are, or ever have been, in
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> North America. Such bells would have
been brought by Capuchin monks who came to North America as missionaries. All
bells are included in the scope of the paper: carillon, church, tolling,
ornamental, etc. All information is welcome, such as the function of the bell,
measurements, pitch, anecdotes, photos. Please contact Marc Van Bets; Ridder
Dessainlaan 27; 2800 Mechelen; Belgium. Phone: (0112)32.15.42.38.52. Fax:
(011)32.15.43.17.07. Email: [email protected]
Since its founding in 1922 the Royal Carillon School
"Jef Denyn" in Mechelen, Belgium, has fostered a greater blossoming
of the carillon art. Toward this end, the school established the Queen Fabiola
International Carillon Competition in 1987. This competition has grown rapidly,
becoming the most important of its kind and providing a strong stimulus for the
recognition of the carillon art as a high-quality artistic expression.
The winners of the first three competitions were: Geert
D'hollander of Belgium in 1987; Boudewijn Zwart of The Netherlands, in 1990;
and Gideon Bodden of The Netherlands, in 1993.
The fourth Queen Fabiola Competition will take place August
5-9, 1998. Carillonneurs from around the world are invited to take part. There
is no age limit. After an elimination round, a maximum of six competitors will
be selected for the finals. Judging will be done by an international jury.
The candidates are required to present nine pieces of a high
virtuosic level: three baroque, three romantic, and three contemporary pieces.
The romantic and contemporary selections must be original carillon compositions
and not transcriptions. One of the baroque pieces must be a carillon prelude
written by Matthias van den Gheyn. In addition, there will be an obligatory
piece.
The school's 1997 international composition competition
brought 21 entries from seven countries: Belgium, The Netherlands, Australia,
The USA, Spain, Russia, and Sweden. Performance of the winning composition will
be required for participants in the Queen Fabiola Competition. Winners of the
composition competition will be announced once registration for the Fabiola
Competition is closed.
During the competition, the participants perform on the new
carillon in the St. Rombouts tower. This instrument was founded by Koninklijke
Eijsbouts in 1981. It is tuned in equal temperament and consists of 49 bells;
the bourdon sounds F and weighs eight tons.
The first-prize winner will receive 100,000 BF, a bronze
bell, a certificate, and a concert tour in Belgium in 1999. Five additional prizes with cash awards will be
given. The SABAM prize of 25,000 BF will be awarded for the best interpretation
of a contemporary Flemish carillon composition, and an additional 25,000 BF
will reward the best improvisation. Participants should send their completed
applications to the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn"
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> before April 30, 1998. After their
repertoire has been approved, the full list of regulations and practical
information will be sent to each competitor. The obligatory piece will be sent
to the participants two months before the beginning of the competition.
Participants are granted a per diem of 1000 BF for as long as they take part in
the competition.
For information and applications, contact
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> the Royal Carillon School "Jef
Denyn"; Frederik de Merodestraat 63; 2800 Mechelen; Belgium. Phone:
32.15.20.47.92. Fax: 32.15.20.31.76.
Ray McLellan has been appointed University Carillonneur at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. His responsibilities include playing weekly recitals, teaching carillon and organ, coordinating and
producing the MSU Summer Carillon Recital Series. Ray studied carillon with
Margo Hal-sted at the University of Michigan and with Todd Fair at the
Netherlands Carillon School. He earned the Bachelor of
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Arts degree at Florida Southern College
in Lakeland and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at the
University of Michigan. He also studied on full scholarship at the
Pädagogische Hochschule in Freiburg, Germany. Besides the position at MSU,
Dr. McLellan continues in his church and temple positions.
Brian Swager is carillon editor of The Diapason.
The Iowa State University Carillon Festival, sponsored by The Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation, will be held on April 14. Guest artists include Don Cook, University Carillonneur at Brigham Young University, and Jeffrey Prater, Professor of Music at Iowa State University. The festival will include carillon concerts, master class, and seminar.
In conjunction with the festival, a carillon composition competition is held to encourage the writing of original carillon compositions by young composers. Prizes include one cash award of $500 and the premiere performance of the winning composition at the carillon festival. For information: 515/294-2911;
The 65th annual congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America will be held at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, June 17–22. The centerpiece for the congress will be the 56-bell Leonidas Polk carillon in Shapard Tower of All Saints’ Chapel. Featured performers will be Janet Tebble, Eddy Mariën, Sam Hammond, Todd Fair, Bill DeTurk, and Jeff Davis. Koen Cosaert will present an illustrated talk on “Piano versus Carillon: professional musicians versus amateur carillonneurs, people in search of a better carillon.” Bill DeTurk will talk about Arthur Bigelow, the man who designed and installed the Sewanee carillon in 1958–59, and there will be a panel discussion on performance and copyright issues.
Workshops include classes on Finale, a comparison of Finale and Sibelius, arranging music for carillon, interpretation of carillon music, and improvisation. Excursions include change ringing in Breslin Tower, two Casavant organs, the Meeks-Watson 23-bell carillon at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Ooltewah, the Grand Ole Opry, and the Jack Daniel’s Distillery.
The theme of the congress will be “The Music of Appalachia from Shape Note Singing to the Grand Ole Opry with Stops along the Way at White Spirituals and Folk Music.” Register for the congress online at
His Excellency Dominique Struye de Swielande, Belgian Ambassador to the United States, announced recently that the Belgian Government will give a four-bell peal to Virginia Union University for installation in the Belgian Friendship Building. The ambassador indicated that the gift was prompted by the commitment of “Bells for Peace, Inc.” to the restoration of the Belgian Friendship building that has graced the Virginia Union University campus for over 60 years. According to Ambassador Struye, “Bells have been a significant and joyful element in Belgium’s cultural life for centuries. It seems therefore very appropriate that it will be through bells that we renew the special link that exists between Virginia Union and Belgium, and a happy coincidence that the bells we have chosen, the ACD and E notes, are called joyous random ringing.” The Government of Belgium will purchase the bells from the Verdin Company of Cincinnati for $69,000. The bells are to be installed and functioning by the end of 2007. Other bells are being solicited to form a full carillon. The Belgian building’s 161-foot Vann Memorial Tower has been without bells for more than 60 years. Millions visited the Belgian Pavilion, an exhibition hall, at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. At the close of the Fair and after World War II had begun, the structure could not readily be returned to occupied Belgium, so Belgium awarded the pavilion complex to VUU because of its educational mission and location. The building’s carillon of 35 bells, however, was purchased by the Belgian American Educational Foundation for presentation to former President Herbert Hoover for his new library at Stanford University. The gift to Hoover was in appreciation for his humanitarian relief efforts to Belgium after WWII. Neither university had a record of their common history until March, 2004, when the connection came to light.
Dianne Watkins, who has been active in the field of education, both as a classroom teacher and administrator, received a fellowship in 2003 to Stanford University’s Executive Leadership Program in Urban Education, representing Richmond Public Schools. She heard the carillon on the Stanford campus, not at that time knowing its connection to Virginia Union University. With her brother, Alan Nelson, she unveiled the connection between the two institutions in March 2004.
Watkins then founded “Bells for Peace, Inc.,” a non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to restore and endow the Belgian Friendship Building and educational programs for humankind’s peaceful endeavors in memory of John Malcus Ellison, Sr., first African American president of VUU and VUU graduate, and his wife, Elizabeth Balfour Ellison. It was through the actions of the Ellisons, and compassionate donors, that $500,000 was given to transport and reconstruct the Belgian building in Richmond in the 1940s. Supporters provided the moral and financial support that helped the university to become a highly respected and admired institution. Virginia Union University is a historic African American institution that opened in Richmond in 1865 out of Lumpkin’s Jail, a former slave holding pen.
For contributions or further information, go to
Send items for “Carillon News” to Dr. Brian Swager, c/o The Diapason, 3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60005-5025;
