Plaque of THE DIAPASON's 100th Anniversary Issue cover now available

Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON

Two Dutch organist/carillonneurs were named Knights in the Order of Oranje-Nassau: Adolph Rots of Garrelsweer and Gert Oldenbeuving of Zutphen.

Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) and the School for Studies in Art & Culture announce that the school’s Bachelor of Music program is now accepting applications from Canadian and international students wishing to pursue carillon performance studies. The university has installed a practice carillon in a specially designed room on campus, and has entered into an agreement with the House of Commons whereby Carleton students may play at regulated times on the Peace Tower carillon. For more information: www.carleton.ca/music.

Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, held a ceremony to rename the Berea College carillon after John Courter. Courter, who died in June 2010, joined the Berea College faculty in 1971 and served there for 39 years. He was music professor, organist, and carillonneur at the college and is highly regarded here and abroad for his carillon compositions. A large bronze plaque was installed in Draper Hall, which houses the carillon.  

The University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel has released a new compact disc of organ, choral, and carillon music, Rockefeller Gala I, recorded live at the chapel, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of John D. Rockefeller’s “final gift” that established the chapel and its diverse arts and spiritual programs. The 71-minute CD features university organist Thomas Weisflog, carillonneurs Wylie Crawford and James Fackenthal, and the Rockefeller Chapel Choir and Motet Choir under the direction of James Kallembach performing English, French, and American classics in the contemporary era. Almost all of this music was written during the lifetime of the chapel itself. Rockefeller made his donation in 1910, and the initial architectural drawings were created shortly after the end of the First World War. Construction was begun in 1925, and the chapel was dedicated in 1928.  The E. M. Skinner organ was built with the chapel itself, and the carillon was installed in 1932. The CD can be purchased by mailing a check for $17 to: Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave., Chicago IL 60637, attention Lorraine Brochu.

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; or e-mail
[email protected]. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: www.gcna.org.

Do you long for the days of the Orgelbewegung? Are you nostalgic for the poofy sound of chiff? If it’s missing from the pipe organ you play, then you need Chiff in a Jif! This amazing new kit uses ultra high-tech, black box technology to provide authentic-sounding attack where previously there was only sludge. This top secret new technology developed by the CIA takes digital sampling to the next level, and will turn the fattest Diapason into a spitting, svelte Prinzipal, and transform Doppelflutes into Quintadenas. Use at your discretion by means of its inconspicuous remote control (batteries not included). Black boxes attach to the bottom board of each windchest. Easy-to-use kit installs in just an afternoon or two using ordinary sacristy tools. Even better than the ever-popular Wind Emitting Diodes! Order yours today! Box CHIFF-CON, THE DIAPASON.

ATTENTION ORGANISTS! Not every congregation is blessed with great preaching. And even the best sermons can be too long, especially on a Sunday when you’ve got a pressing engagement after the last service. What to do? Install our new Sermon Override Toestud! This handy accessory uses ultra-high-tech black box technology to induce feedback into the sound system. When sermons stretch on a bit too long, a subtle tap on the Sermon Override Toestud will provoke enough speaker squawk to get even the most long-winded homilist to wrap it up quickly. Can be turned on and off when you wish, so that you won’t accidentally use it during an important recital! Easily installed using ordinary sacristy tools. Box Mitchell-Con, THE DIAPASON, [email protected].

Attention Church Organists! New service—Mission Statement Writing. These days, it’s not enough to be a superb player and decent human being. Sooner or later you will be required to produce a mission statement. Your mission, of course, is not to be a skillful musician and effective, personable choir leader who produces quality music—it is to be a Spirit-filled team player, problem solver, and consensus builder who knows what’s on the radar screen and who can reach for the low-hanging fruit on the faith journey. Our exclusive new service will create a mission statement for you that will keep the committee members off your back for a long time. Let us describe how you can light the fire of excellence, develop your tool kit and core competencies, and alleviate fallout to empower the paradigm shifts. Bonus: With every mission statement, receive our free booklet, “Talk Like a Pro,” an easy-to-use guide showing you how to pepper your speech with phrases that let ‘em know you can think outside the box. A snazzy mission statement and the right verbal buzzwords let the praise band supporters think you’re one of them, thereby freeing you up to actually do your job. Order yours today! Box Buzz, [email protected].

NEW! Society for Historical Toasters. Join the newest association for the “organ” devoted to the preservation of non-pipe instruments. Now you can be among like-minded individuals, instead of being scorned by elitist pipe-biased colleagues. This new organization will defend your right to prefer virtual organ sound instead of that old-fashioned, Neanderthal, wind-produced pipe sound. You can freely enjoy the perfect tuning and inexpensive, low-maintenance lifestyle you desire. And you can nominate historic tube-type toasters for the society’s “Historic Certificate,” bestowed upon deserving examples of the electronic art. Join now and receive a free t-shirt, plus a subscription to the official journal, TOASTER NEWS. Reply to Box SHT, THE DIAPASON, [email protected].

ATTENTION ORGANISTS! Do you ever play an instrument with a healthy en chamade trumpet? And do you ever get carried away?—perhaps using it on too many hymn stanzas, and the postlude, or on too many pieces in your recitals. If self-control is not your strong suit, you need our latest accessory: the Non-Chamade Control System. This ingenious device uses the latest ultra-high-tech black box technology to calculate how long you’ve already used the trumpet (will also work with other high-pressure reeds), and when you’ve reached your limit, will engage another stop (of your choosing) instead. Simple-to-use dial lets you set the amount of minutes, just like using a kitchen timer! Easily installed with ordinary sacristy tools. So stop tormenting those little old ladies (who, admittedly, sit right where the organ is loudest), and end Chamade abuse the easy way. Box Non-Chamade, THE DIAPASON, [email protected].

ATTENTION ORGANISTS! New historically informed pedal technique instruction method: “Stomp Your Way to Pedal Virtuosity.” Learn the secrets of Baroque all-toe pedaling. No more fussy toe-and-heel fannying about. Get down and stomp on those pedals! Also available: BarockMeister OrgelShoes, with heels already removed—ideal for use with this new pedal method book! Choose from your favorite liturgical colors. Order yours today! Box Pedal-Con, THE DIAPASON, [email protected].

ATTENTION ORGANISTS! Are you concerned about historically correct performance? The proper temperament gives the right flavor to a particular style. Make the dream of the right temperament a reality with our new HyperTUNE temperament system! Using ultra-high-tech black-box technology along with artificial intelligence, HyperTUNE automatically selects the correct temperament based on the style of the music you’re playing. Causes little or no damage to pipe cutups. Box Hyper-Con, THE DIAPASON, [email protected].

Wind-Emitting Diodes now supersede all other organ actions. Eliminate bulky windchests—glue a tiny WED in each toehole and run two tiny wires to a 12-volt source (24 volts for high pressure pipework). No experience and little equipment necessary to become a high-profit organbuilder. Reply to BOX HIGH TECH, c/o THE DIAPASON.

Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.

New world-standard console in Victoria, British Columbia
Rosemary Laing, carillonneur of the Netherlands Centennial Carillon in Victoria, British Columbia, sends news of the installation of a new playing console. The donor who underwrote the project wished for the most part to remain anonymous and chose August 1, 2007, for the dedication ceremony and inaugural recital in honor of his wife’s birthday. It came as a complete surprise to her, and she was moved to tears as the crowd belted out a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday” accompanied by the carillon. She had been told that she was attending just another museum function. It was Victoria’s best-kept secret.
Several dignitaries were on hand, along with invited guests, the family of Carillonneur Emeritus Herman Bergink, patrons of the Royal British Columbia Museum, and a handful of the original Dutch donors who had made the Netherlands Centennial Carillon a reality in the late sixties. The media was out in full force, and the carillon was featured in all types of coverage, from live CBC radio interviews, to an article in The Globe & Mail, a national newspaper. A lavish catered reception followed the outdoor ceremony and carillon recital on a lovely summer’s afternoon in Victoria, a gentle breeze blowing off the water, the scent of flowers in the air.
But for Rosemary Laing, the story began in the dead of winter, when she was awakened from a deep sleep in the middle of the night by a phone call from the Royal Eijsbouts Bellfoundry in Asten, the Netherlands. Victoria was in the midst of a rare snowstorm, and the city had been at a complete standstill for days. When the phone rang, she panicked, afraid that it might be heralding the early arrival of her first grandchild, during a blizzard. Fortunately, it wasn’t her grandchild, but rather, a birth of a different sort. The voice on the other end excitedly spoke about a new carillon console soon to be on its way, and in her shock and disbelief the next morning, she wondered if it had been a dream. In fact, it wasn’t until she actually saw the new console in the tower that she was convinced that it was real.
The Royal BC Museum had gone shopping for a new automatic playing system to replace the broken original roll-type player, and, thanks to the Royal Eijsbouts Bellfoundry, had come home with a lovely new baton playing console, which conforms to the newly developed world standard, as well as an automatic player controlled by a MIDI system utilizing the clappers inside the lower 48 bells. Rosemary finds that the new console is aesthetically appealing and a real pleasure to play. Victoria is indeed fortunate to have this new instrument. Many thanks to the donor for his wonderful generosity!
The Netherlands Centennial Carillon was a gift from British Columbia’s Dutch community to honor Canada’s 100th anniversary in 1967 and in recognition of Canada’s role in the liberation of the Netherlands during World War II. The tower stands 90 feet high, and the carillon is composed of 62 bells cast by the Petit & Fritsen Royal Bellfoundry in Aarle-Rixtel, the Netherlands. The original 49 bells were installed in 1968, and 13 bells were added in 1971. The tower is located on Victoria’s Inner Harbour, in front of the Royal BC Museum and Provincial Archives.

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; <[email protected]>. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221; <www.gcna.org&gt;.

Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.

Nunc Dimittis
From former classmate Frank Steijns, I received word that his father, Mathieu Steijns, passed away at age 75 on February 21. Mathieu Steijns was carillonneur of Maastricht, The Netherlands, from 1952 until 1997, when he was succeeded by his son Frank. Mathieu was also municipal carillonneur of Heerlen, 1969–1995. His earliest music studies were with Benoit J. Franssen, first in the boy choir at the St. Servaas Church and later as a private student. He studied piano, organ, and choral conducting at the Maastricht Conservatory. Besides his carillon posts, he was primarily known as director of the Maastricht Men’s Chorus, the chorus “Crescendo” of Amby, the Parnassus Men’s Chorus in Roermond, and the Gronsveld Oratorio Society.
As a carillonneur, he was known for building bridges, both musically and politically, between the Flemish and Dutch carillon cultures, which, in the 1950s, were diametrically opposed in many regards. He had studied with Staf Nees and Jef van Hoof at the Belgian carillon school, where he received, 50 years ago in 1958, the final diploma with distinction.
For his cultural contributions Mathieu Steijns was recognized by the Order of Orange-Nassau with a Gold Medal of Honor and with the “Trichter” medal from the city of Maastricht.

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; <[email protected]>. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221; <www.gcna.org&gt;.