Gordon Slater
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HOPEMAN CARILLON SUMMER RECITAL SERIES JULY 23, 2018 GORDON SLATER Hemony Suite, for carillon (1952): Albert de Klerk (1917–1998) Prelude, Etude, Siciliano, Toccata Albert De Klerk was a church and concert organist in Haarlem, The Netherlands who achieved considerable global renown. In 1973 he played the dedicatory recital of the larger of the two Flentrop organs in Ottawa’s National Arts Centre. François and Pieter Hemony, with the help of Jacob Van Eyck, were the first to cast and tune carillon bells which would satisfy today’s tuning standards. They made their discovery in The Netherlands in 1642. The Jam on Gerry’s Rock the Maritimes* This popular lumberjack ballad is found across North America and even in Scotland. It recounts a tragic log jam that took the lives of all seven men who were working to dislodge it. While the location of Gerry’s Rock is debated, strong evidence places it in eastern Canada. Trois poèmes pour carillon (1961): Émilien Allard (1915–1977)* Poème de l’air, Poème de l’eau, Poème des pierres The carillon at St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal was presided over by Émilien Allard for two decades before he moved to Ottawa to become Canada’s third Dominion Carillonneur. He counted Olivier Messiæn among his teachers and wrote some fifty highly original carillon pieces and transcribed over 700 others. Trois poémes was inspired by and dedicated to the Canadian poet Jabry, the pseudonym of Jacques Brillant. Each of the three movements is based upon a particular Hindu rhythm. Killing Me Softly with His Song (1971) Charles Fox (1940–) arranged by Gordon Slater in 1977 At a Don McLean concert, singer Lori Lieberman was inspired to jot down a few poetic ideas that she soon passed along to the lyricist Norman Gimbel. After Fox added the music, Lieberman recorded the song in 1971. However it was Roberta Flack’s 1973 recording that propelled the song to wide fame. Serenade No. 1, for carillon (1978): Ronald Montague Barnes (1927–1997) Intrada, Sicilienne, Milonga, Processional, A Whimsy, Barcarolle Ronald Barnes had a brilliant career composing for, arranging for and performing upon the carillon. In his carillon composition he was unabashedly Romantic. Well loved among carillonneurs the world over, this American’s last position was at the University of California at Berkeley. This lyrical and expansive suite is dedicated to Richard Strauss, the noted American carillonneur, carillon designer and builder. The composer himself premiered the work in 1978. Cheer, Boys, Cheer for the Dominion Nation British Columbia* arranged by Gordon Slater in 1986 British Columbia became Canada’s sixth province in 1871 only after years of debate within this British colony. Some wanted Britain to bail out the foundering economy while the U. S. A. would have been happy to acquire the colony, having just bought Alaska from Russia in 1867. This song urged confederation with Canada. Preludio No. 5, for carillon Matthias Vanden Gheyn (1721–1785) Vanden Gheyn was the most celebrated carillonneur and organist in seventeenth-century Belgium, gaining this enviable reputation chiefly at St. Peter’s Church in Leuven (Louvain). He also composed for both instruments and for the harpsichord as well. His whole family was musical and his brother Andreas cast carillons. This is one of eleven carillon preludes composed by Vanden Gheyn. Mr. Slater plays the edition of these preludes produced by Albert C. Gerken, for many years the Carillonneur of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. *Canadian GORDON SLATER studied the piano from the age of four and started playing the carillon when he was seven by assisting his father, James, the former Carillonneur at the Metropolitan United Church in Toronto. Mr. Slater majored on bassoon at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music and later studied the carillon with Milford Myhre. He held the position of Carillonneur at three Canadian carillons: the Rainbow Tower Carillon in Niagara Falls, Ontario; the Carlsberg Carillon of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto; and the Soldiers’ Tower Carillon of the University of Toronto before being appointed Dominion Carillonneur of Canada in 1977. In the latter position Gordon Slater played the Peace Tower Carillon at the Houses of Parliament in Ottawa for 31 years. Now retired he continues to perform there occasionally, tour, teach and give carillon master classes. Since 1978, Mr. Slater has been a Carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America and was co-editor, with his wife Elsa, of that organization’s annual Bulletin from 1979 to 1985. He has served on the Board of Directors, the Examination Committee and the Music Selection Committee. Mr. Slater has performed widely in Canada, the United States, England, Europe, Australia and New Zealand and has made several carillon recordings. He holds the Berkeley Medal from the University of California at Berkeley for distinguished service to the carillon. Gordon Slater conducts Divertimento Orchestra, a seventy-piece amateur symphony, and plays bassoon and contrabassoon with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. July 2 - A special concert by members of the Carillon Society July 9 - Tatiana Lukyanova July 16 - James Fackenthal July 23 - Gordon Slater July 30 - Carlo Van Ulft ** Please stay at the conclusion of the recital to greet the soloist on the steps of the library. It may take 5-10 minutes for the soloist to return from the tower. The carillonneur is able to hear applause if the audience is loud enough to carry to the microphones. Loud clapping, shouts of acclamation, horns honking all can be heard through the bell microphones. Don’t hold back! Comments of appreciation for the performer are encouraged to be posted to our Facebook fanbook at University of Rochester Carillon at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Rochester-Carillon/119957801392640?fref=ts. Doris Aman, ECMS/UR faculty, will circulate with a guestbook and/or carillon newsletter. Audience who care to sign up for more carillon information may be added to a concert email list for periodic announcements of student carillon concerts throughout the year. Hopeman Carillon concerts are free & open to the public. The Hopeman Memorial Carillon Since its founding in 1930, the University of Rochester River Campus has echoed with the sound of bells. The original seventeen-bell chime was given in memory of Arendt Willem Hopeman, a prominent Rochester builder, by three of his children. In 1956 two bells were added. The Hopeman Memorial Carillon—50 bronze bells by Eijsbouts of The Netherlands—replaced the chime in December 1973. From its aerie in the tower of Rush Rhees Library, the carillon is played regularly throughout the year and especially to mark major University events. A carillon is a musical instrument consisting of cast bronze bells which have been precisely tuned so that many bells can be sounded together harmoniously. Carillon bells are stationary; only their clappers move. The clapper of each bell is connected by a thin metal rod to a keyboard. This keyboard contains a double row of rounded wooden levers (the keys) plus a set of pedals. The carillonneur sits on a bench facing the keyboard and plays the instrument by depressing these keys with loosely clenched hands. The keys are arranged in the same pattern as the keys of a piano—the lower row corresponds to the white keys, and the upper, shorter row corresponds to the black keys. The pedals, which are connected to the heavier bass bells, are depressed with the feet. As with a piano, expressive playing is achieved through variation of touch. Currently, Webster NY resident and ECMS/UR faculty member Doris Aman and her students continue the tradition by playing the carillon frequently throughout the year. Special event, wedding, and memorial performance requests are welcomed. Those interested in learning how to play or who wish to inquire about special performances and presentations are encouraged to contact Doris at [email protected]. Help Continue the Tradition with a Donation During the Summer of 2017, the Hopeman Carillon went through and extensive refurbishment. However, restoration and repair never ends! The carillon is a complex and living instrument, in need of constant care. The Hopeman Carillon Fund has been established to cover these costs. If you would like to make a donation to the Hopeman Carillon Fund, you can do so directly, online, by following the link located at http://www.rochester.edu/aboutus/carillon/, or by check (made out to “Hopeman Carillon Fund”), mailed to: Alumni and Advancement Center c/o Ashley Smith - Hopeman Carillon Fund 300 East River Road P.O. Box 278701 Rochester, NY 14627 -8701 For more information, contact Jimmy Warlick at 585-273-5157or [email protected] .