Contents
July 6: Tom Gurin 3
July 13: Helen Hofmeister 4
July 20: Michelle Lam 5
July 27: John Widmann 6
About the Performers 7
The Memorial Church Carillon 9
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Tom Gurin Tuesday, July 6 6:30 PM
A Night at the Pictures
1. Music of Nino Rota (1911 – 1979) The Godfather Waltz ( The Godfather, 1972) arr. T. Gurin A Time for Us ( Romeo & Juliet, 1968) arr. R. Giszczak Campane a Sera (for carillon, 1934) orig. composed for carillon by Nino Rota
2. Adapted from Broadway Stranger in Paradise ( Kismet, 1955) Alexander Borodin (1833 – 1887) arr. J. Haazen If I Were a Rich Man ( Fiddler on the Roof, 1971) Jerry Bock (1928 - 2010) arr. R. Giszczak Edelweiss ( The Sound of Music, 1965) Richard Rodgers (1902 – 1979) arr. T. Gurin
3. Interlude: Mystery Disney Villain Song
4. Moon River On the San Antonio River Robert Byrnes (1949 – 2004) Night Pouring In (for carillon) David Cieri (b. 1974) Moon River ( Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961) H. Mancini (1924 – 1994) arr. R. Giszczak
A single bell will mark the beginning of each numbered section.
Note for “Night Pouring In” Acclaimed film-composer David Cieri composed “Night Pouring In” in 2020 as part of his World Carillon Project. The project, in collaboration with WNYC’s “New Sounds” (newsounds.org), is about togetherness during isolation. Tom Gurin’s premiere of the piece at Duke University was recorded and featured on New York public radio in September 2020.
The recitalist will be available to greet listeners on the front lawn shortly after the conclusion of the program.
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Helen Hofmeister Tuesday, July 13 6:30 PM
All music today is transcribed or composed by Albert Gerken (b. 1937) University Carillonneur at the University of Kansas from 1963 through 2000
1. Piano Music Leyenda Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) Gymnodépie Erik Satie (1866-1925)
2. Baroque Music Preludio (from Partita III for Solo Violin) J. S. Bach (1685-1750) Gavotte en Rondeau (from Partita III for Solo Violin) Prelude (from Suite I for Unaccompanied Cello)
Passacaille (from Suite VII for Harpsichord) G. F. Handel (1685-1759)
3. Prelude and Fugue for Carillon Albert Gerken
4. Popular Arrangements Somewhere Over the Rainbow Harold Arlen (1905-1986) 18 Variations on a Familiar Theme Albert Gerken
A single bell will mark the beginning of each numbered section.
The recitalist will be available to greet listeners on the front lawn shortly after the conclusion of the program.
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Michelle Lam Tuesday, July 20 6:30 PM
1. Drei Composities voor Beiaard Bertha Tideman-Wijers (1887-1976) Menuet Interludium Rondo
2. Three Florence Price compositions A Pleasant Thought (1951) Florence Price (1887-1953) Allegretto arr. Tiffany Ng Little Melody
3. Triptiek Johanna Bordewijk-Roepman (1892-1971) I. Bethlehem II. Jerusalem III. Nazareth
4. Two folk songs from the British Isles The Bells of Aberdovey (Welsh) Welsh folk song Ye Banks and Braes O’ Bonnie Doon arr. Sally Slade Warner (1932-2009) (Scottish)
5. Ave Maria Adèle Colson (1905-1997)
6. Ari Ari Hyo-won Woo (b. 1974)
A single bell will mark the beginning of each numbered section.
This concert is inspired by and in tribute to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who said in a 2015 interview, “When I'm sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court] and I say, 'When there are nine,' people are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that.” If you are interested in learning more about gender equality, https://genderequalityrights.carrd.co/ provides some light reading to get you started.
The recitalist will be available to greet listeners on the front lawn shortly after the conclusion of the program.
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John Widmann Tuesday, July 27 6:30 PM
1. July Geoffrey L. Cook (b. 1948) (movement 7 from Calendar – Petite Preludes for Carillon)
2. Carillon Originals Preludio VI Matthias van den Gheyn (1721-1785) Anzac Echoes Geert d’Hollander (b. 1965) Fantasia on a Sarum Plainsong, Frederick Marriott (1901-1989) (from Suite voor Beiaard )
2. European Transcriptions Allegro non troppo Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) (from Lied ohne Worte , op. 30 no. 2) arr. Bernard Winsemius (b. 1945) Prélude (from Prélude, Fugue et Variations op. 18) Cèsar Franck (1822-1890) arr. Audrey Dye (b. 1985) Le Cygne (from “le Carnival des animaux”) Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) arr. Wendell Westcott (1911-2010) Aria: Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust, BWV 170/1 J. S. Bach (1685-1750) arr. Gijsbert Kok (b. 1963)
4. Popular transcriptions Theme from Schindler’s List John Williams (b. 1932 arr. Richard de Waardt (b. 1982) Pure Imagination Leslie Bricusse (b. 1931) and Anthony Newley (1931-1999) (from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) arr. Jennifer Lory-Moran (b. 1974) She’s Always a Woman to Me Billy Joel (b. 1949) arr. Luc Rombouts (b. 1962)
5. The Star Spangled Banner John Stafford Smith (1750-1836) arr. Gordon Slater (b. 1950)
A single bell will mark the beginning of each numbered section.
The recitalist will be available to greet listeners on the front lawn shortly after the conclusion of the program.
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About the Performers
Tom Gurin has been Duke University Chapel Carillonneur since 2019. He is a graduate of Yale University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in music composition in 2018. In 2019, he graduated with great distinction from the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn" in Mechelen, Belgium. During his studies in Mechelen, he was a United States Fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation. In fall 2021, he will begin a year-long artist residency at the United States Foundation in Paris as a Fulbright Scholar. A recipient of the joint Fulbright-Harriet Hale Woolley Award, he will study in the music composition studio at the École Normale de Musique de Paris while on leave from Duke.
Helen Hofmeister received her carillon instruction at the University of Kansas as a student of Albert Gerken. She is a carillonneur member of the GCNA (Guild of Carillonneurs in North America) and is a past member of the Board, the Exam Committee, and the Barnes Scholarship Committee. She has performed carillon recitals in sixteen states, as well as Belgium and the Netherlands, including International Festivals in Springfield, Illinois, and at the Bok Tower in Lake Wales, Florida. Helen holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in organ performance from the University of Kansas and has done post-graduate study in Cologne, Germany as a recipient of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) scholarship awarded through the Fulbright Committee. She currently serves as Minister of Music at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a position she has held since 2006.
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Michelle S. Lam is the carillonist at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church. She also plays weekly recitals at the University of Michigan. Michelle has been playing carillon for over ten years, starting from when she was an undergraduate at Wellesley College. While she is not playing music, Michelle is doing research in international trade and labor to complete her PhD in economics at the University of Michigan. Michelle's hobbies include drinking tea, collecting postcards, and hiking.
John Widmann is the City Carillonneur for the City of Frederick, Maryland, where he plays recitals every Sunday at 12:30, year-round, on the Joseph Dill Baker Carillon in Baker Park. He has held that position for twenty-nine years. Mr. Widmann graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and completed in his Master of Music degree from Towson University in 2011. In addition to his Sunday recitals, he retired last month from Frederick County Public Schools where he was a General/Vocal Music teacher. He is also a freelance organist and conductor. Mr. Widmann maintains an active concert schedule, and has played frequently in the US, along with recitals in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, England, Canada, and the Netherlands Antilles. He lives in Frederick with his wife and sometimes their two grown children.
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The Memorial Church Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument consisting of 23 or more cast bronze bells that have been precisely tuned so that many bells can be played from an expressive keyboard that provides variation of touch. Carillon bells are suspended stationary; only the clappers move. The clapper of each bell is connected by a simple horizontal and vertical linkage to the keyboards. The keys are arranged in the same pattern as are the keys of a piano. The pedalboard duplicates the lower half of the instrument so that two hands and two feet can be used to play the carillon. The Memorial Church carillon contains 48 bells spanning a four-octave range (omitting the lowest C#). The heaviest bell (bourdon) is pitched to C# almost one full octave below middle C. Some statistics may be helpful in better understanding the Memorial Church carillon. The Console
Largest Bell Smallest Bell Weight 4700 lbs. 15 lbs. Diameter 4’10” 8” Height 4’ 5” Clapper weight 50 lbs 1 lb. Keyboard Range: 48 keys Pedalboard Range: 23 pedal keys Total instrument weight: more than 11 tons
When the church was completed in 1927 a chime of 8 heavy and low pitched bells - C D E F G A B C – by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon, England, was installed. It was dedicated “To the Memory of Those Who Have Died in the Service of Our Country.” Hymn tunes were played electrically from the organ console in the sanctuary. A clock mechanism was also installed for sounding the “Westminster Quarters” and striking the hours. For the 25th anniversary of the church building in 1952, 39 bells by Petit & Fritsen of Aarle-Rixtel, the Netherlands, were added, creating a 47-bell carillon. A bronze plaque in the church narthex lists the names of individuals in whose memory the bells were given. In addition to the new bells, a playing console was installed which afforded a great expansion of musical possibilities in the hands of a competent carillonneur. The carillon was formally dedicated on May 25, 1952, by the eminent Percival Price, Carillonneur of the University of Michigan.
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In 2015 the instrument was completely renovated by Meeks, Watson & Company of Georgetown, Ohio. A new steel frame was constructed which allowed the bells to be arranged so that they are all at a similar distance from the playing keyboard. Every bell was lifted from the tower and taken to Georgetown to be tuned. New clappers were provided, and an entirely new transmission action was constructed. The playing console was replaced and moved to a central location in the playing room. The new console was built according to the new North American Standard dimension. For many years carillonists were frustrated by the lack of the low E-flat bell. A significant addition to the carillon in the 2015 renovation was the casting of a new bell to rectify that deficiency. The new bell is dedicated to long-time senior carillonist Phyllis Webb, and inscribed “The Webb Bell.” There is a practice console housed in the first level of the bell tower. This affords an opportunity for private practice and teaching. Identical to the carillon’s playing keyboard, it differs in that tuned metal bars are struck instead of bells. The history of the carillon began in the Low Countries of Europe: The Netherlands, Belgium and northern France. Documents as early as The Webb Bell 1370 indicate that many towers were equipped with clocks that automatically sounded bells. Some were of considerable size and replete with automatic “jacks” or puppets that struck the hours and their subdivisions in full view of delighted spectators. Some towers contained enough bells to permit the playing of familiar tunes by means of large automatic chiming barrels. In the 16th century the first rudimentary keyboard was developed. This made possible truly musical renditions rather than merely mechanical ones. In North America the carillon really evolved from the chime that was prevalent in hundreds of towers in the 19th century. These chimes were generally of a range of eight to twelve bells and were meant for playing melodies only. Gradually their range was extended and with the influence of the European carillon, North America began acquiring carillons of considerable size and weight in the 1920s and 1930s. North America has by far the most grandiose carillons in the world; the largest instruments by size, weight and number of bells. Today there are 169 carillons in the United States, 11 carillons in Canada and 3 in Mexico. In addition to Memorial Church, there are smaller carillons at Christ Church Grosse Pointe (35 bells) and Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church, Detroit (23 bells). Large carillons are housed at Kirk in the Hills, Bloomfield Hills (77 bells); Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills (50 bells); Michigan State University, East Lansing (49 bells); The University of Michigan, Burton Tower (55 bells), and on North Campus (60 bells); St. Mary’s, Redford (49 bells); and St. Hugo Catholic Church, Bloomfield Hills (48 bells). The newest carillon in Michigan is at Oakland University (49 bells).
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GROSSE POINTE MEMORIAL CHURCH “A light by the lakeshore” 16 Lakeshore Drive Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236 (313) 882-5330 www.gpmchurch.org
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