T O W E R M U S I C I N . T H E LO W C O U NT R I ES

W 8

NEW YO RK

C A R I L L O N S

B ELGI UM an d H OLLAN D

T O W E R M US I C IN T H E L O W C O UN T R I ES

BY / 14 _ W I L L I A M G O R H A M R I C E

WI TH THIRTY TWO ILLUS TRATI ONS

N EW Y O R K : JO H N LANE C O MPANY ON ON OH N LAN E TH E B O EY AD L D : J , DL H E

T O RON T O : BELL S: COCKBURN MCMXIV Co ri ht 1 1 b py g , 9 4. y JOH N LANE COMP ANY

PUBLIS HE RS PRINTING COMPANY 20 - 2 1 W t Tw en t - fifth S tre et N ew or k 7 7 es y . Y T O MY W I FE

T H E CHARMING GUID E WHOSE UNFAILING INTEREST

HAS INSPIRED T IS BOOK AND T O H , MY SON

wuosn COMPANIONABLE AID

HA S COMPLET ED IT

VOORSLA G

H EN the Assistant Keeper of the B ritish Museum wrote me “I know

of no work on carillons , it con vi nced me there was need Of another book in the world . In many journeys through the Low Countries I had admired the beauty of bell - towers and had listened to their music with increasing delight . Yet rarely did I find anyone who knew the story of the towers or could tell me about the bells . Primarily to h answer suc questions , this book was begun . Soon I realised th at the subject deserved larger treatment and that the history, often Oi h times romantic , the carillon art oug t to be preserved in an accessible form . What is brought together here is the result of explorations among many towers , and of careful research in libraries of the United B States and in those of Antwerp , russels , the B Hague, and Amsterdam , and in the iblio theque Nationale of Paris . Perhaps still more it is due to fortunate acquaintance with h men of countries other t an our own , who , 7 8 “ VOOR S L A G”

sharing my admiration and affection for the d Dutch an Flemish peoples , have generously co- operated in my endeavour to assemble in or der widely scattered and Often obscure details concerning the origin and development of a unique racial music . M any friends have assisted me in compila tion and translation , and to them all I make grateful acknowledgment . Particularly I wish to record my recognition of the interest

M r. expressed by Andrew D . White , of h h Of It aca, C airman the American Delega h Who tion at t e First Hague Conference , has visited more than once the p rincipal bell - tow B ers of Holland and elgium . My thanks are

M r . . . . also specially due to A J F van Laer,

M r. the State Archivist, Albany ; to Freder

R C - ick ocke , organist and hoir master of the

Cathedral of All Saints , Albany ; to the caril

D en n l onneu r . of Mechlin , M r Josef y ; to

Z l n M r G. u e G . that of ouda , van y ; and to r M . . . Z that of the Hague , J A de waan , for

r . valuable aid and suggestions . And to M . J

Knoote M r. . J . A . , of the Hague , and to J den B OfM oer, iddleburg , I am indebted for many facts and several illustrations . “VOOR S L A G” 9

My indebtedness is also acknowledged to

M r . W . W . Starmer, of Tunbridge Wells , for the information I have obtained from his let

- ters and from his addresses on bell music . He “ recently wrote me : I could give you enough

C matter to fill a book, on lock chimes alone , Here in my study I h ave no less than 1 2000 ” communications catalogued . Above all , I am under obligation to M r . Prosper Verhey of Who den , Antwerp , has kindly given me the benefit of his advice and has generously put at my service knowledge attained by long and careful study . The courtesy of the Houghton M ii n

Of B re Company, oston , in allowing me to print the poem by Longfellow is much app re d ci ate . The sources of my information have been so various and so largely from books in lan guages other than English that some i n ac cu

raci es . may be found If so , I should be glad to have them made known to me . And if those in any country who know or find addi ti onal facts will send them to me, I shall be equally glad . The revival Of interest in carillon music is “ ” 10 VOOR S L A G

W idesp read , a revival inspired most of all by the devotion , genius , and wonderful skill of

D en n - Josef y , greatest of bell masters . Trav ellers from other lands return again and again

LOW to the Countries , attracted by picturesque scenes of market - place and busy harbour ; of civic hall and Church tower ; of quiet canal and lush field ; but only when the music o f bells is heard over all does the Charm become complete .

WI LL AM A RI E I GORH M C .

13 5 W AS INGTON A ENUE H V , A AN N LB Y, . Y . C O N T E N T S

CH APTER I PAGE — The land of carillons I ts pe c uliar attractiveness — Arc hite c tu ral beauty of tow ers D efin ition of c ar —R m k f Ch l 773—The illon e ar s o arles Burney , — — frontiers of carillon music S tevenson S c arcity — — O f carillon literature Longfellow H ugo

CH APTER II

O f —C l Ol l — 1626 Journals travellers orrer, Georgi , Garam i 1764— E n 1641—O h w p , vely , t er ritin gs ’ H e mon s b k 1678—F c h l 73 7— c h y oo , is er, S aep k n 1857—H aw ei s 1875— an d S e s , , V er traeten , — l 8o7- 88 l 877- 79—S m — Gre goir, tar er Municipal records and lo c al h istories

CH APTER III — — — — Ghent Th e c entenary The b elfry The b ells Prin — — c ip al carillons of Belgium Of H olland Mechlin — — — Meth ods of p lay Automatic B y a b ell - mas — — ter Conne c tion of key b oard w ith bells Pe dal — — c lavier M ost effective mu sic Anecdotes of Gh ent

CH APTER IV — “ — Bruges Meanin g of belfry Flemish belfries M unic ip al ow nership of carillons and b ell tow ers — —“ ” Longfellow at Bruges H i s diary Carillon — — A night in Bruges I ts transformation The car —“ ” illon n ow Th e B elfry of B ruges l l 12 CONTENTS

CHAPTER V PAGE — The primitive carillon I ts development in the six — — teen th c entury Municipal clocks The v oor s lag “ ”— The j eu de cloches I ncrease in numb er of bells — I mprovement of key b oard and automatic bar — — rel A good c arillon to - day The B e h y n imp rove ments—I mportant place of carillons in times past — — — — — Brussels Mons Maastri c ht Ath A c hristen — — i n g at Me c hlin A c elebration at B ruges The w P t in carillons at Mafra , ortugal

CH APTER VI — — — Founders The H emon y s Th eir c ontemporaries At — — ’ Zu tfen At Amsterdam Pieter H e mon y s letters —The amount of their w ork—Th e van den — Ghey n s and the van A e r s c hod ts The D um ery s — — — — The Wagheven s De H a ze The Petits Fremy — — — — Witlockx Noorden and de Grave Derk Mod — — — ern founders Old contracts Maastric ht The — — — — H ague Brussels Ath Middleburg Dan zig

— - — Oudenaarde Cost of b ell metal I ts composition — — Prices of carillons to - d ay Character Of b ells — by various founders Tunin g

CH APTER VII — Th e c harm of unseen musi c Carillons and th e sea — — De Ami c is Carillons and character M u sic used — in automatic play Examples O f m u si c used n ow — and in the seventeenth century E ffe c t of air c ur — — — rents Th e drum Metho d of setting tunes Th e — improved cy linder Drum play at Me c hlin — — Prais and condemnation Clavier play De c a e — — dence and revival The music I ts character — — Whe re to listen Market day music Festive con — f k . certs Description O a ey board . CONTENTS 13

CHAPTER VIII — — Carillonneurs and their p ay Amsterdam Pieter Pa — ’ — ter Pieter Chatelet s contra c t Dirck S ch oll — — P othOff Matthias van den Ghey n H av eral s P ay and duties in th e sixteenth and seventeenth — — c enturies To - d ay H ereditary b ell- mastery — — First inspiration K indness Of carillonneurs A — — p ostcard c anvass Further kindnesses Briel — — — S chiedam Delft Tours suggeste d The carillon — region Mechlin th e climax CH APTER IX — H ow th e Mechlin carillon w as got Choosin g th e — — — b ell- master Mechlin Louvain Bruges as host h z m 1897 d 19 10 Mec lin pri e co p etitions , an ’ D en n s —H i s h f h Mr . y play in g ot er a ctivities or t e —Th D en n 19 12—Th n ew b art e y festival , e ell — — The afternoon re c ital Th e evening recital The — presentation an d spee c hes The carillon school — — Th e n ee d of ir What has been done I ts scope — Difficulties of p ractice H ope against CH APTER X A h A 18 19 13 visit to Mec lin, ugust , APPENDIX A L ist of carillons in H olland APPENDIX B L m ist of carillons in Belgiu . APPENDIX C — List O f c arillons in oth er countries Austria - H ungary — — — — Denmark France Germany Great Britain — — I taly Lux emburg Portugal Russia S pain — Sw eden United S tates of America 14 CONTENTS

APPENDIX D PAGE — Lists of b ells in c arillon at Mechlin Carillon at Gh ent — Peal of E x eter Cathedral Chime Of Corn ell University

APPENDIX E

Report O f th e Jury at the Me c hlin pri ze competition in 19 10

APPENDIX E — English bells and change ringing Other notes ILLUSTRATIONS

’ Mechlin : Saint Rombold s Tower Fr on tispiece

’ Groningen : Saint M artin s Church 20

Amsterdam : The Mint Tower in 1765 24

Antwerp : The Cathedral Spire 28

The H ague : The B ell Tower in the D istance 3 2

Delft : The N ew Church in 1729 3 8 Fanciful Picture of an Ancient Carillon 42 Ghent : The B elfry 46

B ruges : The D ru m 5 4

Antwerp : The Key B oard 5 6

B ruges : The B elfry 62

B ruges : The B ells 68

Edam : The B ell Tower 76

Oudenaarde : The Town H al l Tower 80

M : B 84 ons The elfry . Zutfe n : The Wine H ouse Tower and M arket Square 90 U trecht : The Cathedral Tower 94

M : 102 iddleburg The Abbey Tower , in Winter Appingedam : The B ell Tower 106

Amsterdam : View from the Palace B ell - level 108 Mechlin : Transmission B ars and Wires 120

H aarlem : The Great Church from the Sp aarne 126

15 16 ILLUSTRATIONS

Mechl in : The Key B oard Amsterdam : The Carillonneur in H is Tower Cabin Mechlin : The B ells Schiedam : The B ell Tower

Ypres : The Cloth H al l Tower

Josef Denyn of Mechlin : The Great B ell - Mas ter Amersfoort : The Tower of Ou r Lady Enkhuizen : The Dromedary Tower

Veere : The Tow n H all

Antwerp : The Cathedral Spire at Sunrise

Map of the Carillon Region Carillon Music

C A R I L L O N S

CHAPTE R I

“ r wher e the Car ill ons r i l e r om ol r Flan de s pp f d Spi es . DOWDEN

“ n r I n H olla d the pass ing hou s ings . DE AM ICIS

Y story is one of discovery and ex ploration ; exploration leading Often

into fascinating aerial fields , and discovery, for many Americans , at least, of a d new kind of music . Yet the lan of which I write is not far off and the music has long M R been heard . Ver eer and embrandt, van R Dyck and ubens , listened to it as they paint ed the life of their time , and still in our day the benediction of this music continues for travellers and for all people in the LOW

Countries .

’ It is heard from St . Catherine s tower at B h riel , on the island of Voorne , w ere first 19 20 CAR ILLON S OF The B eggars of the Sea rose up against

Of the power Spain , and it sounds from

that fifteenth century New Church at Delft, where William of Orange, victorious but as

’ in d sass ate . , forever rests From St . Stephen s

ime uen tower at N g , rising above wide river waters , it marks the hours for the passing

’

d . boatmen , an from St Lawrence s tower at Rotterdam it gives a welcome to sailors com ing home from distant seas. Hundreds of students hear its call at the d h h University of Louvain , an it unites wit t e worship of thousands in the Cathedral at

Antwerp . At Ypres it sounds over the mag nificent Cloth Hall of the merchants ; at Amsterdam it floats over the great palace

Of the Queen . The watchmen high up in Groningen ’s tower in the north and those in M ’ h echlin s tower in the south , follow wit their faint - sounding trumpet - strains the notes of the bells at each half hour of the night ; and the market - men at the weigh - house Of

- Alkmaar, and the market women in their ’ G N N E RO I G N : S . MARTI N S CH URCH

B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 21 Zealand costumes at Middleburg wait for the signal of this music to begin their sell

- r ing at mid day . From the belf y at Ghent to- day sounds the concord of bells as it did when the Treaty of 1814 first was pro B claimed , and from the belfry of ruges “ C ring the himes , low at times and loud at ” I i i times , which were the nsp rat on of Long fellow when he first journeyed through

Flanders .

So h h tower after tower mig t be named , eac

r h car ying a part in t is chain of melody. Assuredly no music joins more perfectly in the celebration of days of national rej oic ing ; but, better still , it sends down from airy heights an influence which lightens routine and to happy occupation adds an accomp ani ment of surpassing charm . Many travellers have sought to compre hend the secret of the attractiveness of the

LOW Countries . Complex and elusive that secret doubtless is , yet I believe we shall find a clue for our search in a knowledge “0 TOTTER MLUS I C I N

s of thi s di sti ncti v e mu i c . Surel y i ts l ong conti nu ed h old upo n the people Of Holland and Be l giu m ; i ts s soci ati on wi th sti rri n g even ts i n their hi s tory ; i ts touch wi th p ro saic du ti es ; i ts democrati c spirit ; its com

ani ons hi wi im i ts a in t w p p th t e ; se t lof y to ers , an d its mai n ten an ce at the public charge all giv e su gges ti ons of raci al temperament w W o o s i n el l rth c n ider g.

" o of l o OW ers ems v s I st th e s e fty t are th el e

m s o of exqu i si te archi tectu ral beauty . A er fo rt an d u en ar an d Bl o s an d all O d a de, Veere n , t os al a y s o n Of c i n t h e re d p ke , are perfe t heir

B ro o ons d s set i n . t an t t g v their p p r i treng h ,

i b t om n ti the scen t y s s y heir d a on of e, he ati fy the ey e ev en be fore the mel od y of their bell s cnmes to pl eas e the ear . B efore app roach in g n earer the domai n Of thi s uni ue mu s ri fini t on s w i q ic, a b ef de i , ho ng

1 s i in gen eral term the sens e in w h ch the word

s = xa a l on t ed e se ms es b . t c ril h re, e d ira le E c defi ni ti on w oul d d eman d an exten ded c onsi d c rati on Of many detai l s w hi ch may be bett er

24 CAR ILLON S OF

cnime ff and a this fundamental di erence exists , namely : the carillon is essentially chromatic in its intervals while the Chime is essentially

diatonic , these terms being used as defined by “

. M Dr . C . W Pearce , in odern Academic ” “ : Counterpoint, where he says Diatonic means proceeding mostly by tones as opposed

to chromatic , which proceeds by semitones .

The chromatic characteristic , combined as it is with the extended compass and range in

size of the bells , enables a master of a carillon keyboard not only to play the notes of a great variety of music but to interpret its sentiment and to produce effects which are distinctive and beyond the power Of any other musical

instrument . “ h That quaint book, T e Present State of h N M G &c . usic in ermany, in t e etherlands , , being The Journal o f a Tour undertaken to collect material for a General History of

h e sic by C arles Burn y, Musical Doctor,

on , informs us that the traveller was enlivened in his journey by the sound

B ELGIUM A N D HOLLAN D 25

T of bells . heir playing attended him almost

I m constantly, and we find him recording pressions such as these

COURTRAY . It was in this town that I first per ceived a C the p ssion for carillons or himes , which is so prevalent through the Netherlands . I happened to arrive at 11 o ’clock and half an hour after the

chearful chimes played a great number of tunes , in dif

r n k fe e t eys , which awakened my curiosity for this spe

I e H E T cies of music , so much so that when cam to G N I determined to inform myself in a particular manner concerning the carillon science . For this purpose I mounted the town belfry from whence I had a full View

k s not only of the city, which is rec oned one of the large t

E the in urope , but could examine mechanism of the

- chimes , so far as they are played by clock work , and likewise see the carillonneur perform with a kind of keys

the e communicating with bells , as thos of a harpsichord ” or organ with strings and pipes .

ale ale are

e GRONI NGEN. H er again I found myself in a country of carillons ; I had indeed heard some slight at te s in B e mpt remen , but in this plac every half hour is ” measured by chimes .

i t alt

AM STERDAM . This is truly the country of chimes ; every quarter of an hour a tune is played by them in l al the churches . 26 TOWER MUSIC I N

LI EGE . The organist of the Cathedral is likewise carillonneur as is often the case in the Netherlands ; ” e e but her th passion for chimes begins to diminish .

9k élé 9k

- - AIX LA CH AP ELLE . The passion for carillons and H chimes seems here at an end . owever , through a street

s through which a procession had lately pas ed , there were hung to festoons and garlands a great number of oblong pieces of glass cut and tuned in such a manner as to form little peals of four and five bells all in the same a“ c key whi h were played on by the wind . They are put in motion by the most gentle breeze which may truly ” be called the carillonneur .

The passion for this music from the be ginning of its larger development in the sixteenth century followed racial influence

rather than political frontiers . With scarcely

an exception , each principal town of the N ancient etherlands , both north and south , early established its municipal carillon and

maintained it with devoted spirit . In north

ern France too , as at Douai , Arras , Lille,

Cambrai , and Dunkirk, and here and there

or e G in b d r towns of western ermany, as at

M almedy and Duren , bell towers have long T HE LOW COUN TR IE S 27

existed , and many of these possess even now their complement of harmonious bells . It was at Antwerp on the Scheldt that

Arethusa and Cigarette began their voyage , h h “ h and in t at delightful c apter, T e Oise in ” h h Flood , Stevenson t us tells ow a new sen sation of sound revealed itself

On the other side of the valley a group of red roofs and a belfry showed among the foliage ; thence some inspired bell ringer made the afternoon musical on a chime of bells . There was something very sweet and taking in the air he played and we thought we had never heard bells speak so intelligently or sing so melodiously as these . It must have been after some such measure ‘ C e that the spinners and the young maids sang om away, D ’ k eath in the Sha espearian Illyria . “ e There is so often a threatening not , something ’ blatant and metallic in the voice of bells that I be lieve we have fully more pain than pleasure in hearing a them ; these as they sounded broad , now high , now low , now with a plaintive cadence were always moderate and tunable and seemed to fall into the Spirit k 9" of the still rustic places li e noise of a waterfall . I could have blessed the priest or the heritors , or who soever may be concerned with such affairs in France who had left these sweet old bells to gladden the after noon. At last the bells ceased and with their note the 28 CAR ILLON S OF

sun withdrew . The piece was at an end ; shadow and ” e the he silenc possessed valley of t Oise.

Wh at bells they were th at Stevenson heard we do not know . Certainly more than once their music must have sounded over him

as Belgian market - place and French church

tower were passed on that inland voyage . Why should the measures of this music be thought so intelligent and melodious ? And why Should chimes in those nether lands awaken so great civic interest and popular f af ection , when the playing of bells at home often distracts rather than pleases our ear ? Even if no complete answer finally appears h here to questions such as these , I trust t at

S we hall have been , if not discoverers , at least explorers together in congenial fields . Nowhere can be found any comp rehen

Of h sive treatment carillons , t eir towers , and

i n their music . True , some traveller has cidentally mentioned the beauty Of their mel od y, or has curiously looked into their playing, or has briefly described an enchant

B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 29 ing view from the tower cabin of a caril l onneu r ; or perhaps some poet has given h h them a c arming setting in his r yme . M any of us know the verses in which Longfellow wrote °

But amid my broken slumbers

Still I heard those magic numbers, As they loud proclaimed the flight ” And stolen marches of the night .

And lovers Of French will remember the “ poem of Victor Hugo in Les rayons et les

“ ’ Ec ri t ombres , entitled sur la vitre d une ” fenetre fl amande

“ ’ le es J aime carillon dans tes cités antiqu ,

mmu rs e i e O vieux pays gardien de tes dom st qu s ,

b F l e c f No le landre , nord se ré hauf e engourdi ’ Au soleil de Castille et s accouple au midi " ’ ’ Le et ‘ carillon , c est l heure inattendue folle, ’ ue w vétue Q l il croit voir, en danseuse espagnole, App arai tre soudain par le trou vif et Clair ’ ’ Q ue ferait en s ouvrant une porte de l air ;

E e lle vient, secouant sur les toits léthargiqu s ’ Son tablier d argent plein de notes magiques ,

s Réveillant ans pitié les dormeurs ennuyeux ,

5. n u Sautant petits pas comme oiseau joyeux, 3 0 TOWER MUSIC

’ b u un b Vi rant, ainsi q dard qui tremble dans la ci le ;

n u fréle Par escalier de cristal invisible ,

Ef et des farée dansante, elle descend cieux ; ’ ’ ’ Et l es rit cc d oreilles et d eux p , veilleur fait y ’ va et Tandis qu elle , vient, monte descend encore , Entend de marche en marche errer son pied sonore " CHAPTER II

“ I had the hon our of being every day per mitted to

d a R oi i n Par is or mor e s ear ch in the B ibliothéque , , f

r ndin s omethin to than a mon th togethe , in hopes offi g g ” m ur os e but in vain . CH ARL S B UR Y y p p , E NE

HILE carillons may not have ap

, eared al p often in gener literature , frequent notice of them is found in the letters and diaries of observant travellers . That the early Venetian ambassadors to the LOW Countries were imp ressed by their mel “ ody is shown clearly in the Relazione Vene ” Gov ziane , recently published by the Dutch

ernmen t. There Marcantonio Correr, writing

16 1 1 h : in of t e tower at Middleburg, says

’ ’ H a u n horolo io g all uso de Paesi Bassi , che a tutti gli quarti ed a tutte le hore suonano una quantitagr ande di campane musicalmente suonano da p er se con artificio et con tastatu re secondo ancora che si su ” onano gli organi .

’ ’ The expression all uso de Paesi Bassi , 3 1 3 2 CAR ILLON S OF

indicates that the ambassador, who doubt less had travelled i h many European coun

tries , regarded the carillon as peculiar to R d R the lands of embrandt an ubens . Par

ti cu larl y interesting, too , is a passage from Francesco B elli ’ s account of the journey of Ambassador Giorgio Giorgi in 1626 : Le campane di questi paesi servono per musica hanno una temperatura soave ed una consonanza ar ’ is rime l monica , ch p ed un i sce tutte e voci ; ed in Aga

’ appunto il batter dell hora é preven uto da u n concerto l l di campanelli sonori e di icati a possibile . Aggiungo ’ ’ il benefizio qui la industria ed modo d un publico , ch

33 una campana di tanta, no so se io dica riputazione o

che i non si ona er o superstizione, a mort su p manc di ” cinque ducati per hora .

The bells in these (low) countries serve for music ; their timbre is so sweet and their harmony so complete that they express and include all the notes of the voice ; and in the H ague the striking Of the hour is preceded by a concert from the belfry which is most melodious

and delicate . Thrift here combines with a form of pub

hell k lic benefaction , for a is so regarded , I do not now

s a n or i whether I should y with revere ce superst tion , that for the dead it is not sounded for less than five N ” ducats an hour .

3 4s TOWER MUSIC I N

k son who plays , stri es the various bells in such a way as to produce musical chords and makes various melo ” dies which are quite pleasing .

And of the City Hall , now the Palace , at

: Amsterdam , he says

“ has I examined the carillon , the drum of which 7200 holes for various chords and pieces of music which are produced by the arrangement of a number of pegs that are inserted into these holes and which , as the drum

e the ers revolves , strike certain levers which rais hamm ” that strike the bells .

It is indicative of the place carillons oc cupi ed in the affairs of the seventeenth cen tury that grave ambassadors considered it worth while to send account of this music of bells to the Doge and Senate of the far away Southern Republic .

James Howell , in one of his Familiar Let “ 16 22 ters , dated Antwerp , , gives A Survey

the of Seventeen Provinces , and briefly men

“ ’ chim s tions that Those curious quadrants ,

’ ” and di alls were first us d by them . The earliest considerable reference to caril E lons in nglish seems , however, to be in the THE LOW COUN TR IE S 3 5

Diary of John Evelyn . This is his inter esting entry

The 1641. Amsterdam , August , turrets , or steeples , are adorned after a particul ar manner and invention ;

s l the chime of be ls are so rarely managed , that being cu rious to kn ow whether the motion was from any en

I . gine , went up to that of St Nicholas , where I found one who played all sorts of compositions from the tab l im atu re before h , as if he had fingered an organ ; for

‘ so were the hammers fastened with wires to several keys put into a frame twenty feet below the bells , upon

n u which ( by help of a wooden instrument, not much ’ k a li e weaver s shuttle , that guarded his hand ) he struck on the keys and played to admiration . All this while ,

the through the clattering of wires , din of the too nearly sounding bells , and noise that his wooden gloves made , the r confusion was so g eat, that it was impossible for

an the musician , or any that stood near him, to hear y

e thing himself ; yet, to thos at a distance , and especially

the time the in the streets , the harmony and were most ” r exact and ag eeable.

That there never has been attempted until now any comprehensive historic treatment Of this Characteristic democratic municipal music of the LOW Countries is diffi cult to

believe . Especially does this omission seem 3 8 TOWER MUSIC I N sustained and endorsed by the signatures of

Of B the city carillonneurs riel , Delft and

Amsterdam . The book ends with these live ly verses by Dirck Scholl of Delft directed

ui r n B l ankenbu r h O against Q y van g , fficial

carillonneur of the Hague , who , it appears , had Strongly argued that C Sharp and D Sharp were necessary

De Cis Dis z n en die y ter Gouw, Is dat niet volmaakt gebouw ?

ci Quirinus ge t het woord van Ja,

’ Kan t beter voor ons dan niet bes ta ?

H IJ raad de Stad en leid haar om Tot iets dat meesten tij d blij ft stom

a e r J i de slag kost een pond groot,

l l - Zij hangen daar a s evend dood . Which may thus be put in E nglish

’ b Cis Dis C e Those ells and of old Gouda s big him , In truth were they bought to make melody fine ?

: Yes . Quirinus says , that their music is rare To us it were well had they never hung there ;

The city w as cheated and wrongly induced

To purchase what scarcely could ever be used . ’ E i ach stroke of these bells costs a pound , so tis sa d ’ " Pretending they re living, in fact they are dead ’ NIEUW a t“ . St E URSULs KERCK.

D E LFT : TH E NE W CHURC H I N 1729

THE LOW COUN TR IE S 3 9

o a The second b ok, small quarto having only about a score of pages , is also Dutch “ and its title is : Verhandeli ng van de Klok l ” ken en het KlokkeSp e . It was published

1 . P . . at Utrecht in 73 7 by J A Fischer, an organist and carillonneur well - known at that time . A fanciful illustration therein of a carillonneur at his keyboard is taken from

’ “ ” M ersen ne s Harmonie Universelle, 163 6 . While Fischer discusses the o rigin of the — Klokkespel the Dutch word for carillon and gives rules for setting tunes for automatic hour play his larger interest is in bells gener ally and in curious tales about them and he presents nothing comprehensive concerning

the carillon art .

The Journal of D r . Burney, published in

1 773 , has already been quoted . He has much

more to say about carillons , and the tech ni c al skill exhibited in their playing was

very amazing to him . Nevertheless , he had little sympathy with what he so Often calls “ the passion for carillons , and his conclu 40 CAR ILLON S OF

sion was that they were of no genuine mu i l s c a . Schae kens importance Alexandre p ,

“ ’ Directeur de l E col e de Dessin de Maas

’ l ord re tricht, Chevalier de de la Couronne ” d B 1 8 e Chine , published at russels in 5 7 a “ ” et small volume , Des Cloches de leur usage , in which are quoted two or three pages of interesting specifications from seventeenth

century carillon contracts .

Quite a contrary view to that of D r . Burney was presented a hundred years later R R . ev. . by another Englishman , the H i “M M ” H awe s . In usic and orals , printed

1 8 at London in 75 , he discussed carillons

with much enthusiasm , advocated their use

in England as far superior to chimes , and urged his countrymen to take up their play

- ing in the place of change ringing . Then ,

even as now, exact knowledge of carillons

ffi M r H awei s a was di cult to obtain , and . p p arently not having the time to search out

such detailed information as was available , contented himself with a general treatment

42 TOWER MUSIC I N

c made much use , giving a sympathetic and a curate analysis Of the characteristics of the carillon and he contemplates putting in more

permanent form his valuable conclusions . The publications enumerated cover sub

stanti all y all that has been written , so far

as I can ascertain , upon the broader features R of the carillon art . emaining to be con sidered are the early municipal records so religiously preserved in Holland and B el

ae gium ; the later arch ological annals , con

Doorsl aer tributed by Dr . G . van , Professor

h rl r . . . . Sc eu ee . . W . P H Jansen , D F , F A

E n h . W . sc edé Hoefer, J and other careful

investigato rs , and the present day local pam phl ets often ephemeral and rare and many times containing facts and traditions not else where to be found . These all yield cumu lative evidence of the close relationship of the carillon to the civic and social life Of the LOW Countries throughout the past four

centuries . It early became clear to me that the caril FANC IFUL PICTURE OF A N ANC IE NT CARILLON

’ M E R S E NN E S H A MON I E UN I V E S ELL E 163 6 R R ,

THE LOW COUN TR IE S 43 lons themselves must be heard and seen to be fully understood . With this purpose I have visited all the towers thus far men ti on d h e and many ot ers besides . CHAPTER III

When I came to Ghen t I d eter mined to infor m my

s elf in a par ticular manner c on cer n ing the car ill on i s c en ce. CH ARLES B URNEY

H E traveller who would most com fortably gain the heights of a bell

tower, and most easily see the bells and the mechanism of a large carillon should B visit the belfry of Ghent in elgium . This alone of the towers in the Low Countries has an electric lift . Perhaps some explorer may feel that the atmosphere of the antique is dis tu rbed by so modern an invention , but by its aid the ascent becomes possible for many who would not undertake the arduous climb , some times Of several hundred steps necessary to

’ reach a carillonneur s cabin . Antwerp , for

622 B 02 instance , has steps ; ruges 4 ; and

00 . Mechlin 4 , to the bells Ghent at this time will specially attract

- S English peaking people and, indeed , those of 44 B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAND 45 all lands who feel that the alleged gains of war are the great illusion of the p resent day . The same carillon which rang out a century ago , will welcome now the completion of a hundred years of peace between Great B ritain t and the United S ates , begun by the treaty

2 th 1 81 . h signed on December 4 , 4 T at Christ mas Eve agreement was the work of J . Q . G d a nd R Adams , allatin , Clay, Bayar , ussell , representatives at Ghent on the part of the

h Of United States , aided by t e wisdom Madi son and Monroe at home . On the part of B h England it was due to Castlereagh , at urst,

Liverpool , and Wellington , though none of these men were actually Peace Commissioners . N O accompl ishment of the treaty was more important than that which provided for the arbitration of the boundary between the h United States and Canada ; a line , wit its

subsequent extensions , running by land and

00 water nearly 4 0 miles . Since the signing Of

I i i the treaty, not a few rr tat ng controversies h ave arisen between the nations who were 46 TOWER MUSIC I N

parties to it, and great populations active in trade rivalries have come to exist on either

side of the dividing line , but through all , that

unfo rtified line has continued , unguarded , B and unpatrolled . oth adjacent peoples have maintained their rights , both have advanced

in p rosperity and , as fixed by arbitration , that boundary has remained secure with neither

forts , nor soldiers , nor ships of war upon it to

keep a threatening or even a protective watch .

The fine house , with extensive grounds , in the Ru e des Chartreux in which the conclu

181 sion of the negotiations of 4 took place , known then as the house of Lieven Bauwens and occupied by the B ritish Peace Commis

sioners . , is now a Carthusian convent It was h t ere , in the long saloon looking out upon an inner court which contains a delightful formal

garden , that the treaty was signed . The carved woodwork and decorated ceiling have re

mained in their original form , but the room itself was divided in recent years by plain par

i i ons t t into three parts . It is a satisfaction to

T HE LOW COUN TR IE S 47 know that this historic meeting - place has lately been restored to its earlier Size and dignity . Not far distant in the very heart of the old city is the Place Saint Bavon , at one side of

- which rises the great bell tower . The heights of this belfry once gained , the traveller finds himself among a greater company of bells , h both large and small , than e has ever before

2 . seen . In all there are 5 bells Fixed upon a heavy framework of wooden beams , they ex

i n tend parallel rows , tier above tier, filling the sides of the great tower room . The little bells are hung the highest . The big ones just clear the floor . The largest of all is taller

. h than a tall man Its diameter, inc es , is

- even greater than its height . It weighs six

. h tons On it is this inscription in Flemis , “ M y name is Roland ; when I toll there is

18 Vi fire , and when I ring, there cto ry in the ” M 1 1 . 16 land ade in 3 4, it was recast in 5 9 and will have again to be recast as a crack

1 1 . developed in July, 9 4 The smallest bell has both a height and a diameter Ofonly about 48 CAR ILLON S OF

1 8 8 inches and weighs less than pounds . In

some ways , nothing gives a better idea of a great carillon to one who has not seen it than

a list of bells composing it . Such a list of the G hent carillon , with some details of each bell ,

is given in an appendix . h Of greater consequence , however, t an

number, or size , or weight is the pitch rela i ti onsh p of the bells . For it is to be borne in mind that throughout virtually its entire compass the bells of every carillon progress

by regular semitone or chromatic intervals . Ghent has these intervals complete through

- four and one half octaves , except that in the

lowest part of its bass , two semitones are

omitted . Other carillons have somewhat fewer bells but this essentially chromatic scale

is characteristic of all , and the compass of the

most impo rtant is from three to four octaves . Omission of bells in the bass is primarily be cause of their great weight and therefore

’ H emon s S great cost . y pirited little book upon this subject and the declaration of the B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 49

G “E amusing ouda verses , ach stroke costs a

’ ” pound , so tis said , will be recalled . An ex amination of the list of the bells of Ghent shows that if the omitted bass bells had been supplied , they would have weighed about nine tons . In other words these two would have weighed as much as the 46 composing the middle and upper parts of the carillon . There are today in B elgium about 3 0 caril

20 lons of importance and in Holland about . If those of lesser consequence are included the

1 total for both countries will be well over 00 . M B any authorities give higher figures , rock haus German Encyclopedia saying there

I I B are 5 in the Netherlands and 97 in elgium , but such numbers must include many caril lons not now existing . The individuality of their towers and their surroundings will make all carillons of interest to students and to trav h ellers wit ample time at their disposal . B u t there are many not in either of these privi l e ed C g lasses , and for their benefit I name a h score that seem most worth earing . 5 0 TOWER MUSIC

h Curiously enough , opinion as to w at are

the best seems rarely to have been recorded , though I discover that Ghent in 15 43 sent four commissioners to examine the carillons M of Antwerp , echlin , Tongerloo , and Lou vain , apparently then considered the most

famous . Similarly commissioners from Ypres

went to hear the carillons of Lille , Tournai , M G 1 . hent, Aalst, and echlin , in 5 75 De Sany B an historian of music living at russels , made a list in 1642 of renowned carillons in his day B and headed it with russels , Louvain , Ant

r G M M we . p , hent, echlin , ons , and Tournai In our own day van der Straeten indicates as

M Gro the best, echlin , Antwerp , Delft, and

ningen , and Larousse gives as the most impor D B tant, Amsterdam , elft, Haarlem , ruges , M G echlin , Antwerp , hent, Aalst, and Oude

n aarde . The lists here given embody conclu sions which have been reached after hearing many carillons and after talking with many

carillonneurs and lovers of the art . I offer them as a suggestion rather than as a state

5 2 CAR ILLON S OF

ment o f recognized relative standing, for in

‘ such a matter no absolu te d etermin ation is possible . In making up these groups , accu

of h racy t e pitch of the bells , their timbre , their weight, their compass , the perfection of their playing mechanism , their arrangement h t in t e ower, and the situation of the tower — itself all have been considered . The follow ing, in my judgment, are the best carillons in B elgium and in Holland .

BEST CARILLON S IN BELGI U M

TOWER Sint Rombou tstoren Tour de Saint- Rombau t 45 ’ Saint Rombold s Tower

H alletoren Tour des H alles Belfry

Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren Tour de Notre Dame Cathedral of Our Lady

Klokketoren B effroi B elfry

Sint Geertru itoren

. Ger . e Ste Gertrud , S trude ’s

5 4 TOWER MUSIC I N

BEST CARILLONS I N H OLLAN — d D Conti nue .

N UM BE TOW N TO WE R R OF BELLS H aarlcm Groote Kerk

Groningen M artinikerk

Kampen Bovenkerk

G B enerally speaking, the elgium arrange ment and mechanical adjustment are superior h f to t e Dutch and the e fect produced is , there h d fore , more satisfactory . But those w o woul gain an adequate idea of what this unique music really is , should hear as large a number as possible o f the carillons just named and should hear them played by a carillonneur .

Above all , endeavor should be made to hear at

Mechlin an evening concert by Josef Denyn . A carillon is played in two ways :

I Automatically by means of a revolving cylinder Thus played a carillon may be

thought of as a gigantic music box . Its exact designation is then “Carillon a cylindre” or

Carillon it tambour . Before the hour strikes

THE LOW COUN TR IE S 5 5 and at certain other intervals this cylinder or d rum is moved by a mechanism of its own which is released at the proper moment by

- the great tower clock . On the hour music is played for a minute or more ; at the halves and quarters the play is for less time , and in some places at the eighths there are flourishes of a few notes . Pins or studs of iron are placed in holes on the surface of the cylinder arranged so that as the cylinder revolves they trip levers con nected with hammers which strike the outside of the bells . Sometimes there are or more holes suitable to receive the pins ; say

100 1 h 00 . rows , o r measures , of holes eac Thus an unlimited number of tunes can be

played . In order to secure the quick repeti tion of a note a single bell is sometimes

Six h equipped with as many as ammers . The pins are variously offset from their centres ; thus a bell may be sounded by the use of a properly selected pin at any one or all of sev

eral points in a measure . 5 6 CAR ILLON S OF Tunes are set upon the cylinder by the caril lonneu r d , and by periodic changing are ma e appropriate to the season of the year . Town h tradition , anded down for a century or more,

more fre sometimes fixes these tunes , but quently the musical taste of the carillonneur governs . A carillon is also played

II

B - y a bell master, or carillonneur, using a clavier or keyboard resembling that of a piano or h organ . T us played a carillon may be thought of as a gigantic pianoforte or organ . “ Its exact designation is then Carillon it ” clavier . During market hours , at festivals , and in midday or evening concerts , popular songs , operatic airs , national hymns and a great variety of other tunes are played by the h carillonneur . T is playing by means of the clavier is often called a carillon concert . Each key of the clavier is connected by lever and wire with the clapper of its co rre

5 8 TOWER MUSIC I N mand of the resources of his instrument by allowing the use both of hands and of feet and so enables him to play music in three or

more parts . h On t e manual clavier, as M r . Starmer

points out, great dexterity of hand is essential , fo r much of the execution is with a kind of tremulando in which the keys are played from

the wrist and the elbow . Scales and arpeggios are accomplished by a constant crossing of the

hands . The greater part of the playing is on the smaller bells with occasional use of the

large ones . The reasons for this are that small h bells are more easily sounded , and that t e effect of chords is much more satisfactory on

them , due to the fact that on the large bells

h n h the armo ic tones are prominent and , w en

sounded together, frequently interfere with

each other in a disagreeable manner . This is not the case with the smaller bells as their harmonic tones are too high in the scale of sounds to distress the ear . Chords are most satisfactory when played arpeggiando and THE LOW COUN TR IE S 5 9 scale passages can be rendered with great rapidity and are most effective . When play ing in three or more parts , however, the great est care is necessary as to the disposition of

ff d ef the di erent notes of the chor s , the best feets being obtained by keeping a wide inter val between the low note and the note next

. d above it . All degrees of crescen o and of b a diminuendo are possible . Vi r tion of the bells does not long persist, so that, apart from the fact that the effectual damping of bells is practically an impossibility, when carillons are played by an expert performer, there is no real necessity for such a thing . With smaller bells the sound is so quickly effaced that when

ff t of the e ec sustained chords is desired , it is

d h i n obtained by a rapid tremulan o , muc as pianoforte playing .

: h To sum up In the first met od , that of automatic cylinder play, the outer surface of the bell is Struck by a hammer actuated by a cylinder which operates in connection with

- . h the tower clock In the second met od , that 6 0 CAR ILLON S

h i s of keyboard play, the inside of t e bell struck by the clapper actuated by a caril

l n on eu r.

B u t enough fo r the present of the mechan

ism of the bells , and the intricacy of their play .

S Above us , surmounting the topmost pire of Ghent s belfry is the gilded coppe r dragon which has looked down upon many stirring

scenes in Flemish history . There is a legend that the Crus aders brought this dragon from Constantinople to crown the belfry of B ruges

and that there it remained until Artevelde , G victorious , carried it a prized trophy to hent

where it was again set high above bells . As we meditate and gaze upon the vast expanse

before descending to the Place Saint Bavon , there comes vividly to mind that day when

’ tis said Charles V, standing where we stand ,

an and beholding the splendid panorama ,

’ sw ered Alva s cruel suggestion that the city “ S destro ed wi th : hould be y , Combien faudrait

’ il de peaux d E sp agne pour faire un Gant de cette grandeur ?” CHAPTE R IV

“ I n the an cien t tow n ofB r uges . LONGFELLOW

E' STWA RD across the even Flem h is plain , abloom with intensive

farming, it is a short trip from G B hent to ruges , its ancient rival , till recently O famous for its quaintness and quiet . nce inhabited by energetic and independent mer

’ chants and traders , the city s central feature is the towering belfry rising on the south side

conS ic of the Groote M arkt . Standing as a p u ous emblem of municipal liberties , the bel

of fry is characteristic Flemish towns .

To say that belfry in its origin is not con nec ted with bell appears to deny what is manifestly true . The fact is however, that they have a purely chance resemblance . The Oxford Dictionary says

‘ ’ B : e e berefredus elfry Pointing to a lat Latin typ , ‘ ’ e ber fri I d . E ac adopted from T utonic g n nglish , its 61 6 2 TOWER MUSIC I N

cep tance was doubtless due to popular association with ‘ ’ bell and the particular association which was in couse

uence q given to the word . The meaning has passed from

a movable tower used by besiegers and besieged , to a

tower to protect watchmen , a watch tower , beacon b tower, alarum ell tower, bell tower , place where a bell ‘ ’ ‘ ’ . fridu is hung Frid , it is generally agreed , is a form of , ‘ ’ - en peace , security , shelter ; and berg means to protect , ‘ defend ; the whole meaning protecting or defensive place ’ of shelter . Thus these towers were symbols of muni c ip al freedom and represented to the eye and

. G ear the idea of civic solidarity rant Allen , “ ” The E in uropean Tour, analysing the char

B : acter of the art of elgium , remarks

These Flemish belfries are in themselves very inter e sting relics , because they were the first symbols of corporate existence and municipal power which every town wished to erect in the Middle Ages . The use of the bell was to summon the citizens to arms in defence of their rights , or to counsel for their common liberties . Every Teutonic burgher community desired to wring the right of erecting such a belfry from its feudal lord ; and those of B ruges and Ghent are still maj estic memorials of the freedom - loving wool- staplers of the thirteenth B B C t H century . y the side of the elfry stands the lo h all , representing the tr ade from which the town derived its ” wealth . B RUGE s : TH E B E LFRY

6 4 CAR ILLON S OF turies the , must find expression in music of the belfry

bells . S l uccess and failure , smiles and tears, i lusions and realities , must all be blended here into one sweet har mony . A consummate artist is essential , but one who a B ffi underst nds ruges is essential also , for the di cult task is assigned him of concretising, so to speak , the soul of the Flemish town . In the merry laughter and plaintive B sighing of the old bells , the citizens of ruges require to

find the echo of that which they feel within themselves . “ Rodenbach has resuscitated the soul of B ruges ; he has helped us not only to hear, but to be penetrated by, the infinitely sad and wonderfully sweet music which vibrates in the air of the old Flemish city . It brings k bac to us the memory of the glorious past , brilliant with hope , of a world that was and that is no more , whose

S plendour was great but ephemeral , and which survives ” - only in venerable and moss grown ruins .

G ’ B ’ If hent s bells are easiest of access , ruges are most celebrated in verse . It was here that Longfellow came under the spell of the caril l on . At once his imagination was awakened and we foresee his poem in these brief entries in his diary Of 1842

M ay 30. In the evening took the railway from Ghent ' Ble b B . to ruges Stopped at La Fleur de , attracted y the

et name , and found it a good hotel . It was not y night ; and I strolled through the fine old streets and felt myself B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 6 5

a hundred years old . The chimes seemed to be ringing incessantly ; an d the air of repose and antiquity w as de t hi s " lightful . Oh , hose c mes , those chime how l " deliciously they lu l one to sleep The little bells , with

s k the their clear , liquid note , li e voices of boys in a l choir, and the solemn bass of the great bel tolling in , like the voice of a friar " “ 1 e five an d the May 3 . Rose b fore climbed high bel fry which was once crowned by the gilded Copper dragon

l - l the now at Ghent . The cari lon of forty eight bel s ; lit

e tle chamber in the tower ; the machinery, like a hug

- the barrel organ , with keys like a musical instrument for

il the view the car lonneur ; , from tower ; the singing of swallows with the chimes ; the fresh morning air ; the

z the o al mist in the hori on ; red ro fs far below ; the can ,

k k h the — li e a silver clasp , lin ing the city wit sea , how much to remember "”

The poem , of which Carillon is the first part, was probably begun there , his editor h says , and finis ed later when he was again at B ruges on his return home . More than any other literary utterance its verses have drawn

English - speaking travellers to this unique music . How wonderfully his genius gives the scene at night, when silence perfects the sound of the bells . 6 6 TOWER MUSIC I N

CARILLON

I n B n the a cient town of ruges ,

F C t In the quaint old lemish i y,

As the evening shades descended ,

Low and loud and sweetly blended ,

Low at times and loud at times , k ’ And Changing li e a poet s rhymes , Rang the beautiful wild chimes From the belfry in the market B Of the ancient town of ruges .

t Then , wi h deep sonorous clangor C almly answering their sweet anger,

When the wrangling bells had ended , k k Slowly struc the cloc eleven ,

And , from out the silent heaven ,

Silence on the town descended . w Silence , silence every here,

On the earth and in the air, Save that footsteps here and there

e Of som burgher home returning, B y the street lamps faintly burning, For a moment woke the echoes

Of the ancient town of Bruges .

But amid my broken slumbers

Still I heard those magic numbers , As they loud proclaimed the flight And stolen marches of the night ; THE LOW COUN TR IE S 6 7 Till their chimes in sweet coll ision

M ingled with each wandering vision ,

Mingled with the fortune- telling

- a s Gipsy bands of dreams and f ncie , Which amid the waste expanses Of the silent land of trances H ave their solitary dwelling ; B All else seemed asleep in ruges ,

In the quaint old Flemish City .

An d I thought how like these chimes ’ Ar e the poet s airy rhymes , Al l his rhymes and roundelays ,

H is conceits , and songs , and ditties ,

From the belfry of his brain ,

Scattered downward , though in vain , On the roofs and stones of cities " For by night the drowsy ear

Under its curtains cannot hear, b And y day men go their ways,

H earing the music as they pass ,

B u t s " deeming it no more , ala

Than the hollow sound of brass .

Y W t et, perchance a sleepless igh , Lodging at some humble in n

In the narrow lanes of life, When the dusk and hush of night Shut out the incessant din

Of daylight and its toil and strife, 68 CAR ILLON S OF

M ay listen with a calm delight ’ To the poet s melodies ,

Till he hears , or dreams he hears ,

Intermingled with the song, Thoughts that he has cherished long ; H ears amid the chime and singi ng

his The bells of own village ringing,

And wakes , and finds his slumberous eyes

Wet with most delicious tears .

I b n I l a Thus dreamed , as y ight y

I B the F Blé n ruges, at leur de , Listening with a wild delight

To the chimes that , through the night, Rang their changes from the belfry

Of that quaint old Flemish city.

The Fleur de B lé has disappeared and few know even where it was . Searching recently,

I had the good fortune to discover its site , now occupied by the theatre of the City . Looking over the trees of the gardens to the south , one

h h h O sees t e belfry ig above all and hears , ften undisturbed by other sounds , its music . The evening sky at our first arrival in Bruges was rosy with a sunset glow which lingered until nearly midnight . As we took a B RUGE S : TH E B E LL S

Thi s s hows bells equi pped wi th many hammers to allow qui ck repeti ti on ofthe s ame n ote i n automati c play

7 0 TOWER MUS I C I N a deep bell struck ten and we turned home ward . B Since that summer , ruges has suffered an

awakening, which though it may have given

satisfaction to the inhabitants , has , alas , de stroyed a certain repose charming to trav

ellers . Electric cars now pass through the “ ” Groote M arkt and B ruges en avant has be “ come the slogan of B ruges la morte . B ut with these innovations , the carillon has not

been neglected and , happily, the greatest of

- D en n bell masters , Josef y , was summoned to

give his advice . Under his supervision , dur

ing the winter of 19 13 - 14 the keyboard was

S reconstructed , p rings were placed behind the

clappers of the bells , and adjustments were made which greatly increase the ability of the

‘ carillonneur to p roduce efi ects befitting the

fame of the belfry . The carillon consists of 47 bells made by

D umer 1 Jo ris y of Antwerp in 743 , his bells

1 1 succeeding those destroyed by fire in 74 .

1 0 B M r . Starmer in 9 5 describes the ruges THE LOW COUN TR IE S 7 1 carillon as consisting of four octaves G to G

r with low A flat and B flat missing . M .

D enyn after recently improving it said

b r is The big bell, the do of the key oa d , an A going I towards A flat . ts tone is nearly one whole tone higher ‘ ’ than that of Salvator , the base of the carillon at Mech B lin . In its principal accord , do, the ruges carillon is not quite in tune ; it is entirely out of tune in the octaves of mi . “ l I According to the disposition of be ls and keyboard ,

for the do not play as easily as at Mechlin , at Bruges small bells are distant about ten metres from the key board . This hinders securing responsive connections , and ff so the firmness of the playing su ers . But the keyboard

itself is now the most perfect anywhere . What a pity

- that the mellow toned bells are not all quite in tune . ‘

As to the smaller bells , I much p refer my Mechlin ones . ma b They y be somewhat harsher of sound , ut surely

i . e they are more silvery ( . brilliant) and I think I can ff ” get better e ects with them .

So this quaint old Flemish city is rising

from its sleep of almost three hundred years . h And if we should climb the belfry, we s ould hear in daytime now sounds of a greater ac tivi ty than aroused Longfellow from his mus

ing there more than half a century ago . As 72 CAR ILLON S OF we read the later verses of “The B elfry of B ruges , its pictures conceived as he stood on the lofty balcony near the bells , it is not alone his own visions that become real . His art pro duces in us also a reflective mood and other scenes and events in history associated with bell tower after bell tower in the Low Coun tries come to mind .

T H E B ELFRY OF B RUGES

In the market- place of B ruges stands the belfry old and brown ;

Thrice consumed and thrice rebuilded , still it watches ’ o er the town .

mom k As the summer was brea ing, on that lofty tower

I stood ,

off k k W And the world threw the dar ness, li e the eeds

of widowhood .

Thick with towns and hamlets studded , and with streams

and vapours grey,

Like a shield embossed with silver , round and vast the

landscape lay.

At my feet the city slumbered . From its chimneys , here

and there ,

- Wreaths of snow white smoke, ascending, vanished , ghost k li e , into air . B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 73

Not a sound rose from the city at that early morning

hour,

B ut I heard a heart of iron beating in the ancient tower .

From their nests beneath the rafters sang the swallows wild and high ;

rne e And the world , beneath sleeping, se med more distant

than the sky .

the Then most musical and solemn , bringing back olden m ti es,

the With their strange , unearthly changes rang melan

chol y chimes ,

k C the Li e the psalms from some old loister , when nuns sing in the choir ; k And the great bell tolled among them , li e the chanting

of a friar .

Visions of the days departed , shadowy phantoms filled my brain ; k They who live in history only, seemed to wal the earth

again .

I beheld the Flemish weavers , with Namur and Juliers

bold , Marching homeward from the bloody battle of the Spurs of Gold ; 74 TOWER MUSIC

the M innewater W Saw fight at , saw the hite H oods

moving west, Saw great Artevelde victorious scale the Golden Dragon ’s

nest .

And again the whiskered Spaniard all the land with terror smote ; And again the wild alarum sounded from the tocsin ’s throat ;

Till the bell of Ghent responded o ’ er lagoon and dike

of sand , I am Roland " I am Roland " there is victory in the land "”

e The Then th sound of drums aroused me . awakened city ’s roar Chased the phantoms I had summoned back into their

graves once more .

H and b I ours had passed away like minutes ; , efore was

aware, Lo " the shadow of the belfry crossed the sun - illumined

square . E R CHAPT V:

Le campan e di qu es ti paes i s erv on o per musica; han n o ” er tur oave ed u n on on nz r u na temp a a s a c s a a a moniea. GIORGIO GIORGI

HE word carillon is hardly used in h h the land w ere carillons t rive . In Holland the usual name for the in

klokkens el bell l a strument is p (literally, p y) ,

i rd while in B elgium it is be aa . The bell master is known as klokkenist or klokken

i r i sp el er (with many variations) and be aa d er.

bes el en bei aarden The corresponding verbs , p , , and carillonner, refer to clavier play only .

u atrill on Carillon , at first q , is of course adopted from the French and comes , accord

u ad r il ing to Littré , from medieval Latin q li on e m . Thus the name of the carillon is traced to the fou r diatonic bells which made

up the tintinnabulum of the twelfth century . M ore definitely, however, the instrument as 75 76 CAR ILLON S OF

we know it, had its origin in a mechanical arrangement of sets of small bells in connec tion with the clocks which in the fifteenth cen tury came to be an essential part of the muni l cip a towers of the Low Countries . This

be mechanism , striking the small bells just

the fore hour, announced that the heavy hour b bell was about to sound . It was not long e fore more than four bells were used , and as the number increased , the mechanism was ar ranged to play a little tune . Thus we reach “ ” the 8 or 10 bells o f the Flemish voorsl ag or “ forestroke , obviously so called from its play “ ” voorsl a before the hour . To possess a g was an indication of municipal progress and the principal Flemish towns were soon thus equipped . Owing to this periodic playing, which before long preceded the strokes of the h - alf hour as well , bell music came to be a distinctive feature of the Low Countries . As prosperity increased and as taste devel f oped , still more satisfactory musical ef ects “ B the were sought . ells were added to voor

B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 77 slag all the intervals of the chromatic scale were supplied ; and the barrel Of the playing device was enlarged until each quarter hour h ad its share of notes , and the hour tunes lasted a minute or more . This music was something that everyone could enjoy without stopping work . He did not go to it ; it came to him . It suited both his industrious disposition and his reposeful temperament .

The clavier or manual keyboard was - com ing into use with chromatic stringed i nstru ments . What more natural than that it should be used , in addition to the automatic playing h mechanism up to t is time solely employed , with sets of bells that had all the semitones ? Nor was it strange that to meet the require ments of the constantly greater number of bells , and their increased weight , a pedal key board should soon be invented to supplement

the manual . It is not known when the great

chromatic expansion occurred , nor can we

tell where claviers , in connection with bells ,

first appeared . It seems to have been a grad 78 TOWER MUSIC I N

Of ual development, an outgrowth of the love d the people for a music which , as it decorate the passing of time , welcomed all , the high h h and the low, t e artist and t e artisan , the h man in his s op , the woman at her home , as participants in the pleasure it could give .

D oor l a r The researches of Dr . van s e as to the origin and development of the art admi

r l ab y cover the early days of the B elgian field .

i n Concerning later times and Dutch bells , formation has been gained from many other sources .

Jan van Leiden , a Carmelite prior, writing in the early part of the fifteenth century about the abbey of Egmond in Holland , says that a

1 182 1206 certain Franco , abbot there from to , “ ” l okkes l had a k p e made for the gateway .

Whatever truth there may be in this tale , which has been mentioned by Gregoir and

others , nothing has been discovered to show how many bells there were at Egmond or that

they were chromatic or how they were played . The first trustworthy information is found

CAR ILLON S OF not until the beginning of the sixteenth that they had been developed sufli c i ently to give a tune with variations . Van der Straeten tells of some bells which in 15 0 1 at Oudenaarde “ played the motives of the Veni Sanc te Spi ” “ ” P r ritus and of the ecc ato es. He also gives a quotation which proves that the clavier was already in use there in 15 10 . “ Gregoir states that Oudenaarde had un jeu ” 1 0 1 0 de cloches in 4 9 , Antwerp in 43 , Lou

1 1 vain in 43 4, and Lier in 495 , and asso ciates these with the claim for the first caril h lon , but he mentions no aut ority for these ” dates nor does he define un jeu de Cloches . In all probability these bells were what have ” l x i been mentioned as c oc k ns.

h 8 1 2 Louvain , we know, ad bells in 5 5 ;

10 1 G 16 Oudenburg , in 5 39 ; and hent , in h N 15 43 . In the northern part of t e etherlands

r progress was only slightly slower . Hoo n had

10 1 28 1 1 1 1 . bells in 5 and Alkmaar , in 5 4 Both Leiden and Groningen had carillons in

1 G 1 8. 5 77, and ouda in 57 Arnemuiden by OUDE NAARDE : TH E TOWN H ALL TOWE R

S KETCH BY J B AN BAES

82 TOWER MUSIC I N As to the requirements of a good instrument

- D en n to day, I quote Josef y

“ i e e e e A carillon to g v satisfaction , how v r play d , must have as a minimum 28 bells with the bass bell of not

less than 5 50 pounds . It should have its bells hung in

the b e right lines , big ones, if possi l , somewhat more

i the 00 300 inclosed than the smaller, w th bell loft 2 or O feet high . Towers with pen tops, lanterns , in which

the bells hang in circles, picturesque as they may be , c a l cannot possess me hanic lly perfect cari lons, for the connection between keyboard and bells is not direct

h e enoug and there is, therefor , a loss of the control needed

to produce delicate effects . This is a marked fault in ” numerous B elgian and Dutch carillons .

Den n h h h The y imp rovements , w ic ave been d the contribution of both father an son , Adolf

and Josef , have been specially directed to se curing a fine adjustment of the connections to the clapper by means of guide wires and springs and to keeping each clapper in exact position with relation to the sound bow of its

0 im bell . N Dutch carillon yet has these

rovements re p , though several towns have

n l Den n h ce t y taken counsel of M r . y in t e mat ter and are likely to follow his advice . Among THE LOW COUN TR IE S 83

h h N ime uen t ese are t e towns of g , Zutfen , h h G and Arn em ; and t e carillonneur at ouda ,

Zu l en M r . van y , has publicly advocated these h improvements , which ave already been made in all the larger B elgian carillons . From the sixteenth to the eighteenth cen d tury, carillons were often treate as spoils of

d h w u h at h war, an especial avoc was ro g t t e end of th at perio d when the French invaders suppressed the abbeys . Bells captured in war were sometimes recast into cannon or carried h h away as trop ies , or again t ey were ransomed

’ as a town s most prized possession . When a city bought a carillon it was for mally w el comed on its arrival by burgomaster d d and people, an ami rejoicings , the bells d h were consecrate wit elaborate ceremony .

M en and women of noble rank stood sponsors . Carillons then were in fact esteemed an essen tial part of the useful equipment as well as of the artistic ado rnment of a p rogressive N etherlandish city . Item after item in old rec ords show how important a place they ocon 84 CAR ILLON S OF

pied . Their care , their proper playing, their

enlargement, were constantly under discus sion . Even the referendum was employed to decide questions relating to them . Towns were rivals fo r preeminence in the carillon

art and bell - masters and bell - makers were esteemed citizens of great consequence .

“ ’ B arbiere in La Capitulation d A n ” 1 8 h vers , 5 5 , tells us t at one lot of 5 9 bells

off u was carried from B r ssels to Spain , of “ which 3 2 formed a harmony like an organ and could be played by means of a clavier .

M 16 1 When Louis XIV captured ons in 9 , a formal treaty was concluded between the

’ council on the one part and Marshal d H u mieres on the other for the ransom of the carillon . The bells were thus saved at that

d h 1 time, but uring the Frenc invasion in 793 , all were taken but one . This was in accord ance with the decree o f the N ational Conven “ 2 1 tion at Paris on July 3 , 793 , That there shall be left only one bell in each parish church ; that all the others shall be placed at

B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 85 the disposition of the Executive Council which shall p rovide for taking them to the nearest foundry th at they may be there made into cannon .

h M h 16 6 During t e siege of aastric t in 7 , cannon balls having struck the Town Hall , the council ordered that the bells should be “ h dismounted in order that t e carillon , much praised by the musicians of this time may not ” B be destroyed . russels had a carillon ruined

16 in the bombardment of 95 , but the magis

1 1 1 trates concluded to buy a new one in 7 , for, “ as they said , It is for the honour of a court town like B russels to h ave as one of its orna ments a perfect carillon which can se rve not only for the satisfaction of the townspeople but also to give diversion to strangers who are often attracted to a town by the harmony of h ’ a carillon , which thus bot adds to the town s ” renown and also increases its business . d h Ol records of At , Belgium , give popular votes upon many details of carillon admini s

tra i on t . Items in the accounts of M echlin in 86 TOWER MUSIC I N

1682 R show that a quarter cask of hine wine , and red ribbons for the clappers and other accompaniments were bought for the fetes which took place when the 3 3 bells of Notre

D ame were christened . A list is also given

- - h of the god fathers and god mot ers , together with the elaborate names they bestowed on h h each bell . T ese bells were seized by t e “ French in 1798 and were sent pour aug ” r menter la p ate des canons de C euzot. When the d rum of the new carillon of

1 6 h Bruges was to be installed in 74 , t e people themselves drew it through the streets to the h h belfry, and t e second of February, w en it

h . first played , was made a general oliday John V of Portugal visited the N ether lands about 173 0 and was so delighted with carillon music that he determined to have a set of bells for his sumptuous palace then

building at M afra . The price having been

ascertained , it was guardedly suggested by his im treasurer that the cost was great . This plied criticism is said to h ave so offended the

CHAPTE R VI

“ ’ 1k ver b ei my n toon in t zingen

Aen d en Aems tel e n het Y, ” 0 d en ees t van mo DEL p g H e ny . VON

WO brothers attract ou r attention as picturesque figures i n the N ether lands in the golden age of carillon

making . Their genius and skill have made the name of Hemouy particularly distin i h d u s e . g in the art Of Frans , the elder, Von

del , the great Netherlandish poet, expressed “ his admiration in verse , singing of one who so skilfully founds his bells that their notes charm our ear and make us wish to dance a ” - - bell dance on the airy tower galleries . Of

Pieter, the younger brother, we know through correspondence lately discovered and through h his other writings , that e was one of the

S I II active pirits of his day, warm friendship and keen in controversy .

H emon s The y were natives of Lorraine , but 88 B ELGIUM A N D HOLLAN D 89

early established themselves at Zutfen . While h of moderate education , t ey were excellent

craftsmen , producing bells of peculiar beauty

of form and decoration , and possessed a mar

vell ou s faculty for tuning bells . The corre spond enc e of Pieter written in a mongrel

tongue , half Teutonic and half French , shows that they were men of great business acumen and that the product of their foundries was sought throughout their own and other coun

tries . It is their bells that remain predom i nant in the towers of the Low Countries to

u day . Frans Hemo y lived from 15 97 to 1667

1 and Pieter from 16 9 to 1680 . It is interest ing to notice their contemporaries in the N etherlands. Such consideration will indi cate that the carillon was the manifestati on in music of the spirit of a people who at the same time were showing great genius

’ i m n R n a . y other directions emb randt, ver M R eer, ubens , van Dyck, Frans Hals , and

Pieter de Hooch all lived at this period .

Likewise Lieven de Kay, the master builder, 9 0 TOWER MU S IC I N

Vi sscher and , the famous engraver, and Von

del , the dramatist and poet . Tromp and de R h uyter were winning t eir naval victories , and Grotius was writing his great works on international law . The brothers Hemouy made their first caril lon in 1645 for the Winehouse tower at Zut h fen , and it was so satisfactory t at the city authorities issued the following testimonial : “W B C e , the urgomaster , Schepens , and ouncillors of the city of Zutfen , hereby certify, witness, and declare for the honest truth : that as an Ornament to the city as well as for the Benefit of the citizens we have deemed it proper and useful to have a carillon made for the

W the k inehouse tower , standing on mar et square , for which purpose presented themselves the Worthy and

P H u Skilful Master Founders Frans and ieter emo y , b 9“ rothers, to whom we let the contract for the

the k same ; largest bell , which is used for stri ing the hour , weighing more than four thousand pounds , and the other

26 . W bells , to the number of , in proportion hich hour and playing bells by impartial Masters , invited thereto by us , have been declared to be not only good , but sur passing in tone and resonance all other carillons in the h vicinity, so that we are well pleased therewit and here with thank the aforesaid Masters for their work in casting ” and furnishing the said bells .

T HE LOW COUN TR IE S 9 1

The reputation of the H emonys spread rap h idly and many towns boug t carillons of them . In 1654 Frans removed to Amsterdam where

he was received with great consideration . The regents knowing his honesty and talent assigned to him without cost a building site

i r for a foundry on the Ke ze grac ht. At the same time they intrusted him with the making

of carillons for five towers .

’ h H emon After is brother s death , Pieter y,

166 who had moved to Amsterdam in 4, con

ducted the foundry alone . Of this brother we know much from his correspondence with his B Ab friend de Loose , prior of the enedictine bey of Eename near Aalst in B elgium . We

- H emon W find y riting to the abbot, with ref erence to making a carillon for Cambrai , that he is not well enough to follow longer his vo

he cation ; has , however, three carillons made d in a vance, of which one is like that he has furnished Eename but with a half - tone extra

28 that is to say, one more bell ; it has bells ; d “ the price is 1400 u c atons. He adds : The 9 2 CAR ILLON S OF

2 h other two are greater ; one has 3 bells , weig s

6 1 0 2000 duc a ons 5 pounds , p rice t ; the other

2 8 0 also 3 bells , but weighs 3 5 pounds ; price

2 20 d a on 5 uc t s . To reach me it sufli ces to

: H emon place upon the letter To Pieter y, city founder of bells and of cannons . One of these carillons was subsequently sold to Mech lin . The following years he writes “ 1677. After the bells now making have been tuned k and shipped , I am resolved to dismiss my wor men and live in repose having worked 44 years at found ” ing with my own hands . “

1678. I do not hope to regain my health , but that gives me no sorrow for I am resigned to the goodness of

God . I know that one must die sooner or later . I desire no other thing now but to pass the rest of my days in tranquillity and in being able to render service to my

Y r e ere e the friends , among whom ou R v nc holds first ” place.

The contrasts in the character of Pieter H emony are reflected in the nature of his work . He was profoundly religious , having a chapel in his house , where he heard mass every day ; and , as is shown by his booklet on the uselessness of C sharp and D sharp in the

9 4 TOWER MUSIC I N

H emon s have been made by the y are omitted , the list indicates that the figures mentioned by van der Straeten must include the value not only of the bells but of the drums and the rest of the mechanism connected with the bells . A large majority of the bells of Holland are of the manufacture of the H emonys ; in

‘ bell s ofM Belgium , most of the present echlin and of Antwerp are by them ; while outside the N etherlands they supplied carillons to

Stockholm , Hamburg, M ainz , and Darm stadt . Another name greatly honoured in carillon making is that of van den Gheyn . At the middle of the sixteenth century, Willem , born M in Holland , conducted a foundry at echlin , and already for a hundred years van den

Gheyns had been bell makers . Later we find the names of Jan , Pieter, another Pieter, and another Jan , and still later, Andreas . The family has successively carried on work at

M 1 Ti rle echlin ( 5 66 St . Trond and

9 6 CAR ILLON S OF

1 6 w was Hendrik (or Henri ) who in 4 2, as a

bell founder, probably at Mechlin . His sons , G Simon , Pierre , and eorges; succeeded him . M e In the next generation , Jacques , dard , and

Jean were founders , and in the next genera

éd ar 0 tion was another M d . N large set of their making now exists but single bells by h t em are found at Mechlin , Tournai and sev

’ “ D orsl r eral other towns . Dr . van o ae s Les ” h ns Wag eve is a classic inbell literature . Yet another skilled carillon founder is M el

chior de Haze . An admirer described him “ in verse as skilled in all arts , but especially to be honoured for having known how to make

’ life a joy by means of his carillons . B orn

16 0 about 3 at Antwerp , he became a pupil of

H emon s the y and was one of their successors , surviving the younger brother by a score of

years . His best bells are at the Hague .

. P J etit with his son Alexis , carried on a

bell making establishment, which had already

existed for a century, at Someren in the latter

part of the eighteenth century . The foundry B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 9 7

- R was moved to Aarle ixtel by his grandson , h Hendrik Petit, and he ad as his successor

ritsen . h his nephew, Hendrik F T e firm now bears the name of Petit and Fri tsen Many other names are associated with caril h M lon making, among t em that of ammes (or

mmer s M a tu ) Fremy of Amsterdam , a nephew

h H emon s i n 168 and pupil of t e y , who 7 made e the bells at Leeuwarden . Of him Pi ter

u 16 Hemo y wrote to his friend the prior in 77, “He is now able to found such bells as Your Reverence desires ; I hope in time he will learn also to tune well ; as for me , I can now only direct the work and do tuning . Others

i lo kx 1 1 G. W t c are of Antwerp , who in 7 5 h made a noted carillon for At , consumed in

181 N oorden the 7 ; and de Grave , makers of bells of Middleburg and Louvain ( S . Peter)

N . . 1 and J Derk of Hoorn , who in 75 7 made

- a carillon fo r S . Petersburg . The best known carillon founders of the present day are Felix

A erschodt van of Louvain , of whom mention has already been made , and John Taylor and 9 8 TOWER MUSIC I N

E Company of Loughborough , ngland , whose

carillons in the towers at Appingedam, Flush E ing, and indhoven have gained the highest

commendation . The recitals in contracts with founders of the early days indicate that the purchase of a

carillon was an affair of great moment . One old contract referred to in the accounts of Am

sterd am 16 for 43 , that for the first carillon of h W K . . Lee the ester erk, was made with J A g

water, the famous engineer who first p roposed the drainage of the H aarl emmer Meer and wrote on the subject a book which passed

through several editions . The following

Schae kens story, told by p with reference to M h aastricht, s ows the usual p rocedure fol lowed in obtaining a new set of bells

I 1668 the arse n May the council, considering that nal of the town contained a quantity of bronze resolved to have founded a carillon which should serve the clock

Conincx in the tower then building . The burgomaster made report in July of a conference he had had at Am sterdam with Frans H emony and communicated the con

i n h e dit o s of t e proposed contract, which wer read and

100 CAR ILLON S OF

to the best in Amsterdam . When the bells were delivered , certain experts held that they did not conform to the contract and Q ui ryn

B l ankenbu r h van g , who figured in the con trovers h y about t e bass bells at Gouda , made a report commenting separately upon nearly every one of the bells . His criticism ex

ed h haust the vocabulary of deficiency. T e bells of the first octave were disagreeable in sound and were in discord with each other h t e next few bells were wavy but might do , the C next above was false and dull ; the C sharp was shrill and dead ; the D and D sharp were dull ; the E was sharp ; and beyond this came a bell “no more musical than a drug

’ ” gist s mortar ; the bells of the next octave

were fair in comparison with the others . H e “ : says of the following A Dull . In travelling

- through Leiden , I noticed that the dock mas ter’ s bell at the boat landing at the Hague gate was very clear and of the same tone as h t is A and therefore , might well be exchanged ” T s for it . o only one of the smallest bells doe B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 101

zeer he give praise , describing it as een mooi ” en helder klokj e . But in spite of all this

he d d criticism, t bells were accepte an are heard today at the Hague . When B russels decided to get a new caril

1 1 1 lon in 7 , the magistrates asked de Haze to

i l o kx . W c G. t furnish it protested , saying in — h h is petition to the council , t at he had had great experience and was able to make bells of which Europe did not possess the like ; that Holland even had bought of him ; that he was employing 25 workmen and the country should be interested in p rotecting the arts ; practiced t—herein and he appealed to the king that a fOreign master should not be preferred

B u t to him . his plea for p rotection to home industries w as of no avail and the contract was made with de Haze .

Witl ockx was , however, more successful in

an encounter with Ath . This town had had a

1 20 carillon since 5 , and the council , desiring “ un to give it cachet plus musical encore ,

1 1 determined in 7 5 to purchase a new one . 102 TOWER MUSIC I N

Wi tlockx When delivered the bells , a contro ve t sy arose as to whether they formed the “ ” concert irréprochable he had promised . A e committee of experts from Li ge , Lille , Cam M brai , ons , Hal , and Aalst was called in and gave its decision against the town . Appar

u ently the co ncil was still obdurate , for on

8 1 18 January , 7 , the sovereign council of the Empire commanded it to pay Wi tloc kx the price fixed by the contract .

Of the Middleburg clock and carillon , the

1 1 ac latter bought in 7 4, we have a very full

i n . count the pamphlet of F . A Hoefer . The costs are calculated to have been :

Rebuilding the tower flori ns The bells The clockwork The playing mechanism

Total Danzig was not satisfied with the bells it had bought of Derk in 173 7 and sent 18 of them back to Hoorn . The carillonneur who accompanied them had pitch pipes giving the

THE LOW COUN TR IE S 103

B notes of the bells left at home . y filing, cut

18 ting, and recasting, the were made satis

i n factory tone , and after signing a certificate f to that ef ect, he took back the bells to Dan d zig . This carillon was considere the finest in Germany until its destruction by fire in

1 1 19 . Perhaps the most interesting contract be cause of its exacting specifications was one from which the following is quoted

the 19 e 175 1 This day, th Jun , have met together the burgomasters and knights of Oudenaarde of the first

h B arbieux F part, and Jean Baptiste Josep , son of ran i F F co s, and rancois Bernard Joseph lincon , son of Simon , master bell founders living in the town of Tournai of the second part “ And this Witnesseth : That the said master founders engage to found a new carillon of which all the bells l t f b shal be altoge her and each in itsel sonorous , armo

n ious l b , melodious , true , so id , good , eautiful , and well

the finished , and respectively in relation the one to other,

r well proportioned , and of a proper and ag eeable accord ” as e the b a e and r i det rmined by est t st ules of mus c .

The contract called for 3 5 bells fitted and adjusted to the clockwork ; also for a drum 104: CAR ILLON S OF

2000 and new pins ; also for a new keyboard .

The largest of the bells was to weigh 15 00 pounds and the entire carillon about 6000 pounds . But the bells did not conform to the

re rigorous conditions , and the carillon was j ected .

The cost of bell - metal today is about the same as it was in England and in the Nether l ahds in the seventeenth and eighteenth cen i H m tu r es . h e on s In the time of t e y , a tuned

0 0 bell sold for from 3 to 4 cents a pound , the metal itself costing from 15 to 20 cents a h ’ “ pound . Notwit standing Longfellow s heart of iron” and Poe ’s “golden molten bells and h “ ” h t e silver bells of many poets , t e only metals used in founding bells of the most per fect timbre are copper and tin . The addition of gold , silver, antimony, bismuth , or any other metal impairs the quality of tone . The proportion of tin used is from 2 1 % to

E w s A recent chemical analysis by Dr . u e of some of the Hemouy bells in the Zuider Kerk at Amsterdam shows that the alloy used con

106 TOWER MUSIC I N They also inform me that the cost of a caril lon similar to that at Appingedam (two 0c

taves chromatic and weighing pounds) ,

£ 08. complete as above , would be 9

A erschodt 2 Felix van , for a carillon of 4

bells , weighing pounds , but with the

bass bell of the same weight as above , and including keyboard and automatic playing

mechanism , gives a price of francs . He adds : My prices are based on the current price of the bell I 3 metals . At present estimate francs per kilogram for

bells of from 200 to kilograms . For bells of less th 200 ases an kilograms in weight, the price incre up to ” 5 francs per kilogram for the smallest bells .

- In the United States , well known founders , h M B suc as the eneely ell Company of Troy, M Y. N . , and eneely and Company of Water

N . Y. vliet, , have not yet made carillons , which require small bells , though their chimes

are found in many American cities .

H emon s Ghe ns The y , the van den y and the Dumerys were the great founders of former

108 CAR ILLON S OF

such diameter, just as lengthening or shorten ing a violin string, the stress being the same , lowers or raises its pitch . Change of diameter can be made, but of course within very mod c off rate limits , by filing or turning the inside at the bottom swell thus lengthening the i n

or off side diameter, by cutting a slight por tion of the rim , thus shortening the diameter .

In answer to my inquiry about tuning, M r . van A erschodt tells me

The pitch can be heightened to the extent of 8 vibra tions by cutting off at the rim and can be lowered to the extent of 12 vibrations by cutting the metal away from the interior at its sound bow without impairing its I sonority . cast a dozen small bells for a particular pitch

e I desire and choose the best one . The larger b lls I make by exact formulae based upon the records of my

the Ghe ns . ancestors , van den y

“ In this connection , a thesis entitled Ex l perimen teel onderzoek van k okken van F. ”

H emon M r. . Vas y, which gained for A N unes the degree of doctor at the University of Amsterdam , deserves consideration . In his h investigation , he listened to the bells of t e AM STE RDAM

Vi ew rom the P a - f lace bell level toward the S outh Chu rch

H T G PH R P O O A B W . E G. I R R Y C . J .

110 TOWER MUSIC

sonance of its component tones ; ( b) on the relative inten

sities of the various tones , which in their turn are de

pendent upon the minute accuracy of sharply - defined t height, width , and hickness proportions . These again must be so adjusted as to admit of the several tones being perfectly tuned without upsetting the ratio between the l thickness proportions and other dimensions of the bel .

At Loughborough there is a carillon of 40 small bells made by John Taylor and Com pany, which hangs in their foundry tower . These bells have been tuned according to the foregoing principles and are probably the

most accurate set of bells in the world . The result is especially noteworthy because small fi bells are admittedly very dif cult to tune . As we consider the science of tuning we are

i nevi tably led to agree with van der Straeten “ that : A good hell is not made by chance but is the result of a wise combination of quali

ties and thought, and a fine carillon is as pre ” c ious as a violin by Stradivarius . CHAPTER VII

” ’ Die wahr e M us ih is t allein filr s Ohr . GOET H E

PECULIAR charm o f carillon music

is due to the invisibility of the player .

The element of mystery is __in t he notes that float down from the tower and while we h h know t at there is a performer, is movements do not distract us from completely giving our selves up to the enjoyment of the sounds . To h Stevenson , we have seen , perception of t e charm came as he floated on an inland river ; to another voyager it was as he sailed at even “ ing on theNorth Sea : It was when cruising in a fishing boat off the coast that I first heard the keyboard carillon and guessed that a living artist and not a mere mechanical con trivance was making mu src (which indeed seemed the moonlight, made audible) in his far - off unseen tower beyond the darkling sea ” h - d levels and t e white glimmering fog rifts . 111 112 CAR ILLON S OF Carillons have a peculiar association with the water, for not only do many of them con stantl y sound over it, but the Dutch and the

Flemish are by nature oversea traders . The carillonneur, too , climbing his tower in fair weather and foul , affected by neither rain , h sun , no r wind , is not unlike t e captain on his

. h V bridge And again , t e iew from the tower over the flat Netherlandish countryside has much to remind one of ocean reaches . N ot a few travellers must have felt this similarity, for the Dutch landscape has the same glisten ing reposeful beauty as has the sea in calm sunny weather . De Amicis describes such a scene :

’ F the e . ren e the rom the top of tow r ( S Law c s) , b whole of Rotterdam can e seen at a glance , with all its little sharp red roofs, its broad canals , its ships scattered

among houses , and all about the city a vast green plain , intersected by canals bordered by trees , sprinkled with windmills and villages hidden in masses of verdure , show ing only the tops of their steeples . When I was there,

e th sky was clear , and I could see the waters of the Meuse

the - le- Duc shining from neighbourhood of Bois , nearly to

the D D its mouth ; steeples of ordrecht, Leiden , elft, the

114, TOWER MUSIC I N

f h h also had its ef ect in moulding t at c aracter, so open alike to the solemnity and to the hap

i ness . p of life A graduate of Delft, now in a h foreign land , writes of is many memories of enchanting music heard unexpectedly in M ” the stillness of a winter night . any a night, “ i he says , my fr end and I on our walks through the quiet snow - covered city have stood still and listened and had our whole trend of thought changed and lifted by this wonderful ” music . h h h h W at is t is music , w ic , even when ? played by mechanism, so inspires the listener The tunes for the most part are national melo dies , operatic airs , hymns , and folk songs . In some instances original compositions espe c i ally written for bells are played . With few exceptions the selections are of real worth , and as the compass of the carillon is rarely less than three octaves , chromatic except at the extreme bass , there is no mutilation of the music . The hour is divided into four or eight parts THE LOW COUN TR IE S 115

( for the quarters are sometimes subdivided) .

This eighth hour play, when it occurs , con sists of a flourish of not over two bars . The quarter tunes before and after the hour are comparatively short and of equal length about four times as long as those at the

h h - h eight s . The alf our play is at least four times as long as that at the quarters and is followed by the striking of the next hour by a bell of higher pitch than that used at the hour itself . The play before the hour is at

- least twice as long as that before the half hour . At Schiedam in 19 13 the hour tune was the overture of Mozart’ s “Magic Flute” and the

’ “ ” -

. d half hou r tune Men elssohn s Spring Song . “ “ In Flanders Ons Vaderl an d and Arte ” B 1 velde are favourites . At ruges in 9 14 there were played at the four quarters , three tunes “ b ~ B B y enoit, the elgian composer, and Het ” Li ed e A n d l j van den Smid by e hof. There is played at Oudenaarde at the time of the h annual archery contest of t e Society of St . George “The M arch of the Oath of the Arch 116 CAR ILLON S OF

“ ers and The Song of the Oath of the B ow ”

G . men of St . eorge Once as the train paused R “ B in otterdam , I heard The Taking of riel , G and while we stopped at ouda , the distant “ ” notes of Wilhelmus van N assouwe reached M “ us . When I was last in iddleburg, Lange Jan ” enchanted us each hour with Mendels

’ “ ” sohn s Wedding M arch . These examples are illustrative of the music commonly heard today . Of ancient tunes we have records too . T . H . de Sany, carillonneur

B 16 8 of russels , published in 4 a list of the tunes that he set for periodic play on his caril i lon and that others also used . This list is n di c ative of the popular taste and of the im portance given the automatic play in those days . For the season of Advent there was a special tune fo r the hour and another for

- the half hour . For Christmas there were five G special tunes , for Mardi ras three , for Lent

B el four, fo r the Assumption (a great feast in

- M a gium even to day) six, fo r the month of y

’ ’

M . three , for S . ichael s Day two , for S John s

118 TOWER MUSIC I N

varying the volume of the tones , nature con spires with man to make the effect of auto matic play pleasing . The music with which the breezes are in h h t is partners ip , is in two , three, or more parts . Just as in clavier playing, it is the h smaller bells whic are chiefly used , and so the disturbing volume of sound characteristic of most chimes , if heard nearby, is avoided . l The melody is frequently p ayed in octaves , the bass being strong in its progression and suggestive of the harmony . Chords are in ex tended positions ; minor chords and chords of the diminished seventh are particularly effec tive .

The drum, which in revolving makes the h M - ammers strike, at echlin is of gun metal , h five feet t ree inches in diameter, and was

- made in 173 3 34. It must be wound twice daily and about notes are played by it

- every twenty four hours , the barrel contain ing 180 longitudinal rows of holes, corre sp ondi ng to bars or measures of music . In THE LOW COUN TR IE S 119 these holes are placed the screw pins by the arrangement of which different tunes are set . Tunes are set several times a year in most E B ’ towns (for aster and for S . avon s Day in M October at echlin , where it takes about four days to make the change) . A part of the equipment of the automatic playwork is a

- note gauge or rule which fits on the barrel . Each divi s i on on this rule comes opposite an

i enc rcling row of holes , and each division is marked with the bell - note which a pin or stud set in this row will cause to sound . By the use of the rule the carillonneur knows exactly where to insert pins to produce a particular

There ' are tune . a dozen or more different

ff off forms of pins , the di erence being in the h set, and the use of t ese varieties makes it pos sible to have a hammer strike its bell at any

or one even two of eight points in a measure . An English firm has recently invented a machine which keeps the hammers normally raised and ready to strike, and leaves for the pins only the very slight duty of releasing 120 CAR ILLON S OF

h de them, whic is accomplished by a trigger

of d vice . This makes the wo rk the rum not only light but always virtually the same whether the stroke be on a large bell or small and whether the notes in a measure be many or few . Constancy of speed in the revolution of the drum , long aimed at by various govern T ing mechanisms , is now possible . he deli cate trigger release permits the use of small b and accurate interchangea le cylinders , and by

l ace a slipping into p duplicate cylinder, upon h w ich new tunes are already set, a change can be made in a few minutes . Changes of caril lon tunes may take place not once or twice a year but as frequently as may be desired . In

of deed , there could be many these cylinders

ready, their use resembling that of cylinders in a phonograph . This trigger device is not

un applicable to clavier play, for it, like the successful pneumatic and electrical appli

ances , would deprive the carillonneur of the opportunity of putting any expression into his B playing . The elgian carillons , many of

B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 121 which are now so perfect in the matter of mechanism for clavier play, have none of them yet been equipped with this English improvement for drum play . The 180 longitudinal rows of holes at Mechlin correspond to the 1 80 measures

h 1 played by clockwork eac hour, while the 34

‘ encircling rows correspond to the 13 4 ham mers which are arranged to strike the 45 bells , some of these being equipped with as many as

1 five hammers apiece . The 80 bars are played as follows B efore the hour Befo re the half - hour tw 8 At the o other quarters , bars each 2 At the four other eighths , bars each

Total

’ i ndefa i i l Rom l Quite as t g b e as S . bo d s bells M at echlin are those of many other towers . Yet what more graceful tribute is there than this which Lucas pays to one of the busiest : 122 TOWER MUSIC I N One cannot say more fo r persistent chimes — than this at Middleburg it is no misfortune to wake in the night "” h That it is not a delight to all , owever, is shown by the opinion of one old French h writer, w o describes this ringing of bells “ every seven and one - half minutes as a kind of torture that Dante , if he had placed musi ci ans in his inferno , would have certainly

’ imagined for them . B u t would not even so disgruntled a critic as he have listened with happier ears had he heard carillon playing

- ? by a bell master One must believe so , for under the touch of such a one, this instrument gives intense pleasure in a musical form that appeals to the artistic sense of the thousands who are so fortunate as to hear it . The quali fications of a carillonneur are much the same as those for an organist, indeed many of the best players and composers fo r the carillon

. 1 8 have been organists Fischer, writing in 73 , says to play well requires “a musician with a good knowledge of music, good hands and

124 CAR ILLON S OF

preludes by Josef Denyn ; and finally there is a sonata

the Gustaaf H for carillon by van oey, director of the S M chool of usic at Mechlin , who was an amateur caril lonneur at the time Adolf Denyn lavished his treasures

da of music upon the few who listened in his y . One finds ‘ ’ here and there compositions for the carillon , but these usual ly show a complete ignorance of all the peculiarities E B ’ ‘ B l ’ ‘ of the instrument . ven enoit s eiaard ied ( Carillon Song’ ) is not really written to show to advantage a set ” of bells .

M r . Starmer mentions also as composers for

Pothoff of the carillon , Amsterdam in the

. . . W eighteenth century and J A H agenaar,

senior, of Utrecht in the nineteenth century, who like van den Gheyn were both o rgan

i sts and carillonneurs . Every musical instrument possesses a char

acter of its own . To one who has heard it, this individuality is apparent in the carillon

no less than in other instruments . To others ,

comparison may be of aid , but after all that can give only a faint idea of the carillon ’s character and charm . Perhaps the best con cep tion will be obtained by thinking of it as resembling an organ in majesty and a piano B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 125

but forte in delicacy, with harmonies aerial and unbounded . Like every other instrument it must be judged when well - attuned and me chani cally perfect . Awakened by the hand of a master then , this tower music seems to come h from the heavens , t e silvery delicacy of the higher notes being carried far upon the tide of the sonorous bass tones . To find a good place to listen to this music is always of importance to the traveller . Such a place should be at a distance of at least 5 00 feet from the bells and should combine quiet and an unobstructed view of the louver win dows o r the lantern of the tower . At Ant werp such places are the courtyard of the Pl antyn Museum (not accessible in the even ing) and the square in front of the Stadhu i s (noisy in the daytime) at Ghent one should

B r stand in S . aafsst aat near the entrance to the curious miniature chapel at the north side of the cathedral , and at Yp res , at the farther

Vand en eereboom l end of the p p aats . At B ruges , there are several excellent places , the 126 TOWER MUSIC I N

belfry so dominates the city . Among these are

Zilve rstraat Giststraa near the corner of t, and

r the Dyve . During evening concerts all traf

fic h G on this quay, as well as in t e roote

B r l s M h u aat . arkt and t e gp , is stopped At fi G Mechlin too , traf c is stopped in the roote

S raat e . h h t Markt T is square , t e j zonder E inde and the M el aan are the best places to M listen there . Quiet places at iddleburg are the abbey inclosure and the garden of the

Grand Hotel on the Lange Delft . At the

Hague , the only secluded place is in the post

ofli ce . courtyard At Haarlem , I suggest, the

Vaarmersstraat ; at Delft, the canal bridges

N i euwe behind the Kerk ; and at Utrecht, the garden behind the police offi ces near the Stad

im n huis . For one crossing the river at N egue

- on the old time current ferry, there is a rare

’

. h view of S Stephen s , crowning the ill on h h h w ic t e city is built, and there , on the water, is p reéminently the place from which to hear the bells . In not a few of these towers the carillon has

THE LOW COUN TR IE S 127 been played for a hundred years or more on the same day and at the same hour . There is a popular rhyme about the playing at

Mechlin , which comes on three successive days . It runs like this

“ the f Saturday for country olk,

And Monday for the city, Sunday for girls who charm the men ” And make themselves so pretty .

d d Sun ay concerts , whether intended as an ai

B el to courting or not, are nearly universal in gium . Monday playing was specified in the rules governing the carillonneur of Mechlin

16 1 as early as 7, that being then the day of the town council meeting . The council now

' on another d meets ay, but tradition keeps the play on Monday noon except in the months M when recitals are given onday evening . As M on Saturday at echlin , so in nearly every h ot er town , a morning concert is given on the h h day of the market, w ic usually is held in h the square upon w ich the tower looks down . Thus at Alkmaar the bells are played for the 128 CAR ILLON S OF

cheese market, at Amersfoort for the general market, at Amsterdam for the horse market, at Arnhem for the general market, and so on . And in most other towns the carillon is played by the carillonneur at a fixed hour on the market day . h Besides the times of the o rse markets , the h h c eese markets , t e butter markets , the egg markets , the grain markets , the cattle markets , h e t e fish mark ts , and the miscellaneous mar h kets , w en the carillon is played , there are the national holidays and the birthdays of the royal family when the bells join in the re

oi i n j c g. Also in all parts of Flanders and

Holland special local days are celebrated , as

B . at riel , Alkmaar, and Leiden The week of the kermis in a town of the Low Countries usually calls for special carillon playing . At B Antwerp , Ypres , and other elgian cities , ex tra concerts are given during the week of the Feast of the Assumption and for other relig

ious festivals . In Holland , in a way corre

s ondin an p g with this festive playing, is the

B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 129 nual month - long welcome of spring when “ ” “ ” id n es M e eu tj ( M ay Songs ) are given , as

M h . at iddleburg, Gouda , and Utrec t And most enjoyable of all are concerts in sum mer evenings at Mechlin , Antwerp , B ruges ,

Utrecht, and several other towns . The claviers are arranged on the same prin cipl e as the manuals and pedals of the organ . The measurements given in the following de scription are those of the instrument at Mech h lin . T e manual keys are commonly of oak, round , and in diameter, those in the upper row representing the black notes of the organ keyboard and projecting Those of the lower row_correspond to the white notes and project The vertical movement of the keys when struck is Pedal keys are from one to one and a half octaves in compass and are so connected that these lower bells can

be played either by hand or by foo t . The ” upper row of pedals projects 4 and the lower The pedal board is needed because large bells require more force to bring out 13 0 TOWER MUSIC

B their tones . y inverting the bass of tunes which as written , call for such bass bells as

are often omitted in order to save expense ,

their lack is scarcely felt . In early days simi lar bass notes were left out of great church o rgans and H emony s approval of their omis

sion in carillons has already been mentioned .

13 2 CAR ILLON S OF

16 0 carillonneur at the Hague about 7 , and an admirer celebrated his elevation in a verse entitled “A High Offi ce”

N0 place is there higher on land or on water ; N0 station is higher of council or town ; ’ N0 higher position s the gift of the crown ; t H Than hat which is held now by eer Pieter Pater . ’ H Next his , e en those of his ighness seem small .

B - " God bless thee , O ell Prince of our ancient tower For thousands feel daily the spell of thy power ;

n Next to H eaven thou art ; i the H ague above all .

Of various kinds were the employment con

re tracts , and quite curious is one which was corded in the Registry (kept since 13 03 ) of

: Oudenaarde . It reads in this wise

I Chi telet beiaard , the undersigned Pieter , excellent

S. beiaard ier, promise the guild of Jacob to play on the ’ Da on S . Jacob s y as long as I live, unless I am sick or

b . out of town , for my urial costs D 1 81 one the 26 July 6 .

a 1 81. P . C 6 By me h telet ,

Dirck Scholl , who , as we saw in an earlier

- chapter, was a verse maker himself , had verses written in honour of his musical gifts by Poot B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 13 3

while he lived ; and when he died , upon his

tomb in the N ew Church at Delft was in “ : scribed Here lies Dirck Scholl , who for more than two and sixty years made the caril

” ‘ i euw e oll ow lon in the N Kerk to live , and f

i ng this there is mention of his work as an or i gan st.

When Charles B urney came to' A msterd am

1 2 in 77 , he found there a carillonneur of great fame whose playing he describes

“ Pothoff and At noon I attended M . , who is not young

- totally blind , to the tower of the Stad buys or town house

P r ( now the alace ) , of which he is carillonneu ; he has

had this employment many years, having been elected to

H e a it at the age of thirteen . had very much stonished

me on the _organ - after all I had heard in the rest of Eu rope ; but in playing these bells his amazing dexterity m raised y wonder much higher , for he executed with his two hands passages that would be very difli cul t to play k with ten fingers ; sha es , beats , swift divisions , triplets ,

and even arpeggios he has contrived to vanquish .

H e P began with a salm tune , with which their high

M re ightinesses are chiefly delighted , and which they

a quire t his hands whenever he performs , which is on Tuesdays and Fridays ; he next played variations upon the Psalm tune with great fancy and even taste ; when he

a had performed this t sk, he was so obliging as to play a 13 4 TOWER MUSIC I N quarter of an hour extempore in such a manner as he

thought would be more agreeable to me than psalmody ; and in this he succeeded so well that I sometimes forgot both the difli cul ty and the defects of the instrument ; he k never played in less than three parts , ma ing the bass and

the measures constantly with the pedals . I never heard a greater variety of passages in so short a time ; he pro duced effects by the pianos and fortes and the crescendo

in the shake , both as to loudness and velocity , which I did not think possible upon an instrument that seemed

l . to require litt e other merit than force , in the performer

An even mo re famous carillonneur of the

same period , whose compositions both for the

carillon and for the organ are still in use , was M G atthias van den heyn , son of Andreas van G den heyn , the most distinguished founder

1 1 M of that name . In 74 , atthias at the age

’

20 . o f became organist of S Peter s , Louvain , and in 1745 the position of carillonneur be came vacant In the competition for the place that the magistrates ordered , he won a

N o notable victory . t only did he compose “E ” e fo r the carillon , but very Sunday, F tis “ tells us , he improvised for half an hour, and his charm was such that long before he com

THE LOW COUN TR IE S 13 5

menced . , the Place St Pierre and the adja

‘ cent streets were encombrées par la p op ul a

’ tion .

’ Rom old T . b s he carillon of S at Mechlin , generally admitted to be the finest that exists , was saved from destruction in 179 2 by the

G Gommai re H averals diplomacy of érard ,

r l the carillonneur at the time . The evo u

m ' ti onary council had decreed that the Mechlin bells should be melted and made into cannon , when H averal s by his eloquence and clever ness persuaded the French authorities that one carillon should be p reserved . Otherwise , he “ asked , how properly could be celebrated la gloire de la république ? ” A few years later n c the reactio ame , and he was given a sharp reprimand by the town council because of

r li n ‘ son s the epub c a g he had played . His be loved bells though were safe , and so again he changed his tunes to suit changed times and

endured patiently the municipal castigation . Happily his devotion and skill were so com pelling that even political passions were sub 13 6 CAR ILLON S OF dued and he continued as carillonneur until

‘ h 18 1 e died in 4 , being on the verge of four

score years , and having played the bells in S .

’ Rombold s tower continuously since he was “

. e B h seventeen F tis , in his iograp ie univer ” : selle des musiciens , says of him

“ a erals H v was a distinguished artist of his kind . A

he ffi u good harmonist, executed on his bells very di c lt compositions in three parts , sonatas , fantasies , and fugues. H e also had a remarkable gift for improvising var iations ” upon popular melodies .

Town records commonly mention the pay of carillonneurs , but their duties were very different, and as they are not exactly specified therein , the amount of pay is not of much value fo r comparison . Sometimes the caril

r lonneu was also organist . Sometimes he did all the work of winding and oiling the clock and drum mechanism , and again , he was paid “ extra for setting tunes . In early years , two ” “ ” pairs of shoes as at Tongres , house rent as at Amsterdam , or even eggs often formed a part of the wages .

B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 13 7

At Utrecht i n 15 88 the carillonneur had 1 2

10 flori ns h Dutch pounds , shillings (75 ) eac h alf year for which he was to play twice a week “for the recreation of the city” and to

r take care of the clock . He was further e quired to teach each year one or two pupils h to play, for whic purpose the city provided i him with a little p racticing c ar llon . In other towns the carillonneur was required to N i ll ve es . instruct orphans in his art, as at Emile Fou rdin describes the conditions there in 15 87 : “ At i the e the i th s epoch , servic of car llon was already perfectly organised at Nivelles . This service was con fided to a musician who had charge of striking and sound ing the bells and of taking care of the clock of the belfry a l and that of the ch teau ; he was a so required , as much as possible , to sing in the choir with the other singers . “ H e received each year, for his services , the sum of 200 F rench pounds and six measures of wheat, besides the emoluments coming from dedications , marriages , H b . e urial services, anniversaries , and votive masses was forbidden to play immoral songs or improper airs ; he ns ec s r was required to play hym or cle iastical chants , prope to a divine service . “ One other condition was imposed upon the carillon 13 8 TOWER MUSIC I N

i neur , that was to initiate in his art some ch ld from the b orphan house , designated y the magistrate . The alder men exhibited still more their love of the art : they estab lished at this same house a carillon composed of seventeen

l the litt e and greater bells , intended to provide for

n of the e the u e n musical instructio childr n , fut r carillo

neurs .

At Alkmaar in 1684 the pay was 5 00 guilders a year, very high for that time , but this carillonneur was evidently persuasive for he asked for and got a new carillon of 3 5 bells .

Many thousands , the records say, were present at the first concert in 1688. At Middleburg the published records cover the period from

’ 159 2 to 1 879 and the carillonneur s pay ranges from 12 Dutch pounds (72 flori ns ) in the first

0 florins h h year mentioned to 3 5 in t e last, wit varying duties . I am informed that the compensation of the carillonneur at Antwerp today is 1800

M 2 00 francs , while at echlin , it is 5 francs , M and for special play at marriages , the echlin carillonneur has 5 0 francs . His duties are solely to play the carillon at specified times

140 CAR ILLON S OF

T and several others . he family tradition has made such men particularly proud of their

art . Had it not been fo r the interest and courtesy of these and many other carillonneurs N throughout the greater etherlands , this book

would never have been written . Who does not recall with delight some week among charming Chateaux of the Loire or think often of a tour when the radiance of the stained glass of centuries past revealed itself ? Who forgets his first wanderings among the Gothic cathedrals of France or fails to re member the fortnight when medieval times lived for him again in Italian hill towns ? Above the noise of a crowded street at the Hague one summer noon I heard the caril B lon o f the Great Church tower . ruges and

Middleburg and Veere had just been visited . They differed much yet some common note

seemed to unite all three and the Hague . How was it to be defined ? In this reflective

mood , again my ear caught the sound of the bells . They answered the question . It was B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 141

h t e tower melodies which united these places , individual as they were in other respects . Then came the thought : Why should one not see the many carillons of the Low Countries , each in its own historic place , and write them down for foreign wanderers ? Why not a new kind of tour, which , by motor or on foot, by bicycle or by boat , by road or canal or rail n way, would show charms heretofore unk own to old lovers of these lands and tell new trav ellers things not catalogu ed in any book ? When we first became interested in Low

Country bell music, we applied to the Cen ” traal B ureau voor V reemd eli ngenverkee r at the Hague . Under the shelter of that im posing name is found an admirable organisa tion maintained by the railways of the N ether lands . Gratuitously it solves difficulties for

an the traveller, arranges his journeys , and sw er s his inquiries . Info rmation about caril lons , however, had never before been sought T and little was forthcoming . hereupon we set forth to find the carillonneur at the 142 TOWER MUSIC I N

Hague ; courteously he gave us suggestions

and advised us to consult the bell - master at G Gouda . So we betook ourselves to ouda and

r . Z l sought out the enthusiastic M van uy en .

A friend of his , he told us , had been studying about town clocks at the public library and the week before had come upon considerable information about carillons in some old vol

Of umes . By the best good fortune it turned out that we were at Gouda on one of the two

days of each week when the library was open .

Outside it was a deluge of rain , with a

black sky . Within the library we were dry,

it is true , but there were no lights . Just at closing time the book of most importance to

us was discovered . We made good use of the minutes left and with a fair list of carillon towns safely recorded in our exploration note

book, we went back to the Hague . That very

night the most convenient of messengers , the

postcard with paid reply, entered actively into our service and was dispatched to “Den Heer ” Klokkeni st of the principal Dutch and Flem

144 CAR ILLON S OF

play fo r us . He and his daughter were wait d ing to welcome us when our boat arrive . To hear the carillon at an unwonted hour so startled the inhabitants that the local news paper the following day gave an account of our visit . B oth going to and returning from

h h Vl aar t is historic town , we passed t rough h dingen , whic happened that day to be cele brati ng the centenary of the departure of the French (as did all the towns in the Kingdom at different times during 19 13 and and the harbour was crowded to capacity by the great fleet come home for the occasion . From the masts flew pennants and flags ; everywhere the Dutch colours and the royal orange were in evidence . h h Not content wit earing one carillon , we went also to Schiedam and Delft that day .

M r. At Schiedam , Textor, whose father and grandfather have preceded him as town bell masters , received us with great consideration . We went with him to the Old Church and up the stone stairway with whitewashed walls

146 TOWER MUSIC I N

which the principal carillons may be heard , though in the Low Countries all the towns are so near one another, that little foreplanning is needed . The carillon region , indeed , has an area only about twice that of Wales or of the

State of New Jersey . It is in form almost a

M alméd right triangle with y, southeast of

Lié e h g , at its right angle , and with its hypot enuse B h , running from oulogne to the mout

Ems G of the , northeast of roningen , along

the N orth Sea coast- line of B elgium and Hol

land . Tours might be as follows

B ELGIUM ik I . Landing at Antwerp ; thence to S . N G B Iass , hent, ruges , Ypres , Courtrai , Oude

naarde . , Aalst, Louvain , and Mechlin

H OLLAND R d h II . Landing at otter am ; t ence to Schie d h am , Delft, t e Hague , Leiden , Haarlem ,

Alkmaar, Amsterdam , Utrecht, and Gouda . Another short tour could begin at Flushing THE LOW COUN TR IE S 147 and include Middleburg and Veere ; and in a tour in the eastern part of the country one

Gro should go to Arnhem , Zutfen , Kampen ,

I n B ningen , and Appingedam . elgium , Tour nai and Mons can easily be reached in a side excursion from Courtrai . The above towns contain the carillons given in the lists of the

i n best in Chapter III and some others , and

’ elude examples of bells by all the great founders . It is not supposed that it will agree with the plans of all travellers to visit these towns in the sequence here given . Ar rangement must depend upon particular needs . A convenient programme can readily be made by consulting Appendices A and B s h for the day and hours of play in eac place .

However the tours are arranged , none is com pl ete without including Mechlin on some M onday evening in June , August , or Sep

D en n tember, when Josef y gives his concerts . CHAPTER IX

’ l es maitr es lancen t cl travers l espace l eur ” tendr es on laintives rdentes on tr om p , a i phales .

H N . VERSC AVE

ECH LIN ’ S has always been num h bered among t e finest carillons . “ ” The name beyaert was applied to

’ Ro ol the bells of S . mb d s tower for the first

1 6 d 1 time in 55 , an in 5 5 7 a carillonneur was appointed at a salary of 3 6 florims a year . In

1 6 h 18 Wh h 5 3 we know t ere were bells , of ic

10 Wa hevens 2 were by g , came from Ant wer 6 p , and the remaining had been part of

r l f the voo s ag. This carillon was already a

1 mous in 575 , for commissioners from Ypres

1 8 came then to examine it . In 5 3 some van den Gheyn bells were added and soon after that the pedal keys . During the next century bells were gradually added until there were

2 . 16 9 In 79 the carillon was largely renewed , I 1 of the old bells being retained and 3 2 new 148

B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 149

H emon ones purchased of Pieter y, and this is essentially the carillon of today, details of which are given in Appendix D . When a vacancy occurred in the position of carillonneur for so famous a set of bells , a competition was often held in o rder to select the most capable person to fill it . The earliest

h 1 contest of this c aracter was in 5 99 , when two applicants came from Mons and one from

B ut Dixmude . the most important one took place in 1788 when there were six entrants from various parts of B elgium and when

H averals , of whom we have already spoken , was successful . Other towns which held the art in high esteem frequently held similar con

tests . We have this somewh at embellished account by H aweis of the one at Louvain to which allusion was made in the preceding chapter :

“ the 1745 On lst of July, , the town of Louvain was astir at an early hour : the worthy Citizens might be seen

o chatting eagerly at their shop d ors , and the crowd of visitors who had been pouring into the town the day be fore were gathering in busy groups in the great square of 15 0 TOWER MUSIC I N

Louvain , which is bounded on one side by the town hall ,

b C and on the other y the hurch of S . Peter . Among the crowd might be observed not only many of the most emi B b nent musicians in elgium , ut nobles , connoisseurs , and

musical amateurs , who had assembled from all parts of the country to hear the great competition for the impor

tant post of carillonneur to the town of Louvain . “All the principal organists of the place were to com

: - pete and among them a young man aged twenty four , the P ’ organist of S . eter s , who was descended from the great

- B family of bell founders in elgium, and whose name was h already well known throughout the country , Matt ias van

den Gheyn . “ C The nobility, the lergy, the magistrates , the burgo

— n masters i short, the powers civil and ecclesiastical , had

assembled in force to give weight to the proceedings . As

t the hour approached , not only the grea square, but all the

streets leading to it , became densely thronged , and no

doubt the demand for windows at Louvain , over against ’

S. Peter s tower , was as great as the demand for balconies ’ M D a in the City of London on Lord ayor s y . “ Each competitor was to play at sight the airs which

the were to be given to him at the time, and same pieces

were to be given to each in turn . To prevent all pos

the sible collusion between jury and the players , no pre ludes whatever were to be permitted before the perform

ance of the pieces, nor were the judges to know who was

playing at any given moment . Lots were to be cast in k t the strictest secrecy , and the players were to ta e heir

seats as the lots fell upon them . The names of the trial

15 2 CAR ILLON S OF

post tolerably lucrative , without being by any means a ” sinecure .

When carillons were inaugurated , experts

r frequently met to pass upon the work . G e goi r mentions one of these assemblies at

1 D umer Bruges in 743 when the bells of y, “ still famous today, were judged the most ar ” is i E t t c and best attuned in urope . Again at

B 1 12 ruges , in 9 , there was a competition for h h prizes for playing, w ic carillonneurs from many parts of B elgium entered . The mani festati on at that time of the mechanical de feets of this instrument led to its rearrange h ment and improvement two years later, so t at

it is now in excellent shape.

Mechlin , too , has recently been the scene of

2 1 8 prize competitions , one on June 7, 97, of

2 1 minor importance , and one on August and

22 1 10 M us i cal , 9 , which , according to the

S tan dard (London) , was attended by

people . No other event in carillon history brought together so large a list of competi B tors . From elgium came eight professionals B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 15 3 and two amateurs and from Holland five p rofessionals and one amateur . Of the five

. dd judges , one was from England The a ress

h r D n n t e M . e of President, y , and the greater part of the report of the judges is p rinted in

h . Appendix E . T is report, written by M r

Den n y , is not only a careful estimate of the t merits and defects of each compe itor, but em bodies also what is virtually a treatise on the c apabilities of the carillon and the rules which h s ould govern the choice of music for playing . It is a centu ry and a half after van den

’ Gheyn s playing inspired the crowds at Lou vain that we see again a master of the art (and with him many competing carillon neu rs ) delighting gathered masses of the peo

. E . B . ple Of this Osborn , in a special article ” C a on arillon Music , gives an account, an c

u h co nt not based on tradition , but of w at he himself saw and heard

It was not until I heard the chief bell - masters of B el gium and H olland playing on the great carillon at Mech lin in August 19 10 that the range and power of the key 15 4 TOWER MUSIC I N I board carillon were fully revealed to me . t was a fes tival of carillon players . The King of the B elgians had f the of ered prizes for best executants , and throughout the

' tWO days of competition the great square of the Groote

Markt was thronged with eager and attentive listeners . ’ Den n s Mr . y recital ( following the competition ) was the most memorable concert I have ever heard , and was a revelation not only of his amazing virtuosity but also

e the of the possibilities, xplored and unexplored , of art of bell music . The first piece was a stately and sonorous b B Prelude, which might have been written y ach , and ’ Den n s - was Mr . y own composition , a long meditated B ’ “ tribute to the occasion . Peter enoit s Myn Moeder ” B u sp raak was rendered with bewitching delicacy . t per ’ Den n s haps the most interesting and instructive of Mr . y selections was a set Of ancient French ditties made for

r carillons at various dates . This was really a b ief and delightful history of the evolution of bell music .

Den n In general M r . y begins a concert h wit some brilliant piece , which immediately takes his audience captive and compels its at

B h . tention , something perhaps by Verdi or ac Toward the middle of the p rogramme come h pieces which require t e utmost skill , such as a sonata by N icolai or a work of some ancient composer, like Pleyel or Kraft, which he has adapted to the carillon in a marvellous fash

15 6 CAR ILLON S OF besides some forty evening concerts he gives each summer, in various places , he has at other seasons rearranged the keyboards and connections in many towers , among them Ant wer B p , Louvain , Mons , and ruges , and is often called in consultation where improve ments are contemplated . M h At any time ec lin is an interesting place ,

1 1 12 arti cu but on Monday, July , 9 , it was p l l ar y so . The city was decked with flags ; the great bells were ringing ; the carillon was played by the finest players of B elgium and h Holland , and for t e lovers of bell music , it was a day of rejoicing . The celebration was

h D en n - five in onour of Josef y , for twenty years city carillonneur . All the festivities were of a national character , in which people of every rank— from the King and Queen to — the humblest citizen took part . During the day many gifts came to the illustrious caril l onneu r from his admirers and friends . The most touching of them all was a simple bou quet of flowers presented by a blind woman B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 15 7 on behalf of the colony of l aceworkers who said they wished to show their appreciation of his playing which for many years had been a solace and joy to them during their hours of labour . First of the day’s proceedings was the ar rival ofthe new bell from the foundry of van h h ’ A erschodt. T is was set up in t e Grand

Place and exhibited throughout the day . It had been subscribed for by the public and pre

D en n sented to M r . y to be placed in the famous carillon to replace a defective bell in the upper part of the instrument . On it is a medallion portrait of Josef D enyn with this “ inscription in Flemish : To the great caril l onneu r Den n d , Jef y , from an a miring pub ” lic . In the afternoon a carillon recital was given in honour of the occasion by the best players

“ R of B elgium and Holland . Carillonneurs e

M I odt Zu l en douté of ons , g of Ypres , van y of

G N auw el aerts ouda , , then of Lier, now of

B . re ruges , and many others took part This 15 8 TOWER MUSIC I N cital made evident the very great advance made in playing during the previous ten years and showed that at the present time such play ing is of greater artistic excellence than ever before In the evening just before eight o ’ clock as

n h h De n . M r . y approac ed t e tower door of S

’ Rombold s h , e must have been thrilled and

inspired by the immense audience numbering,

M us i cal Times so the (London) says , between

and people , who assembled to do him honour and to testify their good will

and show their appreciation of his genius . As

the hour finished striking, the carillon sounded and the great carillonneur held his immense audience Spellbound with a performance of ’ f van den Gheyn s di ficult third Prelude . All through the concert he played with great ex pression and power and nothing more beauti ful can be imagined than the exquisite treat “ h e ment of the eig teenth century melody, J

’ ” n irai plus au bois or the real life imparted to “ ”

R . the sixteenth century dance , La omanesca

16 0 CAR ILLON S OF times the sentiment that it was Josef Denyn that had made his countrymen turn their at tention again to the bell music of their fathers , and with this were bound colour sketches and

musrc al i brief compositions , the whole be ng a unique tribute from over a hundred well known public men , musicians , poets , and artists .

When the presentation had been finished ,

M r . . . ad W W Starmer said , on behalf of mi rers of bell music in fo reign lands

The great H andel is credited with the statement that

hell E t the is the nglish national instrument, and cen uries

ago England was called the ringing isle . We love the

C — C music of the bells , but our hange ringing lever as it is — possesses none of the artistic merits of carillon playing,

of which you are a consummate master . You know to the greatest nicety the capabilities of your instrument ; your artistic perception unfailingly directs you as to the

S best music for it ; your executive kill , in which you have

no e the equal , and other qualifications giv you highest ma position as an artist . Long y you live to maintain ” r and excel in the best traditions of your a t .

This speech was received with great en

D n n f h si asm . e t u , and M r y , much af ected by B ELGIUM A ND HOLLAN D 16 1

h the honours and tributes t at had come to him , d h h briefly replied . So passed a ay w ic will ever be memorable . The fear has often been expressed that a time might come when the art which recently has blossomed so richly would again fade and its perfection in our own day remain only a B h memory. ut appily a movement is under way which will p reserve the attainments al ready made and educate Skilled players for the future . This movement has as its aim the establishment of a carillon school under the

D en n M direction of Josef y at echlin . Prop erly equipped with means for practice and ff a o rding competent instruction , such a school should have a constant quota of students from all the carillon region and could soon furnish B many well qualified players . elgium pos

sesses five great carillons , those at Antwerp , G ’ B . ruges , hent, Louvain ( S Peter s ) , and M l echlin , all with large range , perfected c a

vier, and adjustments of the most modern so rt . Following them come ten others of the first 162 TOWER MUSIC I N

d order, instruments of smaller compass an less

perfect mechanism , but capable of being made B as good as any without great expense . e B sides these , elgium has some thirty or forty

- other carillons whose pleasure giving ability,

to say the least, can be greatly increased . In

h i n Holland , too , thoug it now contains no

’ strumen ts B equal to elgium s first five , we find

great possibilities for development . Each of these carillons ought to be made an artistic

force in its community, an element in the higher education of the race to whom this

form of music is peculiar . There are already a score of men capable of giving excellent M concerts . ost, if not all , of those now quali fied have gained their technical skill by con

h D en n tact wit or teaching by y himself . Fully one hundred are needed to supply all‘ d the carillons now equipped with keyboar s . The municipality of Mechlin has offered h the necessary housing for the school with eat, h h light, and care , w ile t e national government has decided to grant an annual subvention

16 4 CAR ILLON S

S h tices . The first truggles with t e keys now are known to all and are disagreeable both subjectively and objectively . One young B elgium girl got her first p rac tice , so she told me , while the automatic hour

She play was taking place . So came to know the feeling of the keys in action , and listeners , h d mystified per aps , lai to a disordered auto matic mechanism the confusion of sounds that

resulted . This gave her but about four min h h utes practice at most eac our, but it was an experience she could get in no other way with

of h out attracting the attention t e entire town .

916 916 916 9K Earnestly may we hope that the dreadful destruction which is an element of war may not so impoverish B elgium in either men or resources that the establishment of this school and the steady development of carillon

playing shall long be hindered . CHAPTER X

" r E n die van M echelen span t zeke ly k d e kr oon . ANONYM OUS

N Antwerp friend to whom we had described the charm of the Dutch carillons and of those we h ad heard

B ai in elgium , and the excellent pl y ng of the ff di erent carillonneurs in many places , would listen with courteous interest and then , when

n we had fi ished , would look up with a smile

B u h h t . and say, you ave not yet eard M r " Denyn . Wait We felt that he spoke with judgment and h knowledge , for he ad been at the great con

1 10 test in 9 at Mechlin , where carillonneurs of the two countries had assembled , to play

’ in turn in a two - days contest on the bells of

’ ’ R old s . omb S tower, after which the King s p rize had been awarded to the most accurate and most finished competitor . That outdoor G ’ scene o f which he told us , the rand Place 165 16 6 TOWER MUSIC I N

h s filled wit thousands of eager listeners , ome h a ow suggests splendid finale of an opera .

It was with unusual interest then , that we set forth for Mechlin to hear the master carillon neur give one of his famous Monday evening concerts . Mechlin lies midway between Antwerp and Brussels and is reached by train from either city in h alf an hour . It was once the centre d of great political an ecclesiastic activity , and is still the seat of the Primate of B elgium . Much of its charm remains and there is de lightful repose in the old streets where many picturesque gables of the sixteenth and seven teenth century houses so characteristic of the h h Flemis Net erlands , look down upon the

traveller . In the street of the Twelve Apos h tles t ere is a small Béguinage , and near it a lace making school where the sisters teach children to make the famous Mechlin lace . The River Dyle winds in and out through the city in a charming manner, past quaint houses h d and ancient quays , w ere ver ure takes root

T HE LOW COUN TR IE S 16 7 in the joints of the stones and is reflected in the peaceful water . An air of great tranquil r li y dwells in the entire city, and as if to em — — phasise this and to approve i t high above the red roofs and fine trees , rises the splendid

’ Rombold s . h d square tower of S Cat e ral , a serene and noble landmark . E h In a Continental uropean town , t e con

’ trast between the day s occupations a nd the gayety of evening is marked . Animated groups of men and women , many of them

S bareheaded , stroll up and down the treets or h stop to talk wit other groups , giving a joyous M tone to the entire scene . On reaching echlin we found unusual festivity because of the cele

Ga bration of the Feast of the Assumption . y crowds filled the streets and many of the peo ple were walking toward the Groote M arkt or Grand ’ Place where the life of smaller

Flemish cities centres . As there was yet a full hour before the con

’ M r D — . en n s h cert, we drove to y ouse for the ’ — Denyns were already our good friends and 16 8 CAR ILLON S OF taking the three youngest children in the car ri a e g with us , started for a short tour about the town . The children were delighted and talked incessantly . At one point they made us notice that people were bringing out chairs and placing them in rows in a park near the cathedral tower, and they explained that this was always done on the nights when “papa” played . Then one of them confided to us it “ ” was l a fete de mamman ; so we drove to a

flower shop to buy a few roses . All three chil dren eagerly jumped out of the carriage and h h went in with us to help c oose t e flowers , and the shop - keeper and her husband and three friends who had stopped for an evening chat all aided and applauded our choice . Finally the coachman called in to us with much excitement that it was nearing eight

’ o clock, and we must at once go back, for his carriage would not be allowed to cross the Grand ’ Place after the eight o ’clock bell in l ’ Rombo d s . th S . tower ceased to toll We ere

D en n h fore started hastily for the y ouse,

170 TOWER MUSIC I N whipped his tired horse again into a gallop

o and dashed ff into the dusk .

In answer to our ring, a panel of the great door was opened by a woman who held in her left hand a large old - fashioned lantern M . et lighted by a candle Bon soir, adame M ” h d essieurs , s e sai smilingly . Then in a “ She 11 hurried whisper added , faut vous ” dé écher p and , leading the way, quickly con ducted us through a long paved yard into the

pleasant school garden . Just as we reached

’

h . it, the last stroke of eig t o clock sounded In these northern countries the day is long

n . eve in late August, and it was still twilight

Sk Against the southern y, framed in by two dark trees in the foreground, rose the broad ,

’ Rom ol d s . . b rugged tower of S High up , near the top of the tower, from a narrow open

h . ing shone out a faint, dull lig t

After the bell ceased striking, and the vi bration of its deep and solemn tone had died away, there was silence . So long a silence it seemed , so absolute, that we wondered if it THE LOW COUN TR IE S 17 1

ever was to be broken . Then pianissimo , from h the ighest, lightest bells , as if not to startle us , and from far, far above the tower, it seemed— indeed as if very gently shaken from the sky itself— came trills and runs that were angelic " Rapidly they grew in volume and majesty as they descended the scale until the enti re heaven seemed full of music . Seated

’ ’ in the garden we watched thé li ttl e light in the tower, where we knew the unseen carillon neur sat at his clavier and drew the music from his keys , and yet as we watched and lis tened , we somehow felt that the music came from somewhere far beyond the tower, far h higher than t at dim light, and was p roduced by superhuman hands . Sometimes in winter h after icicles have formed , there comes a t aw, and one by one they tinkle down gently and timidly at first ; then bolder in a mass they come till , like an avalanche , they crash down with a mighty roar . All of th is the music sug gested . It was low, it was loud ; it was from one bell , it was from chords of many bells ; it 172 CAR ILLON S OF

was majestic , it was simple . And every note h h h seemed to fall from above, from suc eig ts h h h d t at t e w ole lan heard its beauty . It was “ as if a great master had said : I amno longer content to sit at my cathedral organ and give pleasure to a few hundreds only ; I must give ” joy to thousands . So he mounts the cathedral d h h tower, an plays is sonata, or is p relude, or h his songs upon t e great clavier, so that all the h h world may hear . Wit t is feeling, we lis

’ “ tened that evening to van den Gheyn s Pré lude” and to the Andante and Allegro from Rossini ’ s “Barbier de Seville” and to old Bel gian and French folk songs . Here was no

- h petty cleverness , but a splendid master and bringing out from his mighty instrument not ff h alone grand , sublime e ects , but also t e ten derest Shades of feeling that awaken both memory and aspiration . Indeed , the tower d seeme a living being, opening its lips in the mysterious night to pour out a great and noble message of song to all mankind .

A S the hour passed , daylight died , but the

174 TOWER MUSIC I N watchman who spends the whole night in the

tower to keep guard over the sleeping city ,

he joined us , giving us the friendliest of greet h ings in French . As he dons for is work, which is far more strenuous than is the play h ing of any ot er musical instrument, a special h costume kept in the tower room , e came out looking neat and cool and ready to enjoy with

h n his friends t e remainder of the evening . I

’ vi ted h d Or by him , we went to t e Cheval , a little café nearby . Here we came upon a scene of much gayety, one which was in marked contrast to the quietness of the sur

S roundings in which we had pent the last hour .

As we entered , many rose in honour of M r .

D en n h y , and coming forward grasped his and and expressed in Flemish their delight in his

. h playing He invited us to sit down with im , and to have coffee or beer . As we sat to gether, after the greetings of the crowd were

S over , he poke at length and with enthusiasm of the powerful influence music had in pro m ’ oting a nation s happiness . And he said that THE LOW COUN TR IE S 175 in giving these concerts which thousands en joy, he felt he was contributing something to B the education of the people . u t the time for h our return to Antwerp drew near and so , wit mysteriously moving thoughts of the past, awakened by his music , and with feelings of

d - aspiration , we parte from this large hearted ,

h - simple man , t e master bell master .

APPEN DIX A

LIST OF CARILLONS IN H OLLAND

h h N t is list, w ich is intended to include all the carillons existing (together with sev

“ eral that have been destroyed) in t he

Koninkr k N ederl and en y der , the towns are h arranged in alp abetic order, according to their Netherlandish (and therefore true) h names . Following t e name of the town is h h h t e province in w ic it is situated , likewise in Dutch . Next comes the building in the tower of which the bells hang . Churches G have usually two names , as roote Kerk or Sint Lau renskerk (at Alkmaar and at Rot terd am ) , but I have used only the more famil

i Then iar . is given the number of bells com posing the carillon (usually excluding bells not playable from the clavier) with the name h h of t eir founder and the date of t eir casting . 179 180 APPENDICES

Finally come the name of the bell - master and the time when he plays . In this connec h tion , it may be remarked that t e carillonneur is nearly always glad to play at other times , but in most towns the permission of the burgo master or the town council is required ; so ar

~ rangement must be made beforehand . B e sides the weekly playings noted , there are concerts on some or all of the royal birthdays

— 1 0 April 9 (Prince Henry) , Ap ril 3 (Prin

2 cess Juliana) , August (Queen Emma) , and

August 3 1 (Queen Wilhelmina) - and in dis tri cts p redominantly Roman Catholic (Lim B burg and Noord rabant) on certain festivals ,

- such as Shrove Tuesday and Mid Lent . Also I would call attention to the special music in

h N o many towns during the mont of May . t only is there additional concert play at this season , but the tunes selected are chiefly mei deu nt es M a j or y ditties , expressing the pop ural rejoicing that winter has departed and that spring has come . The phrase among the bes t indicates that the

182 APPENDICES

in trays , who dress white except for the colored ribbons of their straw hats ( a different color for each of the five ’ porters guilds) , seem to trot along with their heavy

the burdens in step with music . The tower may be

C H. b Stadhu is limbed ( tickets o tainable only at the ) , and from the balcony is a fine view from North Sea to

the the South Sea ( Zuider Zee) , while within tower, carillonneur will play for you your Choice of his reper

- . b the tory This instrument is rather crude , ut bell mas

r b ter is ve y o liging . There was formerly a carillon of 32 bells by Son

1 92 the 6 o e . neman , , in tower of the Gr ot Kerk

me rs foor t 3 3 A , Utrecht ; Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk ;

F . H emon 165 8 bells weighing over pounds by y ,

- - Fr 10 11 8 9 . iday, , and Wednesday evening, The tower “ in which the bells hang is called by B aedecker the fines t

Gothic pyramid in the country . m m l ms ter d a . H five H e on . A , N olland , has y cari lons

al i mon he b I That in the P e s is a g t es t. n all five towers the bells are hung in circles and may be seen from the

Street . The carillon in the royal palace consists of 3 7 bell s

F H emon 1664 by . and P . y , , arranged in two tiers , the upper consisting of the largest bell ( of pounds) encircled by the eight next in size and the lower consist

ing of the remainder . The keyboard is only about twelve

feet below the bells . This arrangement and the good con

dition of the mechanism enables the carillonneur , J . Vin ff t cent , to produce e ects almost as fine as hose of good

C 12- 1 a . Belgi n players oncerts are on Monday, , and on AM E RS FOORT : TH E TOWE R OF OUR LADY ” Afl ecti on ately called The Mother an d Chi ld becaus e ofthe s mall s pi re carri ed by the tower as ifi n i ts arms

184 APPE N DICE S for Arnhem has recently consulted Denya with the idea of improving the keyboard and playing mechanism .

° B r n s - m e e o Zoo . B H w for rl . a m g p , N rabant ere s e y

19 . b a carillon of bells by J ter Stege , ut it was destroyed in war .

B r ed a . B 40 1 3 , N rabant ; bells founded in 72 ; Tues

1 - day and Friday , 0 11.

B r i el . H S. Catherinaskerk 2 , Z olland ; ; 2 bells by

H emon 1 1 F. . 1 66 1883 . and P y , , and inferior one of The instrument is far from perfect ; concerts are given

B r l W . o st a the first Monday of each month by p . The

are 1 r bells played also on April , the anniversa y of the b “ B ” 15 72 taking of the town y the Water eggars in , the first act of the Dutch war for independence from D 1 Spain , and on ecember , the anniversary of the de parture of the only other foreign master the City ever D 1 had , for Napoleonic domination ended on ecember , 1 18 3 . The carillon tower has long been a watch tower and is equipped with a telephone connecting it with the nearby coast defenses .

ul embor . C g ( Kuilenburg) , Gelderland f H 3 75 D l t . e , Z olland ; Nieuwe Kerk , tower feet

F H emon 1663 . . 40 . high , bells by y , ; J A de Zwaan

- - P M H 6 7 . . ( also bell master at the ague) Tuesday , in

1 - 1 S 12- 1 summer, 2 in winter ; Thursday and aturday , P among the bes t. leasant places in which to hear the

ieuwe Lan en d k bells are the N g y , the garden of the van

Meerten house ( now a delightful museum) , and the court W of the Prinsenhof, the building in which illiam the ’ “ Silent was murdered . Ver Meer s famous View of APPEN DICE S 185

Delft in the M au ritshu is at the H ague shows the bell tower of the New Church in bright sunlight in the mid dle distance .

De ve n ter 3 4 25 , Overyssel ; Groote Kerk ; bells , by

F H emon 1 4 1 F rbr nk . . 6 6 9 694 . H a i and P y in , and of ; ;

Tuesday and Thursday , Does b ur h 23 b g, Gelderland ; c urch ; ells , light

b . . H u . and pleasing, y F and P emo y m Ed a H O . , N . olland ; nze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk This

15 6 1 e . carillon by P. van den Gheyn , , is b ing renovated It was formerly played and probably again

S 11 . in use , on aturday from to 12

i n d h B adhu is l o en . St 25 E v , N rabant ; ; be ls by Tay 1 lor, 9 14.

En khui en . H Zu idertoren z , N olland ; ; light bells by

H u 1677 s 11- 1 c . 2 O P emo y , Wedne day, , April to tober .

Drommedaristoren F H e Also ; carillon by . and P . mony, now under repair .

Fl s hi n — u g see Vlissingen .

Goes 40 H . s , Zeeland ; Groote Kerk ; bells ; Visser

- 12 1. va plays on Tuesday , These bells are attributed

l . P ous . G ansz . ri i . y to A J van den heyn , J , and J et t or i n h m H G c e . G 25 , Z olland ; roote Kerk ; bells by

H 1 8 M 1 - 1 de aze, 6 2; onday, 2 .

Goud a . H h the , Z olland ; Groote Kerk ( in whic is h b b t e 3 7 32 . finest stained glass in country) ; ells, y P

H u 1677 G. an Zu len and t emo y, v y Thursday Sa urday,

" - 11 on h l n s am t e bes t. van Zu e i ; g Mr . y most

e the u court ous and is an enthusiastic carillonneur . On p 186 APPEN DICE S rights near the keyboard are painted the names and dates

- of service of preceding bell masters . The bells here are

D i n arranged in the usual utch fashion , circles and ex

s posed to the weather . The lower tier consist of two

18 e concentric rings , the smallest b lls surrounded by the 8 11 largest ; while above are the other , also hung in a “ ” s circle . Wilhelmus van Nas auw e is always the hour tune . During M ay the carillonneur gives additional con S S certs unday , Tuesday, Thursday, and aturday from 6 7 to in the evening: ’ ha s Graven e H . H g ( den aag) , Z olland ; Groote b 3 7 H 1686 . . Kerk ; bells y de aze , ; J A de Zwaan , the organist of the church and a master musician ; Monday

1 - 1 mon the b 2 a es t. G C and Friday, g In this reat hurch H in the ague , Queen Wilhelmina was married while the carillon rang joyfully above her . The best view of the

s tower of this church is from acros the Vyver , which , says E “ H . V . Lucas , is a jewel set in the midst ( of the ague) , b beautiful y day and beautiful by night, with fascinating

S a reflections in it at both times, and a peci l gift for the transmission of ( the sound of) bells in a country where bells are really honoured . There is a detailed account

H et Klokkens el of this carillon , entitled p van den ” - P . H aa schen acobs toren b . . H . g Sint J , y W Jansen

Gr on i n en M artinikerk 3 7 3 1 b g , Groningen ; ; bells , y

F H u 1671 1 b . H u 1662 5 P . . emo y , ; by emo y , , and y A

H . S 1788 . van den Gheyn , ; P teenhuis ; Tuesday ,

11 1 amon the bes t. and Friday , g There are also 3 bells antedating the carillon , but able to be connected ThiS ' 15 78. with it ; these were cast by H . von Trier in

AP PEN DICE S 187

k car illon is silent during H oly Wee . The tower in which

h- it hangs is the station of a watc man , who every quarter hour during the night blows trumpet notes to the four points of the compass to indicate that he is on duty . If he descries a fire, he telephones the fire department .

C. P . L . Rutgers has written a pamphlet about this carillon . A carillon in the Aakerk was destroyed by lightning

in 1671.

H aar l m k 3 e . H 5 e , N olland ; Groote Ker , b lls weigh

mon 1 - 4 H H of H e 660 . . o . ing p unds by F y , ; W

12 amon the bes t. meester ; Monday and Friday , g

This church contains a famous old organ , which is usu al ly played on Tuesday from 1 to 2 and on Thursday 3 between 2 and .

’ h H a — T e g u e see S Gravenhage.

H u 1 - Has s elt . 6624 Overyssel ; F emo y , m H atte 22 . , Overyssel bells

H lm n d B a h e o St d u is . , N . rabant ; ; automatic play only 1795 h This carillon , hidden in to save it from the Frenc , w B s . a originally in Postel Abbey in Limburg, elgium

’ 8 H e rto e n s h B —le- D B b o c uc . . g ( ois ) , N rabant ; S

anskerk 40 Aerschodt 1874 J ; bells ; van , ; Wednesday ,

- 11 12.

Stadhu is 23 e P u n . H ed es Also ; b lls ; F and . emo y ; W

- 10 day, 9 .

H e s d n B u e . Stadhu is , N rabant ; ; small carillon played

1- 1 1 . Tuesday , 2 H oor n . H . G k , N olland The roote Ker once con 188 APPENDICES

tained 3 2 b P. H emon 1670 bells y y , , which were de stroyed by fire .

H u ls t . 28 m n . H e o , Zeeland A carillon of bells by P y , 1669 formerly was played Monday ( market day) ,

M as 1876 aar, hél , in het j aar is de toren en ook het ” “ ” kl okkens el verni i d the horl 'n p et g , oge aker of the city writes me .

am en B m 3 5 . H e on K p , Overyssel ovenkerk ; bells ; F y,

1 - - 6 2 H . D 6 . 11 1 2 6 7. ; J icter ; Monday, , and Friday ,

ee uw ar d e n Stadhu is 3 3 L , Friesland ; ; bells by Fremy,

- 1687 9 . The carillon hung in the New Tower till 1884

o when , the tower bec ming dangerous , it was taken down . It will soon be put up again in the tower of the Town

H all .

eid e n H Stadhu is 3 9 29 . L , Z . olland ; ; bells , by P

m n 10 1 0 b 8 . H . H e o 6 . y , and y Fremy in ; R T van

W S - 11 Leeuwen ednesday and aturday , , and Mon 3 day evening, Also on October , when the inhabitants eat a Special dish made of Chopped carrots and meats to celebrate the relief of Leiden , besieged by

3 15 74. the Spaniards for a year ending October , After mounting the fine perron of this Tow n H all and so reaching the floor on which are the rooms adorned with

Old S l magnificent tapestries , it is a hort c imb up an elec ’ - trically lighted stairway to the bell master s room . The ceiling of this room is supported by mortised beams t a diating from the centre and decorated with white Stars t on a blue ground . An a tractive spot in which to hear the bells is by the little dolphin fountain behind the Town Sat H all . Unfortunately the playing of the fountain (

19 0 APPENDICES

185 1 the b e b , says ells wer played Wednesday etween 11 1 and 2 and Sunday before service. This is the only in stance I have found of Sunday play within the Kingdom t B l of the Ne herlands , while in elgium it is nearly universa . m M on n i k en d a . H 3 3 P , N olland ; bells by . van den Gheyn .

N k e r k e 28 b y , Gelderland ; Oud Kerk ; bells y

- 10 9 . C are van den Gheyn ; Monday, In this hurch C tombs of van Rensselaers and van urlers , families from Y k which came early colonists of New or .

N m e e n y g ( Nimwegen ) , Gelderland ; Groote Kerk ; 1 40 597 . bells by van den Gheyn , ; W de Vries ; Monday

- 12 amon the bes t. and Thursday , ; g From the

river, the branch of the Rhine called the Waal , the caril lon tower appears as the apex of this city , built on a hill .

The ideal place in which to hear the bells is on the river .

- Oud ew ater F 10 11. , Utrecht ; riday , F m n d H . P u r e re . , N olland ormerly there was a caril m b . H e on . lon of 3 1 bells y F . and P y

he n en . . R , Utrecht The very graceful tower of S

Cu nera b , in which was the carillon , was struck y lightning

S 1897 . in eptember, , and completely destroyed The new

no . tower is an exact copy of the old , but contains bells k 3 9 b otter d am . H e R , Z olland ; Groot Ker ; ells ,

H emon 1660 . C . weighing pounds ; F . y, ; W de

- 11 12. Lange ; Tuesday and Saturday , F em n 1 60 Al so Beurs ( Exchange) . H o y , 6 ; played

the only by Clockwork . This set of bells was made for

Stadhu is and hung there till 1829 . i m 41 S h ed a . H c , Z olland ; Oude Kerk ; bells , of APPENDICE S 19 1

1786 H . . 28 . . which are used , by A J van den Gheyn , ; J

11- 12 P . Textor ; Friday , , and occasionally summer eve

- 3 e s 9 10. ning , The heaviest bells , used resp ctively as

b - a church bell , an hour ell , and a half hour bell are not 10 connected with the keyboard , nor are the lightest bells because of their unsatisfactory timbre . There are four weights here to be wound up daily : one for the hour bell ;

l - l — one for the ha f hour be l , which as everywhere in the — N etherl ands is higher in tone than the hour bell and strikes the hour next to come ( instead of a single Stroke) a third for the cylinder which plays the bells each quar ter hour ; and the last for the clock itself . The cylinder 11 ma has 2 rows of holes in which pins y be inserted . Of “ ” 72 3 2 e these , measures play before the hour , b fore the

l - 4 ha f hour , and at each of the intervening quarters . The bell - master is an interesting man and interested in ’ his carillon , for both his father and his father s father were city carillonneurs of Schiedam . These three Tex tors have held the position successively since 179 1 and the r The present one takes proud ca e of his laboratory .

S k stairway up the tower , a hort climb , is spic with white

n - washed walls and supplied with a ta t rope hand grip , whil e the tower room is a model of Dutch order and

. all lustrous cleanness The cy linder, and indeed the ma k chinery , is polished li e the engines of an oc ean liner and the cylinder pins , accurately sorted , glisten in their allot H ted compartments , while eer Textor himself is a very hearty and obliging host . Altogether this is one of the C the most satisfactory towers to limb , though bells cannot be i a g ven as high a r nk as those in many other places . 19 2 APPENDICES

h n h n S c oo ove . H , Z olland ; a small carillon , very

b N r 0 . oo t pretty and light, made from cannon y van ; van Rossum , carillonneur . S ittard F H f , Limburg. . A . oe fer has written a pamphlet on these bells .

S n e ek M aartenstoren 26 b , Friesland ; S . ; bells y

B E 1771 . orchard and ckhof, ; J Lindema ; Tuesday and

- Friday, 12 12z30.

Thol e n Stadhu is , Zeeland ; ; automatic play only . Til r B b b u g N . ra ant. Utr ec ht Dom 42 , Utrecht ; ; bells weighing

b F m n 3 . H e o 166 . . H . pounds, chiefly y and P . y , ; J A

11- 12 M Wagenaar ; Saturday, , and in May, onday, Tues

- A . M . mon he bes t F 7 7 :30 . a t day, Thursday, and riday, ; g The clavier of this instrument is connected with more bells than any other in the country and the carillonneur

Sk t . 3 3 8 is very ilful in using hem The tower, feet high , C stands apart from the athedral, since the collapse of

45 8 the the nave in 1674. Stairs of steps lead to bell ’ master s cabin and from this height a Splendid view

The e of the surrounding country is obtained . best plac in which to listen to the bells is the garden behind the

Stadhu is .

s 3 b F H m n . e o There i a carillon of 2 ells by and P . y

laa kerk . l u in the C s ( Church of S Nicholas or Santa C a s ) . b This plays only by machinery, ut has excellent bells . There once was and still may be another carillon by the brothers H emony in the Jacobskerk.

Ve e r e Stadhu is 3 6 b c . and , Zeeland ; ; ells hiefly by P 3 17 6 . A . van den Gheyn ,

APPENDICE S 19 3

In the Groote Kerk was once another carillon which t e belonged o th church . Vli s s i n en 3 3 T a g , Zeeland ; Groote Kerk ; bells by y

r n lo , 19 14; amo g the bes t; one of the three new carillons

E A in e of the same nglish make , the others being at pp g E dam and indhoven . This carillon was played for the first l 3 0 19 14 P ’ time on Apri , , rincess Juliana s fifth birthday , l — as a surprise to the people of F ushing . The mechanism

‘ is wound by electricity and the face of the clock is thus

. C lighted at night The old tower of the Great hurch , b 19 11 3 5 5 . urned September , , contained bells by P van

den e n 1770. Gh y ,

H emon 1 76 9 b . e es . H 2 6 W p , N olland ; ells by P y , ;

- W 8 A M . 9 . J . . Bovenkerk plays on royal birthdays ,

H . . C oe Ys s elmon d e . , Z olland ; R G revec ur , carillon

1- n 1 12. eur ; Wednesday ,

Maartenskerk 3 3 Zalt B omm el . , Gelderland ; S ; (

- b l b F H emon 1663 11 12. e ls y . y , Tuesday,

i er ik ee Stadhuis 14 . van Z z , Zeeland ; ; bells by P den

- - l mm r or 12 1. 15 50 5 . K i e bo n Gheyn , S ; Thursday, This is the oldest and smallest carillon still played by a caril l onneur .

Zutfen an W nhu is 32 b 26 F . , Gelderl d y ; ells , by and

- k mon 1 4 l 0z45 . . H e 6 5 P y , Thursday, Zutfen , li e its Nime u en neighbours , Arnheim and g , has recently con

l Den n o su ted Mr . y ab ut improving the mechanism of its

H emon s . carillon . These are the earliest bells of the y

l l F . H e Zw o e . . e , Overyssel A o f r has written a pamphlet on the bells of Zwolle . APPENDIX B

LIST OF CARILLONS IN B ELGIUM OST of the remarks at the head of the preceding list apply quite as

r much to the following . Out of e gard to the fact that carillons are a Nether l andi sh ecul institution , an expression of art p iar to the Low Country branch of the Teutonic B race , I have arranged these elgian towns alphabetically according to their names in the

Flemish rather than the French language . h h Since t e latter, owever, is frequently more

ofli cial familiar to the foreigner, and is the B language of elgium, and in some form the h popular language of nearly alf the people , the French name also is given whenever it is different . These two names in each case seem a suffi cient identification without any mention of the province . Otherwise the arrangement of information is the same as in the preced ing list .

19 6 APPENDICE S which strikingly differentiates the Kingdom of B elgium from the Kingdom of the Nether B lands . ut it must be remembered that the R carillons , whether in Protestant or oman

Catholic churches , are always municipal , not

t . ecclesiastic , proper y

als t b 3 8 e b Dumer A , Alost ; elfry ; bells , som y Joris y

b F Aersc . hodt . e r and some y van ; K de M tte , carillonneu .

n toi n l A g, smal carillon ; automatic play only . n tw er en 47 3 6 F A p , Anvers cathedral, bells , by .

H u 1 5 - 8 3 D mer 1 e . 65 u 767 th and P emo y, , by Joris y , , “

7 F . Aerschodt 1904 r smallest by van , , and one , the bou ” don , or heaviest bell, bearing a rhymed inscription show ing it was founded by Jan and Willem H oerken in 1459

Gustaaf B F - 12z30 and the rees ; riday, , during

e 9- 10 amon summer, Monday and Thursday venings , ; g m the bes t . , ranking al ost as high as Bruges and Mechlin

Of these evening concerts about half are given by Mr. B rees and the remainder by bell- masters of other B el

w An e b gian to ns . attractiv illustrated ooklet, giving the programmes for the whole series, is published each spring

b C B 60. y the ity Information ureau , Meir n h The cathedral tower, which Napoleo likened to Mec 26 l l lin lace , contains also bells ordered by ecc esiastica

H emon s 1654. e authorities from the y in Thes bells ,

. r however, are not now used Anothe carillon was de

e e Andrieskerk in stroy d wh n the tower of the S . fell ANTWE RP : TH E CATH E DRAL S PIRE

Vi ew at S u n ri s e looki n over the P lace Verte , g

PH OTOGR APH B H P R E L . . I Y . C

19 8 APPENDICE S

e s et I r gramm s of the e are published in a pamphl , ndicateu ” - B in ruges , while those of the regular concerts appear l D loca n ewspapers . uring the evening concerts the cir culation of vehicles in the Groote Markt and in neigh bour n i g streets is forbidden . The mechanism has just been put in perfect order and the bells are very fine . Further details are given in Chapter IV of this book and “ B ” in Gaillard , Le carillon de ruges .

B r s s l B u e . 1 1 , ruxelles In 54 there were 9 carillons, b B ut none of these has survived to the present, and rus sels now has no carillon . Chima y ; small carillon ; automatic play only.

r r ai— K r r Cou t s ee o t yk.

n d r m n d e b De e o , Termonde ; Stadhu is ; 40 bells y A . E van den Gheyn and others ; . Loret ; Sunday 9

- 1 2. Monday, "Reported destroyed ,

i s l k rk D e t . u I Iu s e 3 7 H m n S C . e o ; S p ; bells , chiefly by P y,

1 1 Ro 11- 1 67 . 2. ; F de y ; Wednesday,

ik s m i ikl aask rk D u d e or Dixmude ; S . N e ; 32 bells in

m r E . Ver ee sch poor condition ; ; Sunday and Monday,

- 1 2.

Di n an t ; small carillon ; automatic play only.

Do r n k 42 b W a hevens o y , Tournai ; belfry ; bells y g ’ and others ; Roger ; played only par ordre de l hOtel de ” ville ; among the bes t.

B 7 . Also S . rice ; 2 bells ; never played There were at ’ “ See D one time 11 carillons in this town . esmonts Les ” Cloches de Tournai .

Ed i n en Ein hen E 3 1 b . g or g , nghien ; bells y J van den

Dumer . Gheyn and G . y ; automatic play only APPEN DICES 19 9

3 b Gen t B l 5 2 8 . , Gand ; elfort or be fry ; bells , y P — 9 H emon . y , most of the rest recent by O Michaux — and the 6 or 7 highest quite useless details in Appen

D Gus taaf B F 12- 1 and dix ; rees of Antwerp ; riday, ,

S in unday, also from June to September

- e S tu 8 9 amon the bes t. lusive, a rday evening, ; g The mechanism has been recently restored by Désiré Somers M of echlin , and the carillon is now in excellent repair A booklet containing programmes of the evening concerts

- is usually published . Further information about Ghent appears in Chapter III of this book . r l 27 be l There is another extant ca i lon of l s by P .

H emon 1664 y , in the tower of the University Li

r r b b a y ( formerly Baudeloo Ab ey ) . H al H D 28 , alle ; Notre ame ; bells in disrepair .

r k r H a l eb e e ; old tower of S . Salvato kerk ; 3 2 bells now being put in order .

as s l in nkerk 4 H e t S . u b B ; Q ty ; 2 ells by A . ernard and

. H s 11 van den Gheyn ; A amoir ; Tue day and Friday,

H er e n thal s Stadhuis 3 5 ; ; bells by A . L . J . van Aer

schodt.

H oei H u D 3 8 b b , y ; Notre ame ; ells y A . van den

e k Gh yn and others ; eyboard play only ( and rarely ) .

H Oel 3 8 b Also t de ville ; ells by A . van den Gheyn ; automatic play only . m l s e he . H i on 34 b b van I g ; St ; ells y den Gheyn , van

Aerschodt , and others .

Kortr k M ar k r C S. a ens e k 4 t 7 . y , ourtrai ; ; bells by S van A r h d e sc o t . S ; A Vermeulen ; unday and Monday, 200 APPEN DICES

- 12z30 M , and onday evening if fair ; among the

bes t.

L a —see - é u Zout Leeuw.

eu ven S . Geertru ikerk 46 3 8 b L , Louvain ; ; bells , y

8 A r o . e sch d A van den Gheyn and by van t ; J . van de amon the bes t Plas ; played only on holidays ; g , being

k e remar able for justness of ton and accord .

P rskerk 40 s iete . Al o S . ; bells by J A . de Grave and

P 1 - 1 30 2 2z . N . Noorden ; van de las , senior ; Sunday ,

amon g the bes t. These bells hung until 1810 in the b near y Park Abbey, which was suppressed during the

F S 183 6 rench Revolution , but has ince ( ) been revived .

Besides its bells, this town has the distinction of being a place where carillons are founded ; the van Aerschodt B foundry, where bells for many elgian and some foreign

be towns have en cast, and the foundry of Omer Michaux

are both here . "These carillons were destroyed by the Germans on

August 26 , — Lieg e see Luik .

mmar sk rk 40 i e r . Go u e 3 6 b L , Lierre ; S ; bells , y A . b 17 1725 4 . 55 Julien , and y A van den Gheyn ,

Lu ik e 40 . , Li ge ; cathedral ; bells

P Evé ues Also alais des Princes q ; about to be refitted .

h l n Rombou r n M e e e . tsto e c , Malines ; S (cathedral ) — 45 bells weighing 3 6 tons details in Appendix D ; Josef

D n n 11- 12 M e y Saturday, 11 Sunday , , and onday,

- S 12 . , except in June , August, and eptember In t 8 9 hese three months , the Monday concerts are from to in the evening and during them all traffic is stopped in

202 APPENDICE S

S te en oc k erzeel 41 ; church ; bells by J . Tordeur and van A . den G—heyn not in use . Te r mon d e D see endermonde .

Thi elt S adhuis Dum r Lo er ; t ; Jacob e y ; J . de dd ; Sun

and - 12 D en n day Thursday , ; recently refitted by y . Thi n n e e . G 3 b b , Tirlemont S ermain ; 5 ells y N . Wit l o kx 1 3 c 72 . , recently restored

Thor hout . D mer , Thourout ; church ; J u y ; Sunday

- 12z30 b and Wednesday, ; key oard play only . Ti r l emon — t see Thienen .

Ton eren e g , Tongres ; Onze Liev Vrouwe Kerk ; being restored .

T r n ai— ou s ee Doornyk . T h P r n ou t . ieters erk s u ; S k ; 3 5 bell by A . van den

G E Verrees - 1 . C. 2. heyn ; Sunday and Saturday,

Ver i rs v e ; Notre Dame aux Récollets ; 30 bells by F .

A r ho van e sc dt.

W n en e 3 b y g ( near Thielt) ; 3 bells y S . van Aer

schodt.

Y er en Ie eren Y H alletoren p or p , pres ; or belfry

b F r ho he 44 . Ae sc dt t ells by van , founded under

Den n e I odt 11- 11:30 supervision of y No l g ; Sunday, , and

S - 12 aturday, , and occasional evening concerts ; T among the bes t. he bells in the lantern that are seen from the street are of an old set no longer used . '

Zout Le euw . Leonardskerk 30 , Leau ; S ; bells , some

S A r h e sc od . by . van t

M B any elgian carillons , including all those belonging to abbeys , were melted into cannon APPEN DICE S 203

during the French Revolutionary period . Fol lowing is a partial list of those that di sap p eared then and at other times

b Affli hem n e . . g ( abbey) , A tw rpen ( S Michael, S Jaco ,

n . u e S . A dries ) , Ath ( S J liaan ) , Auln ( abbey) , Aver E B . bode ( abbey ) , ergen ( Val des coliers , St Germain , H e E b . a Ste . lisa eth , St Nicol s en avr ) , Brugge ( semi

B r i u es s . oodhu s . a nary) , Brus el ( S Niklaas , , St J q sur C C bb D audenberg) , ambron ( a ey) , oornyk ( cathedral ,

s . . Atheneum , St . Jacque , St Jean Baptiste, Ste Marie M St. Madeleine , Ste . arguerite, St . Martin , Nicaise

S n E t. St. Piat, Quenti ( seminary ) , ename ( abbey) , B aaf e . . Ge raardsbergen ( or Grammont) , Gent ( S , S

. C t Grimber he Jacob , S Michael, ar husian convent) , g

b Kor r k S t . e ( ab ey ) , y ( Maarten ) , Lier, Luik , M chelen

e Vrouw ekerk ( Onze Liev ) , Meenen ( or Menin ) , Na

e H ore oule a men ( Port g , St . J cques , belfry) , Ninove

N vel ( abbey) , y ( or Nivelles ) , Oostende , Oudenburg,

P bbe eu ne or Furnes operinghe , Postel ( a y) , V r ( ) , Watou , Zinik ( or Soignies ) . APPENDIX C

LIST OF CARILLONS IN OTH ER COUNTRIES

H E reader, being well aware that carillons are peculiar to the Low

Countries , must now be introduced

’ to those in other parts of the world . There

0 20 G d are about 4 in France , in ermany, an

20 in other countries . Yet these figures only confirm the assertion that carillons are N eth i h rl and s . e In France , most of them are in the departments of Nord and Pas de Calais , next to Flemish Belgium and sometimes called “la ” fran ai se Flandre g , for in this district the population is N etherl andish in race and even in language . In Germany, too , many of the carillons are near the Dutch and B elgian border and are due to N etherlandish i nflu ence . And in more distant parts of the world , we can frequently detect it . The Spanish carillons came from the Span 204

206 APPENDICE S

n lli n m n i n oeu . r e t er es Arm A ( Nord ) A , entiers

. r ras Atrecht Pas ( Nord ) A , ( de Calais) . As c q

. Av es n e s . B ai lleu l 3 1 ( Nord ) ( Nord ) ( Nord ) ,

- - . B e r ue s Winoks B bells g , Sint Bergen ( Nord ) . ou

hai n 3 B o r r c ( Nord ) ; 6 bells . u b ou g ( Nord ) ; 3 7 B l . u os e . Calai s bells g ( Landes) , Kales ( Pas de

mb rai Kam r k C . Ca e . Cas s e l alais ) , y ( Nord ) ( Nord ) .

Le Cat a halon s -s r = M ar n e u . C u e M ( Nord ) ( arne) .

Douai 3 9 . Du n k e r u e D ( Nord ) ; belfry ; bells q , uin 3 8 kerken ( Nord ) ; belfry ; bells by van den Gheyn . Ek l Es u elb ec e sbeke . s tai r es q q , ( Nord ) E ( Nord ) .

Falai s e C . Gon d e ou rt H es d i n ( alvados) c ( Nord ) .

P M a h n i ll a C W eve s . e R se s . s l ( de alais) g L , y ( Nord )

E M il l M er h m 19 15 65 . e rv e e S . tienne ; bells , , g ( Nord ) . ’ P ar i s l A x rr r i n u e ois . P n a ( Seine) ; S . Germain e p g

e e l . oub ai Roodebeke Robaais ( Pyr n es orienta es) R x , or

man . ai n t d 3 8 S ai nt ( Nord ) S A ( Nord ) ; bells .

m i i n Omer O aars C . S a n t uen t , Sint ( Pas de alais) Q

’ li n . Val en i n n i . S ec c e es i (A sne) ( Nord ) ( ) ( Nord ) .

GERMANY

h n m ac e . B re en A , Rheinland , Preussen ; Munster ,

B er-li n B Bremen . , randenburg, Preussen ; Parochial

l Dan i P s 3 7 . kirche ; be ls z g, Westpreussen , reus en ; D k H 3 7 . . Rathaus . A carillon of bells by J N er of oorn , H 173 8 Katharinenkirche olland , , which hung in the was

1 1 ar ms tad t H - 9 1 . D D destroyed by fire in , esse arm

l z P m 1 71. Sch os 3 7 . H e on 6 stadt ; ; bells by y ,

Fr eib r Dii r e n Annakirche. u , Rheinland , Preussen ; g ,

n ha n B P B . Ge s e aden ; Rathaus g , randenburg , reussen, APPEN DICE S 207

m r 1717. H a bu H J . A . de Grave, g, amburg ; Nikolai l P e 3 kirche . A so etrikirche . One of thes consists of 2

l Aerschodt i F . H emon bel s by van , wh le the other is by y , ’ - n l 1662 4. KOI 3 8 , Rheinland , Preussen ; Rathaus ; ( )

'

. Schéi fer bells , recently installed The carillonneur, , plays

- M ai n 12 12z30. Liib ec k Liibeck. H daily, , z , esse

m n 1 M alm d D . H e o 662 e armstadt ; small ; F y , y ,

l n 3 l e 1 8 5 7 6 . Rhein a d , Preussen ; be ls by J . L gros , This carillon ( in a Walloon district only a few miles from the

1 1 e n Belgian border) was restored in 9 4 by D ny .

Mii n c hen b B t , Ober ayern , ayern ; Ra haus ; modern and P s poor ; automatic play daily at 11; no keyboard . ot

d am o c . , Brandenburg, Preussen ; Garnis nskir he

GREAT B RITAIN

b erd een . A , Aberdeenshire , Scotland ; S Nicholas ;

3 6 Aerschodt 1890. bells by van , The heaviest weighs

pounds .

B os ton E . 3 6 , Lincolnshire , ngland The bells of this

carillon were sold in order to increase the ring .

B ourn vi ll e E 22 re , Worcestershire , ngland ; bells ;

M r cently erected under the supervision of . W . W . B b Starmer . ournville is the model village founded y

C . George adbury, just outside of Birmingham a i k t s t P . C t oc D E S . , orsetshire , ngland ; eter and S

3 5 b A r h - e sc odt 188299 . Paul ; ells by van , The heaviest

. Den n weighs pounds Mr . y plays this carillon the

last Thursday of each July . Automatic play is every hour

A R M . from 8 . M . to 9

Eaton H all C E 28 b , heshire , ngland ; bells y van 208 APPENDICES

A r chod e s t. The heaviest weighs pounds . This is D k the seat of the u e of Westminster .

ou hb or ou h E L g g , Leicestershire , ngland ; tower of ’ John Taylor and Company s bell- foundry ; 40 bells by

e ar e Taylor . Thes rather small bells of very perfect

I o pitch . t is the only carillon in the world tuned t equal temperament and the very accurate tuning of the ” l M us ical smal bells is a veritable triumph , says the

Times . ITALY m ’ E C 23 Ro a; S . Paul s (American piscopal hurch ) ; bells by van Aerschodt ; pitch of bells poor and mechan k ism in disrepair ; no clockwor .

LUXEM B URG k Lu x emb u r g ; Liebfrauen irche .

P ORTUGAL

Mafra C ; convent, formerly palace hapel two carillons

48 b . V 1 73 0. of bells each y N La ache of Antwerp , RUS S IA

i a . 1 S P et r s b r 28 b C 694. t. e u R g ; bells y Fremy , g ; 3 k 1 8 . . D 75 7. bells by J N er ,

S PAIN

ial H e ran u e . El E s cor 3 1 . A j z ; bells by M de az , “

1676 . 5 9 32 Also bells , of which formed a harmony like that of an organ and could be played by means of ” 1 92 l s fire 1821. b 6 a c avier, were de troyed by in A out

APPENDIX D

T HE 45 BELLS OF T H E MECH LIN CARILLON

r D o r lae b D . o s r 18 6 ( As given y G . van , 9 )

FIRST OCTAVE PIT T IN KG FO E H N W . UND R C AME .

8884 an d S . A B 12 Salvator L . van ers chodt

de H az C Charles 6 000 M . e

4 van A ers h d D Rombaut 23 5 S . c o t W a E 3 000 S . ghevens

d e H az F Madeleine 2000 M . e an d h F 11 Libert 1749 A . v en G ey n

G 15 5 5 A . van d en Gheyn

L . . an A G 1? ( out oftune ) 1201 A . J v erschodt

SECOND OCTAVE m J. D u ery

A . Stey laert

6 W a h ns 5 5 J. g eve

P . H emony H Wa h . g evens m P . H e ony

A . van den Gheyn m P. H e ouy

m n P. H e o y

P . H emony a A . v n den Ghey n

m u P. H e o y

THIRD OCTAVE

lls H emou A to G complete 12 be P. y

FOURTH O CTAVE

ls H emon A to A complete 13 bel P. y ams T otal estimated w eight (45 b ells ) kilogr . 210 APPEN DICES 211 The above list does not exactly agree with the last two sentences of this description in the Mechlin Concert Pamphlet for 19 14:

‘ ’ 9 The biggest bell , Salvator , weighing nearly tons , is the largest bass bell in any carillon . The bells cast

S H W a hevens by imon , Joris , and endrik g are our most

' 8 belIS e t . 2 ancient ones There are besides , as by the great

- P . H emon . bell founders F . and y The others were cast

m r H . Du e l b . Ste aert y M de aze , A van den Gheyn , y , y , ” d A r h an e sc odt . Michiels , the family van

D en n The y festival bell by F . van Aer schodt 1 1 2 he , 9 , was substituted for one o f t higher bells which was unsatisfactory .

TH E 52 E F T H E H E C I B LLS O G NT AR LLON . “ (As given by Gent XXe Eeuw

FIRST OCTAVE

DIA M . IN I D AM . IN 212 APPENDICES

OCTAVE

PITCH D 14 E F F 11 G G 14

FOURTH OCTAVE 27 D It 26 E 26 F 25 F II 25 G 25 G

FIFTH OCTAVE 9 24 B 8 9 24 C 8

Tota wei ht be s ki o s l g ( 5 2 ll ) , l gram .

LIST OF T H E 11 B ELLS IN T HE EXETER CATH EDRAL PEAL

( b y C y ) As given y John Ta lor and ompan , Loughborough

WEIGHT IN DIAMETER IN

LBS . FT. AND IN. 725 2 6 4094 s 3 3 3 61 4 94 2804 4 6 1919 3 11 1804 3 8 113 3 3 4 1027 3 3 85 0 3 885 2 10 722 2 8

T otal ( 11 bells)

- i r n n han Note the G is an extra half tone not used n i gi g c ges .

APPENDIX E

COMPETITION OF CARILLONNEU RS MECH LIN 1 1 10 August 2 and 22, 9 . ADDRESS OF T H E PRESIDENT

A T T H E AW ARDI N G OF T H E PRIZ ES The Jury of the competition of carillonneurs has noted with pleasure and deep satisfaction the general ability displ ayed in this competition ; many carillonneurs indeed have shown that they possess all the qualities of taste and skill that are needed to make them excellent carillon

m . eurs At all events , the happy days of yesterday and today have proved that in the South and North Nether lands there exists a highly interesting form of musical

art, which is to be found nowhere else . Though this art may not flourish everywhere in our lowlands to the

extent we wish , yet we have the right to expect that this very competition will furnish the incentive that will lead

to the perfection both of carillons and of carillonneurs, l for as the Jury concluded , the qua ities of the player and of his instrument mutually influence each other . Let us hope therefore that everywhere the public authorities will be moved by this competition to take increasing care of 214 APPENDICE S 215

i e the r carillons, so eminently fitted to cultivat the popular

We t e taste . feel certain that then wi hin a short tim the talent of many carillonneurs will reach its full devel opment and that an even larger number of artists will

the Spring up than we just had pleasure of hearing . May the praise as well as the criticism Spur on all to profit by the conscientious and carefully explained decisions

of the Jury .

the - the To prize winners, Jury says that they have more than merited their reward and it congratulates

r an d them heartily . To all it exp esses its sincere thanks bids them : Au revoir "

REPORT OF TH E JURY

The Jury appointed to judge the competing carillon neurs deem it useful to make known the principles on which their verdict is based and to point out briefly the

i be pr ncipal features noticed in the competition . They lieve that many carillonneurs will find in these state ments helpful suggestions for future competitions and for perfecting themselves in their music and that the rules laid down may thus aid in raising our beloved carillon

art to a higher level .

INSTRUM ENT AN D CH OICE OF MUSIC

While we cannot but admire the ingenious construc tion of a carillon , we realise on the other hand all the difli culties that must be overcome in order to produce a

r e diflic l good inst ument . Owing to th se u ties one caril 216 APPE N DICES lon is better than another and there is probably none t a h t is absolutely correct and in perfect accord . It is the task of the carillonneur to make up for the shortcomings

and to hide the defects of his instrument, and therefore,

he first of all , he must examine the carillon on which W b ishes to play and test the ells , in order to use, so far

ma e as y be, only thos which will not disturb the chords

H e he be b and harmonies . will use t purest lls y prefer ence and play his melodies in those keys which will Show his instrument to the best advantage and which will pro

ff H e duce the finest poss ible e ect . must try to arrange h w a his entire manner of playing in suc a y that, so far a as possible , the best parts of his instrument sh ll domi nate even in the modulating motives . In accordance with

this rule, compositions having an often changing key, “ “ T annhéiuser riihlin s such as portions of by Wagner , F g ” lied by Mendelssohn , and many others like them , should be rejected as being wholly unsuitable for the carillon .

o- The carillon is not a pian forte , neither is it a band or

c an orchestra , and therefore pieces written for su h play ing will have to be in most cases altered and nearly always simplified . At the competition we heard a performance of the ” “ ” “ B eiaardlied ( Carillon Song ) and the Souvenirs de ” - B C b P . la Rubens antate , y enoit, in which use was l made of those constant y swelling basses which are , no f doubt, very e fective in orchestral music , but which on k the carillon ma e the playing heavy and leaden , smother

H ow f the melody and destroy all beauty . di ferent would “ ” have been the effect if this exquisite B eiaardlied had

218 APPEN DICES

b S the s een rendered imply and with required expre sion ,

with a few notes for accompaniment . B ells primarily ask for melody and many carillonneurs did not bear this

in mind . Through misconception on the part of the players of the place which the carillon must hold as a musical in

strument, the selection of the pieces was not always all

that could be desired . For instance , we found one caril “ ” l onneur M played the arche Solennelle by Mailly . This piece was written for the organ an d to do it full justice it requires a number of organ - stops which of course the

carillon has not . The bells have their own peculiar char

acter and so the melody of the trio in this march , written

with organ bass accompaniment, was smothered when played on a carillon . k The compass of the keyboard , too , must be ta en into

im os account . In the same march , for instance , it is p sible to find room for the second motive on the keyboard

wh e of the carillon . This is a reason y this piec should

not be selected , for should one absolutely desire to play k it, he has personally to ma e variations , which in a com

re petition is not acceptable . In the competition we are viewing this piece was played by one of the most skilled k competitors and yet notwithstanding his s ill , the piece was badly maimed . Indeed it could not have been other B wise . u t what is a jury to do, when on the other hand a piece is played of perhaps less general value but better

the adapted to bells , and played perfectly , with expression k and rhythm , and not requiring intricate tric s which truly rob it of its Character ? APPEN DICES 219

e In a carillon competition , perhaps mor than in any

the other, the selection of the piece by competitor is of

e the greatest importance , for the reason that the purpos of such a competition is to promote the art, the rapidly growing art of carillon playing . Therefore , it will not do for the competitor to present only the pieces that prove his skill ; he should also choose such pieces as will help

- to make the art of carillon playing more a ppreciated .

but Manual skill is certainly an important element , the

the the artistic interpretation is greatest, the best, most necessary feature . The selection of the pieces is of even greater impor tance as from another point of view the jury has the right to suppose that the competitor will thereby indi

conce cate his natural talent , his power , and his own p

C tion of the art . Pieces of his own hoice therefore are more advantageous to the competitor, and it is surprising that some made their selections with so little discrimina

r tion . The Jury greatly reg ets that so little use was F made of our great stock of lemish anthems , old and new . These themes specially are much better suited for “ ” the C a the carillon than portions of avalleria Rustic na , “ ” “ ”

Tannhéiuser . Mignon , , etc

O B LIGATORY PI ECES

In a competition the pieces design ated by the jury are of still greater importance than the pieces of the com ’ t or s p e it selection . These latter indicate his taste and the S height at which he rates his own kill . The obliga tory piece however allows a much more correct Opinion 220 APPEN DICES

to be formed of the capacity of the carillonneur, of the quality of his performance and of his technical skil l

(virtuosity) , for here he no longer can Show offhis own . h muc practiced pieces , but has to conquer within a lim ited time the same difli cul ties that his fellow competitors have to meet . The higher rank is therefore awarded to him who gives the best performance of the obligatory pieces , and who at the same time makes no unpardonable faults in the music and performance of the pieces of his own selection . “ ” “ The first day H et Lied der Vl amingen ( The Song F B of the lemings by P . enoit was the test number . The competitors received this song with piano accom

m n S p ani e t only . It was pecially stated in the competi tion rules that the accompaniment could be altered as long as it did not change the peculiar character of the piece . This was a very precious hint, which however , many did not follow . Most of the competitors have let themselves be deceived by the accompaniment, and only

r one ( M . Rolliers) was able to exhibit a personal inter

re a ion the p t t of accompaniment, which , independent of t the melody , made the rhy hm much more powerful . “ C ” The Andante antabile , the test piece for the com

of b all petition honour, was well played y nearly the com

r H p etito s . owever, according to the rules of the com l petition , this piece had to be played exact y as it was writ ten and all indications for retarding and accelerating the time had to be strictly followed Not all the performers k OCO ept this in view . With the P animato the vari ous competitors were allowed to Choose from three ac

222 APPEN DICE S

Nuits and Myn Vryer is een Kerelken My Lover ” is a Fellow ) were exquisitely played and with great sen

c timent. The hoice of these pieces was certainly modest, but the performance of these Simple songs with exceeding

t C . beau y, showed how wise a hoice was made

H IRD WARD : . F T A Mr ernand Redouté , municipal caril

lonneu r e of Mons , has a very firm strok on the key

w ell board . The obligatory piece was played ; but he did

or an in not take notice of the rest after every g po t. Ta ’ “ ” gliafico s Romance was not played in the proper time and was given without the contrasts which make it me “ ” Tannhéi user l odious . The fantazia of ( a bad selection k as stated above) was played with great s ill . Generally k his performance was mar ed by proper sentiment .

F RT WARD M r . OU H : . A K de Mette , municipal caril

l nneu r FI FT H WARD . o at Aalst A : Mr A .

Sch nkel e y , municipal carillonneur at Oudenaard

m rr IXTH WARD : . E . Ve ees a e and S A Mr , c rillonn ur of Turnhout 9k

COM P ETITION OF H ONOUR

RIZ OF TH E I G: . . P E K N Mr A Rolliers , municipal b carillonneur of S . Niklaas . All the pieces played y this

gentleman bore the stamp of correctness , seriousness , and true sentiment The beautiful fantasia of “Les Cloches “ ” C B a de orneville , and The Song of the l cksmith were “ ” faultless and exquisite . In the Andante Cantabile he “ ” succeeded very well, and the Poco animato was excel lentl H y performed . e had the prudence to select the APPEN DICES 223

most simple accompaniment and the only criticism that we can make is that the retard of the variation was played

H is somewhat quickly . delicacy, his taste , his correct

the e ness, beautiful and pur interpretation of all his ’

a . pieces , gave him the King s award by unanimous vote Re PRIZ E OF TH E MECH LI N ATTRACTION s : Mr . J . of the douté, municipal carillonneur Mons , performed “ ” Andante Cantabile somewhat slowly—a but with much

h the e e. sentiment, thoug retards were a littl prematur “ é ” B Les P cheurs de Perles by izet , was perfectly per

formed and with sincere sentiment . I t was a pity that he missed an important note at the concluding cht o “ ” Chénes matic scale . La Voix des demands a more lively performance and this competitor Should have tried

to put more contrasts in it, which would have improved

. S e the whole. Mr Redouté hould specially practic classic I exercises in order to develop more technical skill . f he

e n a e in do s this, the Walloo country will h v him a very

e r competent carillonn u . as 4:

COMP ETITORS FROM H OLLAND

In e D this report, we hav purposely left the utch competitors until the last as we want to devote a sepa e rat division to them . These competitors have a quite different style of in

er r n h t p etatio . The influence of t e ever developing art of carillon playing in Flanders has had no effect on H them . In olland the use of springs behind the cl ap n pers is unk own. This mechanical deficiency makes it 224 APPENDICE S

impossible for a carillonneur to produce a satisfactory

hO e sustained tone . We p that this lack will be remedied

D he the t . in utch carillons in near future Messrs . van Zuylen of Gouda and de Lange of Rotterdam distin

guished themselves particularly, and Messrs . de Vries , M D ’ Wagenaar , ens , and iedrich ( the latter s perform k ance may be loo ed upon as very deserving, taking into

account his advanced age) , fought their battle admira

bly, especially if one considers the fact that they had very

little practice on the Mechlin keyboard .

u S notwith One must partic larly admire their pirit as , standing they were conscious that their fight was a for

lorn hope, they held on and did their part to make the

s competition a succes . Their experience here may give to them and their principals an important suggestion for

improvement in the equipment of their carillons . The

wa . y which they have to go , now lies wide open for them We hope that they will take that way with all the cour age they have shown at Mechlin for the greater glory of t carillon playing, and in order that his may truly become

an art in the greater Netherlands .

M c . OS . D E N YN C J , unicipal arillonneur of Me hlin TARM R M e W . W . S E , emb r of the Royal Academy

of Music, London .

- VA N DOORS LA ER C h . G . , arillon historian of Mec lin

- Con . DE WAA J A . Z N, Organ professor at the servatory at the H ague and Municipal Caril l onneur of Delft . M CYR. VERELST a , an ger of the Municipal Music

Academy , Mechlin .

226 APPEN DICE S

towers , say perhaps in such as will not carry safely a

peal in full swing, we could hear an extended carillon

of bells to vie with those of the Netherlands , as at Mech

lin , Bruges , Antwerp , and elsewhere . A scale ranging from a glorious F of 7 tons through three or four chro t s to b ma ic octave up ells of only a few pounds , and b played upon y a skilled performer , would delight large ” numbers of musical people .

E . And M r . Denison Taylo r in a letter to

the London M or n i ng P os t says

“ I feel sure that a large English audience ( as large as are the Belgian audiences) would be attracted regularly to good bell concerts ; and a series of delightful pro

e grammes could be drawn up , embracing a wid range of B music , from the inventions, fugues , and airs of ach , to E M the . best of our old nglish folk songs oreover , there is no reason why our modern writers should not pen

s fanta ias , rondos , and even sonatas, to catch the character ” of the carillon . The following is condensed from Grove ’ s Dictionary of Music and Musicians

“ ‘ ’ C The word change , in hange Ringing, has reference ‘ ’

c . : the to a hange from the usual order , viz diatonic l sca e , struck from the highest to the lowest bell ; but in ‘ ’ s a sen e , this usual order is also included as one of the

the changes . Change Ringing is continual pro — duction of such Changes without any repetition . APPEN DICE S 227

I h t is an interesting and engrossing art , whic many per f sons in England have practised as an amusement . From three bells s ix changes are derived ; from four bells

- e 120 h twenty four chang s ; from five bells c anges , and so on until from twelve bells ( the largest number ever ” rung in a peal) changes are pos sible .

E M or n i n M r . . B . Osborn , in the London g

P os t 2 1 1 , July 5 , 9 3 , writes

C - n hange ringing, of course, is a comparatively moder

- invention . It is tru e we hear of guilds of bell ringers at Wes tminster Abbey and other collegiate churches in

- B . ut pre Reformation days these men , who were often

clerics in minor orders , did not ring changes in the mod

ern fashion . Indeed , the universal method of hanging bells in those far- offdays effectually prevented them from m making the al ost complete revolution , starting from

e an inverted position , which causes the clapper to strik

the rim twice at each stroke or pull of the rope , and is

- the essential feature of modern change ringing. Nor is there a scrap of historical evidence to Show that the pre Reformation guilds had any knowledge of the various methods of ringing bells in succession but in a varying f - order which are known to the ringers of to day. ’ Why Change- ringing s hould be the Englishman s fa

vourite I s . I form of bell music is , think , ea ily explained t l o involves much physica exerti n , which tries, but need not

as overtax , as many muscles are used in rowing, and is

unquestionably one of the finest exercises known . 228 APPEN DICE S

- Strictly speaking, change ringing is not music at all ; though when the voices of the bells used are mellow and

the melodious it decorates passing time with simple , sub

tl - - b e y varied sound patterns , and forms an accepta l obli gato to the elemental emotions of an individual or the ” nation .

G d In reat Britain an on the continent, out s d of i e the Low Countries , what bell ringing Often comes to be is well exemplified by a peti

1 1 tion sent in October, 9 3 , to the church war R of . dens St Matthias Church , ichmond Hill . The petition reads : “ We , the undersigned , medical men , professional and

i - bus ness people , lodging house proprietors , keepers of n r u sing homes , and others , being much annoyed by the frequent and unnecessary ringing of this bell on Sun H D days and oly ays , earnestly request that your atten

the . are tion be drawn to matter As you aware , the b ’ ell is rung seven times on Sundays and Saints days , commencing as early as seven and eight o ’clock in the morning. As many hard workers reside within near t sound of his bell their rest is much disturbed , and the frequent ringing constitute a serious nuisance . We there fore ask you , gentlemen , kindly to discontinue the tolling

at 7 and 8 a m. and to restrict at other times the num 60 a ber of strokes to , not exceeding one minute in dur ” tion .

23 0 APPENDICE S

’ For rightly interpreting B ach s works something else im is needed , which is too frequently lost sight of . The pression of grandeur and sublimity must not be impaired a I b by any externalities unple sing to the eye . t has ecome the fashion to set up organs in such a way that the player

an is visible to the audience. This is msthetic aberration

. C the the without parallel ontrasted with organ , form

of man is far too insignificant . And though the organist

e play never so quietly, he nevertheless mov s to and fro ’ before the hearers vision , in sorry contrast with the

majesty of the music . Anything more unedifying can ‘ ’ B scarcely be imagined than to see a ach fugue played . “ Why should an undistu rbed enjoyment of the grand old Master ’ s music be reserved for the blind alone ? In olden times the organist was always hidden behind the

Rii ck ositiu . the p And in modern organ , too , some ar b ” rangement should e made for keeping him invis ible . And Goethe in Wilhelm M eister ( Carlyle ’s translation ) expresses his idea of true music in these words :

“ As they were about to go , Natalia stopped and said ‘ There is something still which merits your attention .

- Observe these half round openings aloft on both sides . H ere the choir can stand concealed while singing ; thes e iron ornaments below the cornice serve for fastening- on b the tapestry , which , y order of my uncle , must be hung M round at every burial . usic , particularly song, was a pleasure he could not live without : and it was one of his APPEN DICE S 23 1

peculiarities that he wished the singer not to be in view . ‘ ’ ‘ l In this respect, he would say, they spoi us at the theatr e ; the music there is , as it were , subservient to the eye ; it accompanies movements , not emotions . In ora l torios and concerts , the form of the musician constant y ’ disturbs us ; true music is intended for the ear alone .

a: The quotations following are from letters received from Belgium just as this book is completed

e u 30 19 14. You can t Antw rp , Aug st , well guess hat

S carillon concerts are stopped at Antwerp ince August 3 d .

Den n u 17 Mr . y played until last Monday ( Aug st th ) at

Mechlin . There were crowds of our troops in that city ‘ and everybody was glad to hear him playing B raban ’ ‘ ’ ‘ ’ ‘ the The gonne , Valeureux Liégeois , God Save King, ’ ‘ ’ ‘ H M De Vl aamsche Russian ymn , The arseillaise , and ’ ‘ Leeuw ( The Lion of B u t now we are in ” S e a state of iege and no kind of f stivity is appropriate . “

12 19 14. W Blankenberge , September , e were bom

s 25 th barded ( at Mechlin ) first on Tue day , August , at

M S A . . A hell shattered the wall of our garden H and destroyed the rear of our house . appily w e were

in the cellar in the front . After forty minutes the bom bardment ceased and then there was fighting for two

hours near the city. On Wednesday afternoon w e fled ’ to Antwerp . The carillons of S . Peter s and ’

S . G u ertr de s at Louvain are gone . The carillon at 23 2 APPEN DICE S

’

M . Rombold s er echlin is badly damaged , though S tow l Th has withstood the shells wonderfu ly . e cathedral ” otherwise is almost destroyed .

M r . . J Vincent, carillonneur of Amster of dam , writing the probable destruction of M “ the echlin carillon , says in the Hague Het ” Vad e rl and 1 1 : , September 4, 9 4

Thereby one of the best products of the bell founders

u Pieter and Franc H emo y is lost . The carill on of B f Mechlin was one of the finest in elgium . Widely known were the concerts which were given by the cele

S brated Josef Denyn . Only a hort time ago I had the

of privilege attending one of these concerts . H undreds of earnest listeners gathered along the quiet canals and M f streets of echlin . The beautiful tower with its

u pict resq ue outline , the evening stillness , the square , the k silvery tones of heavenly music , all combined to ma e an indelible impression upon the mind , and when , at the end ,

Den n b C I s aw y played the funeral march y hopin , many

n f r l . a person wipe away a tear . U o getab e moments these ”

" e Den n . And now Poor p ople, poor y