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 .