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MECHLIN: S. ROMBOLD'S TOWER FROM THE NORTHEAST
PHOTOGRAPH BY W. G. RICE, JR.
CARILLONS of
BELGIUM and HOLLAND
TOWER MUSIC IN
THE LOW COUNTRIES
BY
WILLIAM GORHAM RICE
WITH THIRTY-TWO ILLUSTRATIONS
NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY
LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD
TORONTO: BELL & COCKBURN : MCMXIV
Copyright, 1914, by
JOHN LANE COMPANY
v v - R A
1026492
PUBLISHERS PRINTING COMPANY
207-217 West Twenty-fifth Street, New York
TO
MY WIFE
THE CHARMING GUIDE
WHOSE UNFAILING INTEREST
HAS INSPIRED THIS BOOK, AND TO
MY SON
WHOSE COMPANIONABLE AID
HAS COMPLETED IT
"VOORSLAG"
WHEN the Assistant Keeper of the
British Museum wrote me, "I know
of no work on carillons," it con-
vinced 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
answer such questions, this book was begun.
Soon I realised that the subject deserved
larger treatment and that the history, often-
times romantic, of the carillon art ought 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
States and in those of Antwerp, Brussels, the
Hague, and Amsterdam, and in the Biblio-
theque Nationale of Paris. Perhaps still
more it is due to fortunate acquaintance with
men of countries other than our own, who,
8 "VOORSLAG"
sharing my admiration and affection for the
Dutch and 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.
Many 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
expressed by Mr. Andrew D. White, of
Ithaca, Chairman of the American Delega-
tion at the First Hague Conference, who has
visited more than once the principal bell-tow-
ers of Holland and Belgium. My thanks are
also specially due to Mr. A. J. F. van Laer,
the State Archivist, Albany; to Mr. Freder-
ick Rocke, organist and choir-master of the
Cathedral of All Saints, Albany; to the caril-
lonneur of Mechlin, Mr. Josef Denyn; to
that of Gouda, Mr. G. van Zuylen; and to
that of the Hague, Mr. J. A. de Zwaan, for
valuable aid and suggestions. And to Mr. J.
J. A. Knoote, of the Hague, and to Mr. J. den
Boer, of Middleburg, I am indebted for many
facts and several illustrations.
"VOORSLAG" 9
My indebtedness is also acknowledged to
Mr. 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
matter to fill a book, on clock chimes alone,
Here in my study I have no less than 12000
communications catalogued.". Above all, I
am under obligation to Mr. Prosper Verhey-
den, of Antwerp, who 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 Mifflin
Company, of Boston, in allowing me to re-
print the poem by Longfellow is much appre-
ciated.
The sources of my information have been
so various and so largely from books in lan-
guages other than English that some inaccu-
racies 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-
tional facts will send them to me, I shall be
equally glad.
The revival of interest in carillon music is
10 "VOORSLAG"
widespread, a revival inspired most of all by
the devotion, genius, and wonderful skill of
Josef Denyn, greatest of bell-masters. Trav-
ellers from other lands return again and again
to the Low 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 of
bells is heard over all does the charm become
complete.
WILLIAM GORHAM RICE.
135 WASHINGTON AVENUE,
ALBANY, N. Y.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
PAGE
The land of carillons — Its peculiar attractiveness —
Architectural beauty of towers — Definition of car-
illon—Remarks of Charles Burney, 1773— The
frontiers of carillon music — Stevenson — Scarcity
of carillon literature — Longfellow — Hugo 19
CHAPTER II
Journals of travellers — Correr, 1611 — Georgi, 1626 —
Garampi, 1764 — Evelyn, 1641 — Other writings —
Hemony's book, 1678 — Fischer, 1737 — Schaep-
kens, 1857 — Haweis, 1875 — Van der Straeten,
1867-88 — Gregoir, 1877-79 — Starmer — Municipal
records and local histories 31
CHAPTER III
Ghent — The centenary — The belfry — The bells — Prin-
cipal carillons of Belgium — Of Holland — Mechlin
—Methods of play — Automatic — By a bell-mas-
ter— Connection of keyboard with bells — Pedal
clavier— Most effective music — Anecdotes of
Ghent 44
CHAPTER IV
Bruges — Meaning of "belfry" — Flemish belfries —
Municipal ownership of carillons and bell towers
— Longfellow at Bruges — His diary — "Carillon" —
A night in Bruges — Its transformation — The car-
illon now — "The Belfry of Bruges" 61
11
12 CONTENTS
CHAPTER V
PAGE
The primitive carillon — Its development in the six-
teenth century — Municipal clocks — The voorslag —
The "jeu de cloches" — Increase in number of bells
— Improvement of keyboard and automatic bar-
rel— A good carillon to-day — The Denyn improve-
ments— Important place of carillons in times past
— Brussels — Mons — Maastricht — Ath — A christen-
ing at Mechlin — A celebration at Bruges — The
twin carillons at Mafra, Portugal 75
CHAPTER VI
Founders — The Hemonys — Their contemporaries — At
Zutfen — At Amsterdam — Pieter Hemony's letters
— The amount of their work — The van den
Gheyns and the van Aerschodts — The Dumerys
— The Waghevens — De Haze — The Petits — Fremy
— Witlockx — Noorden and de Grave — Derk — Mod-
ern founders — Old contracts — Maastricht — The
Hague — Brussels — Ath — Middleburg — Danzig —
Oudenaarde — Cost of bell-metal — Its composition
— Prices of carillons to-day — Character of bells
by various founders — Tuning 88
CHAPTER VII
The charm of unseen music — Carillons and the sea —
De* Amicis — Carillons and character — Music used
hi automatic play — Examples of music used now
and in the seventeenth century — Effect of air cur-
rents— The drum — Method of setting tunes — The
improved cylinder — Drum play at Mechlin —
Praise and condemnation — Clavier play — Deca-
dence and revival — The music — Its character —
Where to listen — Market day music — Festive con-
certs— Description of a keyboard Ill
CONTENTS 18
CHAPTER VIII
PAGE
Carillonneurs and their pay — Amsterdam — Pieter Pa-
ter—Pieter Chatelet's contract— Dirck Scholl—
Pothoff — Matthias van den Gheyn — Haverals —
Pay and duties in the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries — To-day — Hereditary bell-mastery —
First inspiration — Kindness of carillonneurs — A
postcard canvass — Further kindnesses — Briel —
Schiedam — Delft — Tours suggested — The carillon
region — Mechlin the climax 131
CHAPTER IX
How the Mechlin carillon was got — Choosing the
bell-master — Mechlin — Louvain — Bruges as host
— Mechlin prize competitions, 1897 and 1910 —
Mr. Denyn's playing — His other activities for the
art — The Denyn festival, 1912 — The new bell —
The afternoon recital — The evening recital — The
presentation and speeches — The carillon school
— The need of it — What has been done — Its scope
— Difficulties of practice — Hope against fear.... 148
CHAPTER X
A visit to Mechlin, August 18, 1913 165
APPENDIX A
List of carillons in Holland 179
APPENDIX B
List of carillons in Belgium 194
APPENDIX C
List of carillons in other countries — Austria-Hungary
— Denmark — France — Germany — Great Britain —
Italy — Luxemburg — Portugal — Russia — Spain —
Sweden — United States of America.. . 204
14 CONTENTS
APPENDIX D
PAGE
Lists of bells in carillon at Mechlin — Carillon at Ghent
— Peal of Exeter Cathedral — Chime of Cornell
University 210
APPENDIX E
Report of the Jury at the Mechlin prize competition
in 1910 214
APPENDIX F
English bells and change ringing — Other notes 225
ILLUSTRATIONS
Mechlin: Saint Rombold's Tower .... Frontispiece
Groningen: Saint Martin's Church 20
Amsterdam: The Mint Tower in 1765 24
Antwerp : The Cathedral Spire ......... 28
The Hague: The Bell Tower in the Distance . . 32
Delft: The New Church in 1729 38
Fanciful Picture of an Ancient Carillon 42
Ghent: The Belfry .... ./.— :'*. \ .'-.•'.. 46
Bruges: The Drum 54
Antwerp : The Key Board 56
Bruges: The Belfry 62
Bruges: The Bells 68
Edam: The Bell Tower 76
Oudenaarde: The Town Hall Tower 80
Mons: The Belfry 84
Zutfen : The Wine House Tower and Market Square 90
Utrecht: The Cathedral Tower 94
Middleburg:The Abbey Tower, in Winter . . . . 102
Appingedam: The Bell Tower 106
Amsterdam: View from the Palace Bell-level ... 108
Mechlin: Transmission Bars and Wires 120
Haarlem: The Great Church from the Spaarne . . 126
15
16 ILLUSTRATIONS
Mechlin: The Key Board 128
Amsterdam: The Carillonneur in His Tower Cabin 134
Mechlin: The Bells 136
Schiedam: The Bell Tower 144
Ypres: The Cloth Hall Tower 148
Josef Denyn of Mechlin: The Great Bell-Master . 166
Amersfoort: The Tower of Our Lady 182
Enkhuizen: The Dromedary Tower ...... 186
Veere: The Town Hall . 192
Antwerp: The Cathedral Spire at Sunrise .... 196
Map of the Carillon Region 51
Carillon Music , .217
CARILLONS*/
BELGIUM and HOLLAN D
CARILLONS
CHAPTER I
"Flanders where the Carillons ripple from old Spires"
DOWDEN
"In Holland the passing hour sings" DE AMICIS
MY story is one of discovery and ex-
ploration; exploration leading often
into fascinating aerial fields, and
discovery, for many Americans, at least, of a
new kind of music. Yet the land of which I
write is not far off and the music has long
been heard. Ver Meer and Rembrandt, van
Dyck and Rubens, 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
Briel, on the island of Voorne, where first
19
20 CARILLONS OF
"The Beggars of the Sea" rose up against
the power of Spain, and it sounds from
that fifteenth century New Church at Delft,
where William of Orange, victorious but as-
sassinated, forever rests. From St. Stephen's
tower at Nimeguen, rising above wide river
waters, it marks the hours for the passing
boatmen, and 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
University of Louvain, and it unites with the
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
Mechlin's tower in the south, follow with
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
GRONINGEN: S. MARTIN'S CHURCH
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 21
Zealand costumes at Middleburg wait for
the signal of this music to begin their sell-
ing at mid-day. From the belfry at Ghent
to-day sounds the concord of bells as it
did when the Treaty of 1814 first was pro-
claimed, and from the belfry of Bruges
ring the chimes, "low at times and loud at
times," which were the inspiration of Long-
fellow when he first journeyed through
Flanders.
So tower after tower might be named, each
carrying a part in this chain of melody.
Assuredly no music joins more perfectly in
the celebration of days of national rejoic-
ing; but, better still, it sends down from airy
heights an influence which lightens routine
and to happy occupation adds an accompani-
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
22 TOWER MUSIC IN
of this distinctive music. Surely its long-
continued hold upon the people of Holland
and Belgium; its association with stirring
events in their history; its touch with pro-
saic duties; its democratic spirit; its com-
panionship with time ; its seat in lofty towers,
and its maintenance at the public charge —
all give suggestions of racial temperament
well worth considering.
Most of these lofty towers are themselves
of exquisite architectural beauty. Amersfoort
and Oudenaarde, Veere and Mons, and all
those already spoken of, are perfect in their
setting. By their proportions and strength,
by their domination of the scene, they satisfy
the eye even before the melody of their bells
comes to please the ear.
Before approaching nearer the domain of
this unique music, a brief definition, showing
in general terms the sense in which the word
carillon is used here, seems desirable. Exact
definition would demand an extended consid-
eration of many details which may be better
THE LOW COUNTRIES 23
kept until the mechanism and technique of
tower music is taken up. For the present,
then, it is enough to say that a carillon is a
set of bells, (a) attuned to intervals of the
chromatic scale, (b) many in number, some-
times four octaves or more, (c) the lowest
often several tons in weight, with each suc-
ceeding bell smaller, so that in the highest
octave, the weight of each bell is scarcely 20
pounds, and (d) hung fixed, that is, so as not
to swing. Owing to its more convenient form,
the word chime has often been used when a
carillon is actually meant. Strictly, a chime,
ring, or peal is a set of bells generally not
more than about an octave, attuned to inter-
vals of the diatonic scale with sometimes a
few additional half tones. The bells of a
carillon usually are connected (a) with a key-
board by means of which a bell-master or
carillonneur causes their clapper to strike the
inside of their sound bow, and (b) with a
clockwork mechanism which causes a ham-
mer to strike the outside. Between a carillon
24 CARILLONS OF
and a cnime this fundamental difference exists,
namely: the carillon is essentially chromatic
in its intervals while the chime is essentially
diatonic, these terms being used as defined by
Dr. C. W. Pearce, in "Modern 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.
That quaint book, "The Present State of
Music in Germany, in the Netherlands, &c.,
being The Journal of a Tour undertaken to
collect material for a General History of
Music by Charles Burney, Musical Doctor,
London, 1773," informs us that the traveller
was enlivened in his journey by the sound
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 25
of bells. Their playing attended him almost
constantly, and we find him recording im-
pressions such as these:
"COURTRAY. It was in this town that I first per-
ceived the passion for carillons or chimes, which is
so prevalent through the Netherlands. I happened to
arrive at 11 o'clock and half an hour after the
chimes played a great number of chearful tunes, in dif-
ferent keys, which awakened my curiosity for this spe-
cies of music, so much so that when I came to GHENT
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
not only of the city, which is reckoned one of the largest
in Europe, but could examine the mechanism of the
chimes, so far as they are played by clock-work, and
likewise see the carillonneur perform with a kind of keys
communicating with the bells, as those of a harpsichord
or organ with strings and pipes."
* * # #
"GRONINGEN. Here again I found myself in a
country of carillons; I had indeed heard some slight at-
tempts in Bremen, but in this place every half hour is
measured by chimes."
* * * *
"AMSTERDAM. This is truly the country of chimes;
every quarter of an hour a tune is played by them in
all the churches."
26 TOWER MUSIC IN
"LiEGB. The organist of the Cathedral is likewise
carillonneur as is often the case in the Netherlands;
but here the passion for chimes begins to diminish."
• '-•-.-.''•'_'•
"Aix-LA-CHAPELLE. The passion for carillons and
chimes seems here at an end. However, through a street
through which a procession had lately passed, 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
key which 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
ancient Netherlands, 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
in border towns of western Germany, as at
Malmedy and Diiren, bell towers have long
THE LOW COUNTRIES 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,
and in that delightful chapter, "The Oise in
Flood," Stevenson thus tells how 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
that the spinners and the young maids sang 'Come away,
Death' in the Shakespearian Illyria.
"There is so often a threatening note, something
blatant and metallic in the voice of bells that I be-
lieve we have fully more pain than pleasure in hearing
them; these as they sounded abroad, now high, now
low, now with a plaintive cadence * * *, were always
moderate and tunable and seemed to fall into the spirit
of the still rustic places like 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 CARILLONS OF
sun withdrew. The piece was at an end; shadow and
silence possessed the valley of the Oise."
What bells they were that 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
affection, when the playing of bells at home
often distracts rather than pleases our ear?
Even if no complete answer finally appears
here to questions such as these, I trust that
we shall have been, if not discoverers, at
least explorers together in congenial fields.
Nowhere can be found any comprehen-
sive treatment of carillons, their towers, and
their music. True, some traveller has in-
cidentally mentioned the beauty of their
melody, or has curiously looked into their
playing, or has briefly described an enchant-
•I
ANTWERP: THE CATHEDRAL SPIRE
SKETCH BY JEAN BAES
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 29
ing view from the tower cabin of a caril-
lonneur; or perhaps some poet has given
them a charming setting in his rhyme.
Many 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
ombres," entitled "Ecrit sur la vitre d'une
fenetre flamande":
"J'aime le carillon dans tes cites antiques,
O vieux pays gardien de tes mceurs domestiques,
Noble Flandre, ou le nord se rechauffe engourdi
Au soleil de Castille et s'accouple au midi!
Le carillon, c'est 1'heure inattendue et folle,
Que 1'oeil croit voir, vetue en danseuse espagnole,
Apparaitre soudain par le trou vif et clair
Que ferait en s'ouvrant une porte de 1'air;
Elle vient, secouant sur les toits lethargiques
Son tablier d'argent plein de notes magiques,
Reveillant sans pitie les dormeurs ennuyeux,
Sautant a petits pas comme un oiseau joyeux,
30 TOWER MUSIC
Vibrant, ainsi qu'un dard qui tremble dans la cible;
Par un frele escalier de cristal invisible,
Effaree et dansante, elle descend des cieux;
Et 1'esprit, ce veilleur fait d'oreilles et d'yeux
Tandis qu'elle va, vient, monte et descend encore,
Entend de marche en marche errer son pied sonore !"
CHAPTER II
'7 had the honour of being every day permitted to
search in the Bibliotheque du Roi, in Paris, for more
than a month together, in hopes of finding something to
my purpose, but in vain*' CHARLES BURNEY
WHILE carillons may not have ap-
peared often in general 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 impressed by their mel-
ody is shown clearly in the "Relazione Vene-
ziane," recently published by the Dutch Gov-
ernment. There Marcantonio Correr, writing
in 1611 of the tower at Middleburg, says:
"Ha un horologio all' uso de' Paesi Bassi, che a tutti
gli quarti ed a tutte le hore suonano una quantita grande
di campane musicalmente * * *; suonano da per se
con artificio et con tastature secondo ancora che si su-
onano gli organi."
The expression "all* uso de' Paesi Bassi,"
31
32 CARILLONS OF
indicates that the ambassador, who doubt-
less had travelled in many European coun-
tries, regarded the carillon as peculiar to
the lands of Rembrandt and Rubens. Par-
ticularly interesting, too, is a passage from
Francesco Belli'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-
monica, ch' isprime ed unisce tutte le voci; ed in Aga
appunto il batter dell'hora e prevenuto da un concerto
di campanelli sonori e dilicati al possibile. Aggiungo
qui la industria ed il modo d'un publico benefizio, ch'
e una campana di tanta, no so se io dica riputazione o
superstizione, che a morti non si suona per manco 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 Hague 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-
lic benefaction, for a bell is so regarded, I do not know
whether I should say with reverence or superstition,
that for the dead it is not sounded for less than five
ducats an hour."
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 33
What was true of the Venetian ambas-
sadors was true also of representatives from
the Papal Court. Indeed, the carillons at-
tracted the attention of all foreigners of
culture who passed through the Low Coun-
tries. Count Giuseppi Garampi of Rimini,
Prefect of the Vatican Archives, in 1764,
accompanied Monsignor Oddi, then Nuncio
to Switzerland and afterward Cardinal, on
a journey to Holland. Monsignor Garampi,
who himself later became Nuncio to Vienna
and Cardinal, was a man of much learning
and greatly interested in everything per-
taining to the social conditions and customs
of the countries through which he travelled,
and his journal, preserved in the Vatican,
mentions "il carillon" a number of times.
The one at Delft he calls "il piu armonioso
di tutti questi paesi."
Concerning Utrecht he writes:
"There is a carillon which is played by hand at cer-
tain hours of the day, the playing lasting each time a
good half hour or three quarters of an hour. The per-
34 TOWER MUSIC IN
son who plays, strikes 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:
"I examined the carillon, the drum of which has
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
revolves, strike certain levers which raise the hammers
that strike the bells."
It is indicative of the place carillons oc-
cupied 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-
ters, dated Antwerp, 1622, gives "A Survey
of the Seventeen Provinces," and briefly men-
tions that "Those curious quadrants, chim's
and dialls * * * were first us'd by them."
The earliest considerable reference to caril-
lons in English seems, however, to be in the
THE LOW COUNTRIES 35
Diary of John Evelyn. This is his inter-
esting entry:
"Amsterdam, August, 1641. The turrets, or steeples,
are adorned after a particular manner and invention;
the chimes of bells are so rarely managed, that being
curious to know whether the motion was from any en-
gine, I went up to that of St. Nicholas, where I found
one who played all sorts of compositions from the tab-
lature before him, 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
which (by help of a wooden instrument, not much un-
like a weaver's shuttle, that guarded his hand) he struck
on the keys and played to admiration. All this while,
through the clattering of the wires, din of the too nearly
sounding bells, and noise that his wooden gloves made,
the confusion was so great, that it was impossible for
the musician, or any that stood near him, to hear any-
thing himself; yet, to those at a distance, and especially
in the streets, the harmony and the time were the most
exact and agreeable."
That there never has been attempted until
now any comprehensive historic treatment
of this characteristic democratic municipal
music of the Low Countries is difficult to
believe. Especially does this omission seem
36 CARILLONS OF
remarkable when the distinct identification
of the carillon with racial lines and its
long-continued use within well-defined boun-
daries (and almost there alone) is considered.
Yet, heretofore, no such treatment has been
made. The Assistant Keeper of the British
Museum wrote me, when I first became a
student of the subject, that he knew of no
work on carillons. Like answer came from
the librarians of the greater cities of the
United States. Careful inquiry in other
countries confirmed their statements. But
while no general work on carillons has been
found, my search has discovered two small
books not lacking in general interest, but
specially to be noticed from the fact that
among the many books in the world they
seem to be unique in that they alone carry
the word carillon in their title. Of local
pamphlets of much value concerning in-
dividual carillons there are, happily for the
historian, many, but only the two publica-
tions hereafter described have had the good
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 37
fortune to attain the dignity of books and
to secure for themselves a place in the cata-
logue of important libraries.
The first of these is by Pieter Hemony,
who published it at Delft in 1678. It is an
octavo of but eight leaves in all, with this
imposing title: "De On-Noodsaakelijkheid
van Cis en Dis in de Bassen der Klokken. Ver-
toont uyt verscheyde advysen van ervaren
organisten ende klokken-speelders," — "The
Uselessness of C sharp and D sharp in the
Bass of Carillons. Shown by various opinions
of skilful organists and carillonneurs." The
Bibliotheque Nationale of Paris does not pos-
sess this, and the only copy I have been able
to find is in the University Library at Am-
sterdam. There it exists among the reserved
rare books in apparently its original binding
in boards, their outside covering being of
paper having a small artistic design in col-
ours on a light ground repeated many times.
Hemony treats his theme with vigour and
decided partisanship, his conclusions being
38 TOWER MUSIC IN
sustained and endorsed by the signatures of
the city carillonneurs of Briel, Delft and
Amsterdam. The book ends with these live-
ly verses by Dirck Scholl of Delft directed
against Quiryn van Blankenburgh, official
carillonneur of the Hague, who, it appears,
had strongly argued that C sharp and D sharp
were necessary:
De Cis en Dis die zyn ter Gouw,
Is dat niet volmaakt gebouw?
Quirinus geeft het woord van Ja,
Kan 't beter voor ons dan niet besta?
Hij raad de Stad en leid haar om
Tot iets dat meesten tijd blijft stom:
Ja ieder slag kost een pond groot,
Zij hangen daar als levend-dood.
Which may thus be put in English:
Those bells Cis and Dis of old Gouda's big Chime,
In truth were they bought to make melody fine?
Quirinus says: Yes, that their music is rare.
To us it were well had they never hung there;
The city was cheated and wrongly induced
To purchase what scarcely could ever be used.
Each stroke of these bells costs a pound, so 'tis said;
Pretending they're living, in fact they are dead!
WEJ»wei«r SI URSULs. KERCK
DELFT: THE NEW CHURCH IN 1729
THE LOW COUNTRIES 39
The second book, a small quarto having
only about a score of pages, is also Dutch
and its title is: "Verhandeling van de Klok-
ken en het Klokkespel." It was published
at Utrecht in 1737 by J. P. A. Fischer, an
organist and carillonneur well-known at that
time. A fanciful illustration therein of a
carillonneur at his keyboard is taken from
Mersenne's "Harmonic Universelle," 1636.
While Fischer discusses the origin 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 Dr. Burney, published in
1773, has already been quoted. He has much
more to say about carillons, and the tech-
nical 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 CARILLONS OF
sion was that they were of no genuine mu-
sical importance. Alexandre Schaepkens,
"Directeur de TEcole de Dessin de Maas-
tricht, Chevalier de Pordre de la Couronne
de Chine," published at Brussels in 1857 a
small volume, "Des Cloches et 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 Dr.
Burney was presented a hundred years later
by another Englishman, the Rev. H. R.
Haweis. In "Music and Morals," printed
at London in 1875, 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
was difficult to obtain, and Mr. Haweis ap-
parently not having the time to search out
such detailed information as was available,
contented himself with a general treatment
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 41
of the subject. Closer to the present day,
the gifted Italian, De Amicis, and other
writers of books of travel, have given a few
words of charming description where tower
views and melodies have attracted them.
Covering wider ground, however, than
anything before it, is "La Musique aux Pays
Bas, Avant le XIX Siecle; documents inedits
et annotes," published 1867-1888 by Edmond
van der Straeten, a distinguished Belgian
author and musician. That erudite and well-
indexed work contains many references to
carillons and gives data of decided historic
value. Ancient carillon compositions have a
place in the second part of the "Bibliotheque
Musicale Populaire," published by E. G. J.
Gregoir, at Brussels, in 1877-1879. There
also will be found a brief account of caril-
lons, with a list of those in Belgium, and a
list of founders. Finally, within the last
decade W. W. Starmer, member of the Royal
Academy of Music, London, has published
on several occasions papers, of which I have
42 TOWER MUSIC IN
made much use, giving a sympathetic and ac-
curate analysis of the characteristics of the
carillon and he contemplates putting in more
permanent form his valuable conclusions.
The publications enumerated cover sub-
stantially all that has been written, so far
as I can ascertain, upon the broader features
of the carillon art. Remaining to be con-
sidered are the early municipal records so
religiously preserved in Holland and Bel-
gium; the later archaeological annals, con-
tributed by Dr. G. van Doorslaer, Professor
W. P. H. Jansen, D. F. Scheurleer, F. A.
Hoefer, J. W. Enschede and other careful
investigators, and the present day local pam-
phlets 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-
FANCIFUL PICTURE OF AN ANCIENT CARILLON
MERSENNE'S HARMONIE UNIVERSELLE, 1636
THE LOW COUNTRIES 43
Ions themselves must be heard and seen to
be fully understood. With this purpose I
have visited all the towers thus far men-
tioned and many others besides.
CHAPTER III
"When I came to Ghent I determined to inform my-
self in a particular manner concerning the carillon
science." CHARLES BURNEY
THE 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
visit the belfry of Ghent in Belgium. 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-
turbed 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
instance, has 622 steps; Bruges 402; and
Mechlin 400, to the bells.
Ghent at this time will specially attract
English-speaking people and, indeed, those of
44
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 45
all lands who feel that the alleged gains of
war are the great illusion of the present day.
The same carillon which rang out a century
ago, will welcome now the completion of a
hundred years of peace between Great Britain
and the United States, begun by the treaty
signed on December 24th, 1814. That Christ-
mas Eve agreement was the work of J. Q.
Adams, Gallatin, Clay, Bayard, and Russell,
representatives at Ghent on the part of the
United States, aided by the wisdom of Madi-
son and Monroe at home. On the part of
England it was due to Castlereagh, Bathurst,
Liverpool, and Wellington, though none of
these men were actually Peace Commissioners.
No accomplishment of the treaty was more
important than that which provided for the
arbitration of the boundary between the
United States and Canada; a line, with its
subsequent extensions, running by land and
water nearly 4000 miles. Since the signing of
the treaty, not a few irritating controversies
have arisen between the nations who were
46 TOWER MUSIC IN
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
line has continued unfortified, unguarded,
and unpatrolled. Both adjacent peoples have
maintained their rights, both have advanced
in prosperity 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 Rue des Chartreux in which the conclu-
sion of the negotiations of 1814 took place,
known then as the house of Lieven Bauwens
and occupied by the British Peace Commis-
sioners, is now a Carthusian convent. It was
there, 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-
titions into three parts. It is a satisfaction to
GHENT: THE BELFRY
SKETCH BY JEAN BAES
THE LOW COUNTRIES 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,
both large and small, than he has ever before
seen. In all there are 52 bells. Fixed upon
a heavy framework of wooden beams, they ex-
tend in 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
than a tall man. Its diameter, 82.67 inches, is
even greater than its height. It weighs six
tons. On it is this inscription in Flemish,
"My name is Roland; when I toll there is
fire, and when I ring, there is victory in the
land." Made in 1314, it was recast in 1659
and will have again to be recast as a crack
developed in July, 1914. The smallest bell
has both a height and a diameter of only about
48 CARILLONS OF
8 inches and weighs less than 18 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
Ghent carillon, with some details of each bell,
is given in an appendix.
Of greater consequence, however, than
number, or size, or weight is the pitch rela-
tionship 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 important is from three to four octaves.
Omission of bells in the bass is primarily be-
cause of their great weight and therefore
great cost. Hemony's spirited little book
upon this subject and the declaration of the
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 49
amusing Gouda verses, "Each 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 Selgium about 30 caril-
lons of importance and in Holland about 20.
If those of lesser consequence are included the
total for both countries will be well over 100.
Many authorities give higher figures, Brock-
haus' German Encyclopedia saying there
are 1 15 in the Netherlands and 97 in Belgium,
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-
ellers with ample time at their disposal. But
there are many not in either of these privi-
leged classes, and for their benefit I name a
score that seem most worth hearing.
50 TOWER MUSIC
Curiously enough, opinion as to what are
the best seems rarely to have been recorded,
though I discover that Ghent in 1543 sent
four commissioners to examine the carillons
of Antwerp, Mechlin, Tongerloo, and Lou-
vain, apparently then considered the most
famous. Similarly commissioners from Ypres
went to hear the carillons of Lille, Tournai,
Ghent, Aalst, and Mechlin, in 1575. De Sany,
an historian of music living at Brussels, made
a list in 1642 of renowned carillons in his day
and headed it with Brussels, Louvain, Ant-
werp, Ghent, Mechlin, Mons, and Tournai.
In our own day van der Straeten indicates as
the best, Mechlin, Antwerp, Delft, and Gro-
ningen, and Larousse gives as the most impor-
tant, Amsterdam, Delft, Haarlem, Bruges,
Mechlin, Antwerp, Ghent, Aalst, and Oude-
naarde. 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-
MAP OF THE
CARILLON REGION
TOWNS HAVIWC
Tne BEST CAAICCON&
COUO«NC
51
52 CARILLONS OF
ment of recognized relative standing, for in
such a matter no absolute determination is
possible. In making up these groups, accu-
racy of the pitch of the bells, their timbre,
their weight, their compass, the perfection of
their playing mechanism, their arrangement
in the tower, and the situation of the tower
itself — all have been considered. The follow-
ing, in my judgment, are the best carillons in
Belgium and in Holland.
BEST CARILLONS IN BELGIUM
TOWN TOWER OF BELLS
NUMBER
Mechelen Sint Romboutstoren
Malines Tour de Saint-Rombaut 45
Mechlin Saint Rombold's Tower
Brugge Halletoren
Bruges Tour des Halles 49
Bruges Belfry
Antwerpen Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren
Anvers Tour de Notre Dame 47
Antwerp Cathedral of Our Lady
Gent Klokketoren
Gand Beffroi 52
Ghent Belfry
Leuven Sint Geertruitoren
Louvain Ste. Gertrude, S. Ger-
trude's 40
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 53
BEST CARILLONS IN BELGIUM— Continued.
NUMBER
OF BELLS
TOWN TOWER
Leuven Sint Pieterstoren
Louvain St. Pierre, S. Peter's 46
Yperen Halletoren
Ypres Beffroi, Belfry of Cloth
Hall 44
Kortryk Sint Maartenstoren
Courtrai St. Martin, S. Martin's 47
Bergen Klokketoren
Mons Beffroi, Belfry 44
Doornyk Klokketoren
Tournai Beffroi, Belfry 40
BEST CARILLONS IN HOLLAND
TOWN
Middelburg
Middleburg
TOWER
Abdy
Abbey
OF BELL
41
Delft
Nieuwe Kerk
40
Amsterdam
Paleis
37
Utrecht
Domkerk
42
's Gravenhage, den Haag
The Hague
Groote Kerk
S. James's
37
Nymegen, Nimwegen
Groote Kerk
Nimeguen, Nymwegen S. Stephen's 40
Gouda Groote Kerk 37
Vlissingen Groote Kerk
Flushing S. James's
54 TOWER MUSIC IN
BEST CARILLONS IN HOLLAND— Continued.
TOWN TOWER
NUMBER
OF BELLS
Haarlem Groote Kerk 35
Groningen Martinikerk 37
Kampen Bovenkerk 35
Generally speaking, the Belgium arrange-
ment and mechanical adjustment are superior
to the Dutch and the effect produced is, there-
fore, more satisfactory. But those who would
gain an adequate idea of what this unique
music really is, should hear as large a number
as possible of 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 a tambour." Before the hour strikes
THE LOW COUNTRIES 55
and at certain other intervals this cylinder or
drum 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 10,000 or
more holes suitable to receive the pins; say
100 rows, or measures, of 100 holes each.
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
equipped with as many as six hammers. 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.
56 CARILLONS OF
Tunes are set upon the cylinder by the caril-
lonneur, and by periodic changing are made
appropriate to the season of the year. Town
tradition, handed down for a century or more,
sometimes fixes these tunes, but more fre-
quently the musical taste of the carillonneur
governs.
A carillon is also played:
II
By a bell-master, or carillonneur, using a
clavier or keyboard resembling that of a piano
or organ. Thus played a carillon may be
thought of as a gigantic pianoforte or organ.
Its exact designation is then "Carillon a
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
carillonneur. This 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 corre-
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 57
spending bell. In what is known as the Bel-
gian system, perfected by Mr. Denyn, each
clapper when at rest is held by a spring and
guide wires in an exactly defined position
close to the inner sound bow and the bells
are hung in parallel lines, the deeper ones
more or less inclosed in chambers within the
tower. Generally in Holland the clappers
have neither springs nor guide wires, which
omissions tend to make their mechanical
operation much less accurate. Often, too, the
bells there are hung in circles or placed so
that they are seen in the tower lanterns. These
practices, while they may add to the pic-
turesqueness of the tower, interfered with the
most successful playing, because the keyboard
connections are necessarily less direct.
The bells of the lowest octave and a half
are connected also with a pedal clavier. This
is done for the reason that the larger bells re-
quire a forceful stroke when it is desired to
bring out their full tones, and that this ar-
rangement gives the bell-master greater com-
58 TOWER MUSIC IN
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.
On the manual clavier, as Mr. Starmer
points out, great dexterity of hand is essential,
for 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
bells are more easily sounded, and that the
effect of chords is much more satisfactory on
them, due to the fact that on the large bells
the harmonic tones are prominent and, when
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 COUNTRIES 59
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
the different notes of the chords, the best ef-
fects being obtained by keeping a wide inter-
val between the low note and the note next
above it. All degrees of crescendo and of
diminuendo are possible. Vibration 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
the effect of sustained chords is desired, it is
obtained by a rapid tremulando, much as in
pianoforte playing.
To sum up: In the first method, 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
the tower-clock. In the second method, that
60 CARILLONS
of keyboard play, the inside of the bell is
struck by the clapper actuated by a caril-
lonneur.
But enough for the present of the mechan-
ism of the bells, and the intricacy of their play.
Above us, surmounting the topmost spire of
Ghent's belfry is the gilded copper dragon
which has looked down upon many stirring
scenes in Flemish history. There is a legend
that the Crusaders brought this dragon from
Constantinople to crown the belfry of Bruges
and that there it remained until Artevelde,
victorious, carried it a prized trophy to Ghent
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,
and beholding the splendid panorama, an-
swered Alva's cruel suggestion that the city
should be destroyed, with : "Combien faudrait-
il de peaux d'Espagne pour faire un Gant de
cette grandeur?"
CHAPTER IV
"In the ancient town of Bruges"
LONGFELLOW
WESTWARD across the even Flem-
ish* plain, abloom with intensive
farming, it is a short trip from
Ghent to Bruges, its ancient rival, till recently
famous for its quaintness and quiet. Once
inhabited by energetic and independent mer-
chants and traders, the city's central feature
is the towering belfry rising on the south side
of the Groote Markt. Standing as a conspic-
uous emblem of municipal liberties, the bel-
fry is characteristic of Flemish towns.
To say that belfry in its origin is not con-
nected with bell appears to deny what is
manifestly true. The fact is however, that
they have a purely chance resemblance. The
Oxford Dictionary says:
"Belfry: Pointing to a late Latin type 'berefredus,'
adopted from Teutonic 'bergfrid.' In English, its ac-
61
62 TOWER MUSIC IN
ceptance was doubtless due to popular association with
'bell' and the particular association which was in conse-
quence 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
tower, alarum bell tower, bell tower, place where a bell
is hung. 'Frid,' it is generally agreed, is a form of 'fridu,'
peace, security, shelter; and 'berg-en' means to protect,
defend ; the whole meaning 'protecting or defensive place
of shelter.' "
Thus these towers were symbols of muni-
cipal freedom and represented to the eye and
ear the idea of civic solidarity. Grant Allen,
in "The European Tour," analysing the char-
acter of the art of Belgium, remarks:
"These Flemish belfries are in themselves very inter-
esting 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 Bruges and Ghent are still majestic memorials
of the freedom-loving wool-staplers of the thirteenth
century. By the side of the Belfry stands the Cloth Hall,
representing the trade from which the town derived its
wealth."
BRUGES: THE BELFRY
THE LOW COUNTRIES 63
The crown of every belfry was a carillon.
The belfry and its crown were the proud pos-
session of every prosperous community. And
today, wherever the carillon may hang, its
bells belong to the town and the bell-master
is a municipal officer.
Neither in Holland nor in Belgium have I
found a place where the carillon and the tower
in which it hangs, even though it be a church
spire, are not controlled and maintained by
the municipal authorities. It is true that in
some instances, carillons are played and that
often the great separate bells are rung for
church services or in religious functions, but
always the dominating power in the manage-
ment of the bells is civic and the religious ele-
ment, if it exists at all, is entirely subordinate.
Reviewing Rodenbach's late Brugian
novels, Dr. Chatterton-Hill says:
"Joris Borluut is the carillonneur of Bruges. These
are grave and important functions, which cannot be
entrusted to the first comer. All the feelings and emo-
tions and experiences of an old city, the whole of the
priceless moral treasure accumulated during many cen-
64 CARILLONS OP
turies, must find expression in the music of the belfry
bells. Success and failure, smiles and tears, illusions and
realities, must all be blended here into one sweet har-
mony. A consummate artist is essential, but one who
understands Bruges is essential also, for the difficult task
is assigned him of concretising, so to speak, the soul of
the Flemish town. In the merry laughter and plaintive
sighing of the old bells, the citizens of Bruges require to
find the echo of that which they feel within themselves.
"Rodenbach has resuscitated the soul of Bruges; 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
back to us the memory of the glorious past, brilliant with
hope, of a world that was and that is no more, whose
splendour was great but ephemeral, and which survives
only in venerable and moss-grown ruins."
If Ghent's bells are easiest of access, Bruges'
are most celebrated in verse. It was here that
Longfellow came under the spell of the caril-
lon. At once his imagination was awakened
and we foresee his poem in these brief entries
in his diary of 1842:
"May 30. In the evening took the railway from Ghent
to Bruges. Stopped at La Fleur de Ble, attracted by the
name, and found it a good hotel. It was not yet night;
and I strolled through the fine old streets and felt myself
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 65
a hundred years old. The chimes seemed to be ringing
incessantly; and the air of repose and antiquity was de-
lightful. * * * Oh, those chimes, those chimes! how
deliciously they lull one to sleep! The little bells, with
their clear, liquid notes, like the voices of boys in a
choir, and the solemn bass of the great bell tolling in,
like the voice of a friar!
"May 31. Rose before five and climbed the high bel-
fry which was once crowned by the gilded copper dragon
now at Ghent. The carillon of forty-eight bells; the lit-
tle chamber in the tower; the machinery, like a huge
barrel-organ, with keys like a musical instrument for the
carillonneur ; the view from the tower; the singing of
swallows with the chimes; the fresh morning air; the
mist in the horizon; the red roofs far below; the canal,
like a silver clasp, linking the city with the sea, — how
much to remember!"
The poem, of which "Carillon" is the first
part, was probably -begun there, his editor
says, and finished later when he was again at
Bruges 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.
66 TOWER MUSIC IN
CARILLON
In the ancient town of Bruges,
In the quaint old Flemish city,
As the evening shades descended,
Low and loud and sweetly blended,
Low at times and loud at times,
And changing like a poet's rhymes,
Rang the beautiful wild chimes
From the belfry in the market
Of the ancient town of Bruges.
Then, with deep sonorous clangor
Calmly answering their sweet anger,
When the wrangling bells had ended,
Slowly struck the clock eleven,
And, from out the silent heaven,
Silence on the town descended.
Silence, silence everywhere,
On the earth and in the air,
Save that footsteps here and there
Of some burgher home returning,
By 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 COUNTRIES 67
Till their chimes in sweet collision
Mingled with each wandering vision,
Mingled with the fortune-telling
Gipsy-bands of dreams and fancies,
Which amid the waste expanses
Of the silent land of trances
Have their solitary dwelling;
All else seemed asleep in Bruges,
In the quaint old Flemish city.
And I thought how like these chimes
Are the poet's airy rhymes,
All his rhymes and roundelays,
His 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,
And by day men go their ways,
Hearing the music as they pass,
But deeming it no more, alas!
Than the hollow sound of brass.
Yet, perchance a sleepless wight,
Lodging at some humble inn
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 CARILLONS OF
May 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;
Hears amid the chime and singing
The bells of his own village ringing,
And wakes, and finds his slumberous eyes
Wet with most delicious tears.
Thus dreamed I, as by night I lay
In Bruges, at the Fleur de Ble,
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 Ble 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
sees the belfry high above all and hears, often
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
BRUGES: THE BELLS
This shows bells equipped with many hammers to allow quick repetition
of the same note in automatic play
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 69
late supper we could hear at frequent inter-
vals the agreeable jangling of distant bells and,
after finishing our meal, we went out into the
dusky street. Then the mystery and the music
enticed us forth. As we wandered through the
windings of the narrow echoing streets, ntow
a flourish, now an irregular snatch of song,
was wafted to us. The notes came so clear
that at every turn we looked to see the belfry.
Thus led by the carillon's music, we at length
came out in a great moonlit square. Here all
was silent except for the steps of an infrequent
passer and the hum of faint music and voices
issuing from the row of estaminets that form
the north side of the Groote Markt. From
somewhere came the plaintive notes of a
zither, the only distinguishable sound. At
the foot of the monument in the centre of the
square, we waited for the hour. Presently a
ripple and then a burst of tune, inaccurate of
tone and time, but mysteriously beautiful,
coming from the dark tower and floating into
every nook of the silent city. The tune over,
70 TOWER MUSIC IN
a deep bell struck ten and we turned home-
ward.
Since that summer, Bruges 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 Markt and "Bruges en avant" has be-
come the slogan of "Bruges la morte." But
with these innovations, the carillon has not
been neglected and, happily, the greatest of
bell-masters, Josef Denyn, was summoned to
give his advice. Under his supervision, dur-
ing the winter of 1913-14 the keyboard was
reconstructed, springs were placed behind the
clappers of the bells, and adjustments were
made which greatly increase the ability of the
carillonneur to produce effects befitting the
fame of the belfry.
The carillon consists of 47 bells made by
Joris Dumery of Antwerp in 1743, his bells
succeeding those destroyed by fire in 1741.
Mr. Starmer in 1905 describes the Bruges
THE LOW COUNTRIES 71
carillon as consisting of four octaves G to G
with low A flat and B flat missing. Mr.
Denyn after recently improving it said:
"The big bell, the do of the keyboard, is an A going
towards A flat. Its tone is nearly one whole tone higher
than that of 'Salvator/ the base of the carillon at Mech-
lin. In its principal accord, do, the Bruges carillon is
not quite in tune ; it is entirely out of tune in the octaves
of mi.
"According to the disposition of bells and keyboard, I
do not play as easily as at Mechlin, for at Bruges the
small bells are distant about ten metres from the key-
board. This hinders securing responsive connections, and
so the firmness of the playing suffers. 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 prefer my Mechlin ones.
They may be somewhat harsher of sound, but surely
they are more silvery (i.e. brilliant) and I think I can
get better effects with them."
So this quaint old Flemish city is rising
from its sleep of almost three hundred years.
And if we should climb the belfry, we should
hear in daytime now sounds of a greater ac-
tivity than aroused Longfellow from his mus-
ing there more than half a century ago. As
72 CARILLONS OF
we read the later verses of "The Belfry of
Bruges," 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.
THE BELFRY OF BRUGES
In the market-place of Bruges stands the belfry old and
brown ;
Thrice consumed and thrice rebuilded, still it watches
o'er the town.
As the summer morn was breaking, on that lofty tower
I stood,
And the world threw off the darkness, like the weeds
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-
like, into air.
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 73
Not a sound rose from the city at that early morning
hour,
But I heard a heart of iron beating in the ancient tower.
From their nests beneath the rafters sang the swallows
wild and high;
And the world, beneath me sleeping, seemed more distant
than the sky.
Then most musical and solemn, bringing back the olden
times,
With their strange, unearthly changes rang the melan-
choly chimes,
Like the psalms from some old cloister, when the nuns
sing in the choir;
And the great bell tolled among them, like the chanting
of a friar.
Visions of the days departed, shadowy phantoms filled
my brain;
They who live in history only, seemed to walk 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
Saw the fight at Minnewater, saw the White Hoods
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!"
Then the sound of drums aroused me. The awakened
city's roar
Chased the phantoms I had summoned back into their
graves once more.
Hours had passed away like minutes; and, before I was
aware,
Lo! the shadow of the belfry crossed the sun-illumined
square.
CHAPTER V
"Le campane di questl paesi servono per musica; hanno
una temper atur a soave ed una consonanza armonica."
GIORGIO GIORGI
THE word carillon is hardly used in
the land where carillons thrive. In
Holland the usual name for the in-
strument is klokkenspel (literally, bellplay),
while in Belgium it is beiaard. The bell-
master is known as klokkenist or klokken-
speler (with many variations) and beiaardier.
The corresponding verbs, bespelen, beiaarden,
and carillonner, refer to clavier play only.
Carillon, at first quatrillon, is of course
adopted from the French and comes, accord-
ing to Littre, from medieval Latin quadril-
lionem. Thus the name of the carillon is
traced to the four diatonic bells which made
up the tintinnabulum of the twelfth century.
More definitely, however, the instrument as
75
76 CARILLONS OP
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-
cipal towers of the Low Countries. This
mechanism, striking the small bells just be-
fore the hour, announced that the heavy hour
bell was about to sound. It was not long be-
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 of the Flemish "voorslag" or
"forestroke," obviously so called from its play
before the hour. To possess a "voorslag" 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
half-hour as well, bell music came to be a
distinctive feature of the Low Countries.
As prosperity increased and as taste devel-
oped, still more satisfactory musical effects
were sought. Bells were added to the "voor-
EDAM: THE BELL TOWER
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 77
slag"; all the intervals of the chromatic scale
were supplied; and the barrel of the playing
device was enlarged until each quarter hour
had 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 instru-
ments. What more natural than that it should
be used, in addition to the automatic playing
mechanism up to this 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 IN
ual development, an outgrowth of the love of
the people for a music which, as it decorated
the passing of time, welcomed all, the high
and the low, the artist and the artisan, the
man in his shop, the woman at her home, as
participants in the pleasure it could give.
The researches of Dr. van Doorslaer as to
the origin and development of the art admi-
rably cover the early days of the Belgian field.
Concerning later times and Dutch bells, in-
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
certain Franco, abbot there from 1 182 to 1206,
had a "klokkespel" 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
THE LOW COUNTRIES 79
toward the end of the fourteenth century
when great clocks began to be placed in the
towers of the Low Countries. Middleburg
had a clock in 1371 ; Mechlin got one for
Saint Rombold's tower in 1372; and Ghent,
one for the belfry in 1376. There are many
reasons for believing that even thus early the
striking of the hour was preceded by a "voor-
slag" on the little bells called then in Flemish,
"appeelkens." Records of Mons, 1382, Tour-
nai, 1392, and Ghent, 1412, mention such bells.
It is at this same period that the custom of
sounding bells as a part of the celebration of
joyous events was established. This kind of
playing is mentioned in the municipal ac-
counts of Mechlin in 1373. The use of the
little bells extended during the fifteenth cen-
tury and various names were applied to them.
Aalst obtained some "appeelkens" in 1460 and
Oudenaarde got three in 1496, spoken of as
"clocxkins."
These primitive chimes continued to be
used during the fifteenth century and it was
80 CARILLONS OF
not until the beginning of the sixteenth that
they had been developed sufficiently to give
a tune with variations. Van der Straeten tells
of some bells which in 1501 at Oudenaarde
played the motives of the "Veni Sancte Spi-
ritus" and of the "Peccatores." He also gives
a quotation which proves that the clavier was
already in use there in 1510.
Gregoir states that Oudenaarde had "un jeu
de cloches" in 1409, Antwerp in 1430, Lou-
vain in 1434, and Lier in 1495, and asso-
ciates these with the claim for the first caril-
lon, but he mentions no authority for these
dates nor does he define "un jeu de cloches."
In all probability these bells were what have
been mentioned as "clocxkins."
Louvain, we know, had 8 bells in 1525;
Oudenburg 10, in 1539; and Ghent 16, in
1543. In the northern part of the Netherlands
progress was only slightly slower. Hoorn had
10 bells in 1528 and Alkmaar n, in 1541.
Both Leiden and Groningen had carillons in
1577, and Gouda in 1578. Arnemuiden by
OUDENAARDE: THE TOWN HALL TOWER
SKETCH BY JEAN BAES
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 81
1583 possessed 19 bells and those at Utrecht
were already widely known in 1586.
With the further enlargement of carillons
came the invention of the pedal keyboard.
This was in use at Mechlin in 1583, and prob-
ably the improvement was made elsewhere at
about the same period. The drum or cylin-
der for automatic play was originally of wood
and at this period of iron. Jan Cal of Nime-
guen first used copper in a drum which he
placed in the Nieuwe Kerk at Delft in 1663.
Since the adoption of the pedal keyboard,
carillons have undergone changes only in the
improvement of the details of their mechan-
ism and in the increase of the number of their
bells.
Thus upon the basis of a few bells giving
simple songs in connection with the striking
mechanism of great clocks, we see developed
in a century, a noble musical instrument, well
fitted for its lofty place in municipal towers,
enduring through hundreds of years, and giv-
ing delight to thousands.
82 TOWER MUSIC IN
As to the requirements of a good instrument
to-day, I quote Josef Denyn : ,
"A carillon to give satisfaction, however played, must
have as a minimum 28 bells with the bass bell of not
less than 550 pounds. It should have its bells hung in
right lines, the big ones, if possible, somewhat more
inclosed than the smaller, with the bell loft 200 or 300
feet high. Towers with open tops, lanterns, in which
the bells hang in circles, picturesque as they may be,
cannot possess mechanically perfect carillons, for the
connection between keyboard and bells is not direct
enough and there is, therefore, a loss of the control needed
to produce delicate effects. This is a marked fault in
numerous Belgian and Dutch carillons."
The Denyn improvements, which have been
the contribution of both father and 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
bell. No Dutch carillon yet has these im-
provements, though several towns have re-
cently taken counsel of Mr. Denyn in the mat-
ter and are likely to follow his advice. Among
THE LOW COUNTRIES 83
these are the towns of Nimeguen, Zutfen,
and Arnhem; and the carillonneur at Gouda,
Mr. van Zuylen, has publicly advocated these
improvements, which have already been made
in all the larger Belgian carillons.
From the sixteenth to the eighteenth cen-
tury, carillons were often treated as spoils of
war, and especial havoc was wrought at the
end of that period when the French invaders
suppressed the abbeys. Bells captured in war
were sometimes recast into cannon or carried
away as trophies, or again they were ransomed
as a town's most prized possession.
When a city bought a carillon it was for-
mally welcomed on its arrival by burgomaster
and people, and amid rejoicings, the bells
were consecrated with elaborate ceremony.
Men 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 adornment of a progressive
Netherlandish city. Item after item in old rec-
ords show how important a place they occu-
84 CARILLONS 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 for preeminence in the carillon
art and bell-masters and bell-makers were
esteemed citizens of great consequence.
Barbiere in "La Capitulation * * * d'An-
vers," 1585, tells us that one lot of 59 bells
was carried off from Brussels to Spain, of
which "32 formed a harmony like an organ
and could be played by means of a clavier."
When Louis XIV captured Mons in 1691,
a formal treaty was concluded between the
council on the one part and Marshal d'Hu-
mieres on the other for the ransom of the
carillon. The bells were thus saved at that
time, but during the French invasion in 1793,
all were taken but one. This was in accord-
ance with the decree of the National Conven-
tion at Paris on July 23, 1793, "That there
shall be left only one bell in each parish
church; that all the others shall be placed at
MONS: THE BELFRY
SKETCH BY JEAN BAES
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 85
the disposition of the Executive Council
which shall provide for taking them to the
nearest foundry that they may be there made
into cannon."
During the siege of Maastricht in 1676,
cannon balls having struck the Town Hall,
the council ordered that the bells should be
dismounted in order that "the carillon, much
praised by the musicians of this time may not
be destroyed." Brussels had a carillon ruined
in the bombardment of 1695, but the magis-
trates concluded to buy a new one in 1711, for,
as they said, "It is for the honour of a court
town like Brussels to have as one of its orna-
ments a perfect carillon which can serve 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
a carillon, which thus both adds to the town's
renown and also increases its business."
Old records of Ath, Belgium, give popular
votes upon many details of carillon adminis-
tration. Items in the accounts of Mechlin in
86 TOWER MUSIC
1682 show that a quarter cask of Rhine wine,
and red ribbons for the clappers and other
accompaniments were bought for the fetes
which took place when the 33 bells of Notre
Dame were christened. A list is also given
of the god-fathers and god-mothers, together
with the elaborate names they bestowed on
each bell. These bells were seized by the
French in 1798 and were sent "pour aug-
menter la pate des canons de Creuzot."
When the drum of the new carillon of
Bruges was to be installed in 1746, the people
themselves drew it through the streets to the
belfry, and the second of February, when it
first played, was made a general holiday.
John V of Portugal visited the Nether-
lands about 1730 and was so delighted with
carillon music that he determined to have a
set of bells for his sumptuous palace then
building at Mafra. The price having been
ascertained, it was guardedly suggested by his
treasurer that the cost was great. This im-
plied criticism is said to have so offended the
THE LOW COUNTRIES 87
self-esteem of the monarch that he replied:
"Nao julguei que era tao barato; quero dois"
— "I did not think it would be so cheap; I
wish two." And these he got, for two carillons
of 48 bells each, played by clavier and clock-
work are still in use at Mafra.
CHAPTER VI
"Ik verhef myn toon in ft zingen
Aen den Aemstel en het Y,
Op den geest van Hemony" VONDEL
TWO brothers attract our attention as
picturesque figures in the Nether-
lands in the golden age of carillon
making. Their genius and skill have made
the name of Hemony particularly distin-
guished 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
his other writings, that he was one of the
active spirits of his day, warm in friendship
and keen in controversy.
The Hemonys were natives of Lorraine, but
88
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 89
early established themselves at Zutfen. While
of moderate education, they were excellent
craftsmen, producing bells of peculiar beauty
of form and decoration, and possessed a mar-
vellous faculty for tuning bells. The corre-
spondence 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-
inant in the towers of the Low Countries to-
day. Frans Hemony lived from 1597 to 1667
and Pieter from 1619 to 1680. It is interest-
ing to notice their contemporaries in the
Netherlands. Such consideration will indi-
cate that the carillon was the manifestation
in music of the spirit of a people who at
the same time were showing great genius
in many other directions. Rembrandt, ver
Meer, Rubens, van Dyck, Frans Hals, and
Pieter de Hooch all lived at this period.
Likewise Lieven de Kay, the master builder,
90 TOWER MUSIC IN
and Visscher, the famous engraver, and Von-
del, the dramatist and poet. Tromp and de
Ruyter were winning their naval victories,
and Grotius was writing his great works on
international law.
The brothers Hemony made their first caril-
lon in 1645 for the Winehouse tower at Zut-
fen, and it was so satisfactory that the city
authorities issued the following testimonial:
"We, the Burgomaster, Schepens, and Councillors 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
Winehouse tower, standing on the market square, for
which purpose presented themselves the Worthy and
Skilful Master Founders Frans and Pieter Hemony,
brothers, * * * to whom we let the contract for the
same ; the largest bell, which is used for striking the hour,
weighing more than four thousand pounds, and the other
bells, to the number of 26, in proportion. Which 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
vicinity, so that we are well pleased therewith and here-
with thank the aforesaid Masters for their work in casting
and furnishing the said bells.'*
ZUTFEN: THE WINE HOUSE TOWER AND MARKET SQUARE
THE LOW COUNTRIES 91
The reputation of the Hemonys spread rap-
idly and many towns bought 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
for a foundry on the Keizergracht. At the
same time they intrusted him with the making
of carillons for five towers.
After his brother's death, Pieter Hemony,
who had moved to Amsterdam in 1664, con-
ducted the foundry alone. Of this brother we
know much from his correspondence with his
friend de Loose, prior of the Benedictine Ab-
bey of Eename near Aalst in Belgium. We
find Hemony writing to the abbot, with ref-
erence to making a carillon for Cambrai, that
he is not well enough to follow longer his vo-
cation ; he has, however, three carillons made
in advance, of which one is like that he has
furnished Eename but with a half-tone extra,
that is to say, one more bell ; it has 28 bells ;
the price is 1400 ducatons. He adds: "The
92 CARILLONS OF
other two are greater; one has 32 bells, weighs
6150 pounds, price 2000 ducatons; the other
also 32 bells, but weighs 8350 pounds; price
2520 ducatons. To reach me it suffices to
place upon the letter: To Pieter Hemony,
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
and shipped, I am resolved to dismiss my workmen 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
friends, among whom Your Reverence holds the first
place."
The contrasts in the character of Pieter
Hemony 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
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 93
bass of carillons, a good fighter for his musi-
cal opinions. While he was making carillons
at Amsterdam, he was at the same time cast-
ing cannons at Zutfen. Thus while Louis
XIV was warring against the Low Countries,
this master founder was busy forging mighty
engines of destruction to gain victories and
gigantic instruments of music to celebrate
them.
During 35 years the Hemonys made scores
of carillons, the total value of which van der
Straeten says was surely more than three mill-
ions of francs, an enormous sum for the time.
In a letter of 1677 or 1678 to Dr. Booth of
Utrecht, Pieter Hemony says:
"I understand that you are curious to know how many
carillons we have made and where. I therefore send you
a specified statement thereof, marked in the margin with
the letters F — P, that is, Frans and Pieter, the two letters
before an entry indicating that both of us together worked
on the carillon and a single letter showing that only one
of us worked on it."
Then follows a list of 47 carillons aggregating
790,000 pounds; and though several known to
94 TOWER MUSIC IN
have been made by the Hemonys 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 Hemonys; in
Belgium, most of the present bells of Mechlin
and of Antwerp are by them; while outside
the Netherlands they supplied carillons to
Stockholm, Hamburg, Mainz, 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
in Holland, conducted a foundry at Mechlin,
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
Mechlin (1566-1629), St. Trond and Tide-
THE LOW COUNTRIES 95
mont (1629-1790), and Louvain (1790-1914),
Felix van Aerschodt being the present repre-
sentative of the famous family of founders.
Mr. X. V. F. van Elewyck has published an
interesting sketch of the van den Gheyns.
From their foundry came the bells of Nime-
guen, Nykerk, Louvain (S. Gertrude's), and
Schiedam, and most of the bells of the nine-
teenth century come from the workshop of
the van Aerschodts. Many carillons have
been increased by them and they have fur-
nished complete carillons to Ypres, Courtrai,
and Cattistock in England.
Dumery (or du Mery) is a name also
famous in carillon founding and one that ap-
pears on many bells. The head of the family
Joris (or Georges) was born at Antwerp in
1699 and his work was continued by his sons,
Willem and Jacob, the latter dying at Bruges
in 1836. The greatest Dumery carillon is that
in the belfry of Bruges, made in 1743.
A family early celebrated for bell making,
is that of Waghevens. The first of that name
96 CARILLONS OF
was Hendrik (or Henri) who in 1462, was a
bell founder, probably at Mechlin. His sons,
Simon, Pierre, and Georges, succeeded him.
In the next generation, Jacques, Medard, and
Jean were founders, and in the next genera-
tion was another Medard. No large set of
their making now exists but single bells by
them are found at Mechlin, Tournai and sev-
eral other towns. Dr. van Doorslaer's "Les
Waghevens" is a classic in bell literature.
Yet another skilled carillon founder is Mel-
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." Born
about 1630 at Antwerp, he became a pupil of
the Hemonys and was one of their successors,
surviving the younger brother by a score of
years. His best bells are at the Hague.
J. Petit 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
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 97
was moved to Aarle-Rixtel by his grandson,
Hendrik Petit, and he had as his successor
his nephew, Hendrik Fritsen. The firm now
bears the name of Petit and Fritsen
Many other names are associated with caril-
lon making, among them that of Mammes (or
Mammertus) Fremy of Amsterdam, a nephew
and pupil of the Hemonys, who in 1687 made
the bells at Leeuwarden. Of him Pieter
Hemony wrote to his friend the prior in 1677,
"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
are G. Witlockx of Antwerp, who in 1715
made a noted carillon for Ath, consumed in
1817; Noorden and de Grave, makers of the
bells of Middleburg and Louvain (S. Peter) ;
and J. N. Derk of Hoorn, who in 1757 made
a carillon for S. Petersburg. The best-known
carillon founders of the present day are Felix
van Aerschodt of Louvain, of whom mention
has already been made, and John Taylor and
98 TOWER MUSIC IN
Company of Loughborough, England, whose
carillons in the towers at Appingedam, Flush-
ing, and Eindhoven 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-
sterdam for 1643, that f°r tf16 first carillon of
the Wester Kerk, was made with J. A. Leegh-
water, the famous engineer who first proposed
the drainage of the Haarlemmer Meer and
wrote on the subject a book which passed
through several editions. The following
story, told by Schaepkens with reference to
Maastricht, shows the usual procedure fol-
lowed in obtaining a new set of bells :
"In May 1668 the council, considering that the arse-
nal of the town contained a quantity of bronze resolved
to have founded a carillon which should serve the clock
in the tower then building. The burgomaster Conincx
made report in July of a conference he had had at Am-
sterdam with Frans Hemony and communicated the con-
ditions of the proposed contract, which were read and
THE LOW COUNTRIES 99
approved by the council. The founder engaged to fur-
nish 28 attuned bells such as he had recently deliv-
ered to the town of Diest. Before acceptance of the bells
the burgomaster was to have them examined and ap-
proved at Amsterdam by musicians of his own choice.
The founder was to pay the cost of transporting the bells
to Dordrecht and from there the cost of transportation
was to be borne by Maastricht. The founder was to
receive as much old metal as the new bells should weigh
and for the making and the hand-work Maastricht was
to pay him the sum of 3,300 florins in three payments, the
first, three months after the delivery, and the second and
third, at the expiration of the second and third years.
Maastricht delivered by boat at Amsterdam bells of the
old belfry to the amount of 6270 pounds and 1100 pounds
of lions of bronze which had ornamented the balcony of
the old Town Hall. The same boatman carried back
to Maastricht the new carillon. On its arrival, the bur-
gomaster honoured it by a ceremonious banquet and fes-
tivity."
This was the carillon that was temporarily
taken down during the siege of 1676.
In 1682 Mammertus Fremy engaged to de-
liver 27 bells to the Hague. But he failed to
make performance and a new contract was
made with Melchior de Haze, who in 1686
agreed to make for the Hague a carillon equal
100 CARILLONS OF
to the best in Amsterdam. When the bells
were delivered, certain experts held that they
did not conform to the contract and Quiryn
van Blankenburgh, who figured in the con-
troversy about the bass bells at Gouda, made
a report commenting separately upon nearly
every one of the bells. His criticism ex-
hausted the vocabulary of deficiency. The
bells of the first octave were disagreeable in
sound and were in discord with each other;
the 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. He
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
this A and therefore, might well be exchanged
for it." To only one of the smallest bells does
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 101
he give praise, describing it as "een zeer mooi
en helder klokje." But in spite of all this
criticism, the bells were accepted and are
heard today at the Hague.
When Brussels decided to get a new caril-
lon in 1711, the magistrates asked de Haze to
furnish it. G. Witlockx protested, saying in
his petition to the council, that 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 protecting the arts
practiced therein; and he appealed to the king
that a foreign master should not be preferred
to him. But his plea for protection to home
industries was of no avail and the contract
was made with de Haze.
Witlockx was, however, more successful in
an encounter with Ath. This town had had a
carillon since 1520, and the council, desiring
to give it "un cachet plus musical encore,"
determined in 1715 to purchase a new one.
102 TOWER MUSIC IN
When Witlockx delivered the bells, a contro-
versy arose as to whether they formed the
"concert irreprochable" he had promised. A
committee of experts from Liege, Lille, Cam-
brai, Mons, Hal, and Aalst was called in and
gave its decision against the town. Appar-
ently the council was still obdurate, for on
January 8, 1718, the sovereign council of the
Empire commanded it to pay Witlockx the
price fixed by the contract.
Of the Middleburg clock and carillon, the
latter bought in 1714, we have a very full ac-
count in the pamphlet of F. A. Hoefer. The
costs are calculated to have been :
Rebuilding the tower . . . 78,037 florins
The bells 49,322 "
The clockwork 4,728 "
The playing mechanism 26,731 "
Total ....158,818
Danzig was not satisfied with the bells it
had bought of Derk in 1737 and sent 18 of
them back to Hoorn. The carillonneur who
accompanied them had pitch pipes giving the
MIDDLEBURG: "LANGE JAN," THE ABBEY TOWER,
IN WINTER
THE LOW COUNTRIES 103
notes of the bells left at home. By filing, cut-
ting, and recasting, the 18 were made satis-
factory in tone, and after signing a certificate
to that effect, he took back the bells to Dan-
zig. This carillon was considered the finest
in Germany until its destruction by fire in
1911.
Perhaps the most interesting contract be-
cause of its exacting specifications was one
from which the following is quoted :
"This day, the 19th June 1751, have met together
the burgomasters and knights of Oudenaarde of the first
part, and Jean Baptiste Joseph Barbieux, son of Fran-
QOIS, and Frangois Bernard Joseph Flincon, 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
shall be altogether and each in itself sonorous, harmo-
nious, melodious, true, solid, good, beautiful, and well
finished, and respectively in relation the one to the other,
well proportioned, and of a proper and agreeable accord
as determined by the best taste and rules of music."
The contract called for 35 bells fitted and
adjusted to the clockwork; also for a drum
104 CARILLONS OF
and 2000 new pins; also for a new keyboard.
The largest of the bells was to weigh 1500
pounds and the entire carillon about 6000
pounds. But the bells did not conform to the
rigorous conditions, and the carillon was re-
jected.
The cost of bell-metal today is about the
same as it was in England and in the Nether-
lands in the seventeenth and eighteenth cen-
turies. In the time of the Hemonys, a tuned
bell sold for from 30 to 40 cents a pound,
the metal itself costing from 15 to 20 cents a
pound. Notwithstanding Longfellow's "heart
of iron" and Poe's "golden molten bells" and
the "silver bells" of many poets, the 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 21% to 25%.
A recent chemical analysis by Dr. Euwes of
some of the Hemony bells in the Zuider Kerk
at Amsterdam shows that the alloy used con-
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 105
sists exclusively of copper and tin, but not in
fixed proportions.
John Taylor and Company have been good
enough to write me (June, 1914) :
"The present price of bells averages about Is. 3d. per
pound net, tuned and finished at our works, exclusive
of packing. This is for all bells of 200 pounds weight
and heavier ; for bells of less than 200 pounds, the cost is
3d. per pound more, i.e., at the present time about Is. 6d.
per pound.
£ s. d.
"Thus the cost of a carillon of 42 bells
with largest of 9,260 pounds weight,
(4,200 kilos.) and total weight about
47,000 pounds, all cast of the purest metal,
of the best tone and in perfect tune, with
true harmonics (45,600 at Is. 3d. and
1,400 at Is. 6d.) would be about 2955 0 0
"The cost of the requisite clappers, fit-
tings, clavier (keyboard) and all necessary
connections for the 42 bells, also frame-
work, of our best make throughout, fitted
here, complete, ready for fixing, and marked
to take to pieces, would be about 700 0 0
"Automatic carillon machine, including
drum, hammers, wires, and springs, the
whole fitted up complete 810 0 0
"Total . . 4465 0 0"
106 TOWER MUSIC IN
They also inform me that the cost of a caril-
lon similar to that at Appingedam (two oc-
taves chromatic and weighing 4,500 pounds),
complete as above, would be £908.
Felix van Aerschodt, for a carillon of 42
bells, weighing 39,600 pounds, but with the
bass bell of the same weight as above, and
including keyboard and automatic playing
mechanism, gives a price of 130,000 francs.
He adds:
"My prices are based on the current price of the bell
metals. At present I estimate 3 francs per kilogram for
bells of from 200 to 8,000 kilograms. For bells of less
than 200 kilograms in weight, the price increases up to
5 francs per kilogram for the smallest bells."
In the United States, well-known founders,
such as the Meneely Bell Company of Troy,
N. Y., and Meneely and Company of Water-
vliet, N. Y., have not yet made carillons,
which require small bells, though their chimes
are found in many American cities.
The Hemonys, the van den Gheyns and the
Dumerys were the great founders of former
THE LOW COUNTRIES 107
times. Hemony's bells, generally speaking
are the best; they are bright, clear, and true —
epic in character. Van den Gheyn's bells are
similar. Dumery's are velvety, soft, and true
— elegiac in character.
Bells neither improve nor retrograde unless
cracks develop. While modern music accepts
certain combinations as chords not allowed by
earlier musicians, nevertheless the modern ear
seems more sensitive and exacting as to cor-
rectness of pitch. Carillons today by makers
such as van Aerschodt at Louvain, and Tay-
lor at Loughborough, are even more perfect
than those of former times.
In broad terms the pitch, or note, of bells
is determined by diameter. Their timbre, or
quality of sound, is affected by their general
shape, the thickness of their various parts, to-
gether with the alloy of which they are made.
Their volume, or possible loudness of sound,
depends chiefly upon their size and weight.
The pitch can be lowered by lengthening the
bottom diameter, and raised by shortening
108 CARILLONS 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-
erate limits, by filing or turning off the inside
at the bottom swell thus lengthening the in-
side diameter, or by cutting off a slight por-
tion of the rim, thus shortening the diameter.
In answer to my inquiry about tuning, Mr.
van Aerschodt 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
sonority. I cast a dozen small bells for a particular pitch
I desire and choose the best one. The larger bells I
make by exact formulas based upon the records of my
ancestors, the van den Gheyns."
In this connection, a thesis entitled "Ex-
perimented onderzoek van klokken van F.
Hemony," which gained for Mr. A. Vas
Nunes the degree of doctor at the University
of Amsterdam, deserves consideration. In his
investigation, he listened to the bells of the
AMSTERDAM
View from the Palace bell-level toward the South Church
PHOTOGRAPH BY W. G. RICE, JR.
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 109
Zuider Kerk at Amsterdam with special ref-
erence to the overtones which determine the
timbre, as was shown half a century ago by
Helmholz. The harmonics or overtones of a
bell are not what is usually understood by that
term. They all are principal notes dependent
upon the various curves of the bell. In a let-
ter of 1653 Frans Hemony declares that a bell
should give forth three octaves (the middle
one being the strike note), two fifths, and the
major and minor thirds. The theory of tun-
ing employed by the best English bell makers,
that formulated by Mr. W. W. Starmer, has
been summarized as follows:
"1. A bell must be in tune with itself before it can
possibly be in tune with others.
"2. Every bell has at least five tones (and in some
instances more), which can be most accurately tuned.
"3. These principal tones are: strike-note, nominal
(above), and hum-note (below), which three should be
perfect octaves with each other, and the tierce (minor
third), and the quint (perfect fifth) between the strike-
note and the nominal. All these must be in perfect tune
with each other.
"4. The timbre of a bell depends: (a) on the con-
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
height, width, and thickness proportions. These again
must be so adjusted as to admit of the several tones being
perfectly tuned without upsetting the ratio between the
thickness proportions and other dimensions of the bell."
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
bells are admittedly very difficult to tune.
As we consider the science of tuning we are
inevitably led to agree with van der Straeten
that: "A good bell 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-
cious as a violin by Stradivarius."
CHAPTER VII
"Die wahre Muslk ist allein furs Ohr."
GOETHE
A PECULIAR charm of carillon music
is due to the invisibility of the player.
The element of mystery is in the notes
that float down from the tower and while we
know that there is a performer, his movements
do not distract us from completely giving our-
selves up to the enjoyment of the sounds. To
Stevenson, we have seen, perception of the
charm came as he floated on an inland river;
to another voyager it was as he sailed at even-
ing on the North 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 music (which indeed
seemed the moonlight, made audible) in his
far-off unseen tower beyond the darkling sea
levels and the white glimmering fog-drifts."
ill
112 CARILLONS OF
Carillons have a peculiar association with
the water, for not only do many of them con-
stantly 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,
sun, nor wind, is not unlike the captain on his
bridge. And again, the view from the tower
over the flat Netherlandish countryside has
much to remind one of ocean reaches. Not 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 :
"From the top of the tower (S. Lawrence's), the
whole of Rotterdam can be 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,
the sky was clear, and I could see the waters of the Meuse
shining from the neighbourhood of Bois-le-Duc, nearly to
its mouth; the steeples of Dordrecht, Leiden, Delft, the
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 113
Hague, and Gouda were visible, but neither far nor near
was there a hill, a rising ground, a swell to interrupt the
straight and rigid line of the horizon. It was like a
green and motionless sea, where the steeples represented
masts of ships at anchor. The eye roamed over that im-
mense space with a sense of repose, and I felt, for the
first time, that indefinable sentiment inspired by the Dutch
landscape, which is neither pleasure, nor sadness, nor
ennui, but a mixture of all three, and which holds one
for a long time silent and motionless.
"Suddenly I was startled by the sound of strange
music coming from I knew not where. It was a chime
of bells ringing a lively air, the silvery notes now falling
slowly one by one, and now coming in groups, in strange
flourishes, in trills, in sonorous chords, a quaint dancing
strain, somewhat primitive, like the many-colored city,
on which its notes hovered like a flock of wild birds, or
like the city's natural voice, an echo of the antique life
of her people, recalling the sea, the solitudes, the huts,
and making one smile and sigh at the same moment. This
aerial concert is repeated every hour of the day and night,
in all the steeples of Holland, the tunes being national
airs, or from German or Italian operas. Thus in Hol-
land the passing hour sings, as if to distract the mind
from sad thoughts of flying time, and its song is of coun-
try, faith, and love, floating in harmony above the sordid
noises of the earth."
If the carillon is the outcome and the ex-
pression of Dutch character, it has certainly
114 TOWER MUSIC IN
also had its effect in moulding that character,
so open alike to the solemnity and to the hap-
piness of life. A graduate of Delft, now in a
foreign land, writes of his "many memories
of enchanting music heard unexpectedly in
the stillness of a winter night. Many a night,"
he says, "my friend 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."
What is this music, which, 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-
cially 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 COUNTRIES 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
eighths. The half-hour 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 1913 the hour tune was the
overture of Mozart's "Magic Flute" and the
half-hour tune Mendelssohn's "Spring Song."
In Flanders "Ons Vaderland" and "Arte-
velde" are favourites. At Bruges in 1914 there
were played at the four quarters, three tunes
by Benoit, the Belgian composer, and "Het
Liedje van den Smid" by Andelhof. There
is played at Oudenaarde at the time of the
annual archery contest of the Society of St.
George "The March of the Oath of the Arch-
116 CARILLONS OF
ers" and "The Song of the Oath of the Bow-
men of St. George." Once as the train paused
in Rotterdam, I heard "The Taking of Briel,"
and while we stopped at Gouda, the distant
notes of "Wilhelmus van Nassouwe" reached
us. When I was last in Middleburg, "Lange
Jan" enchanted us each hour with Mendels-
sohn's "Wedding March."
These examples are illustrative of the music
commonly heard today. Of ancient tunes we
have records too. T. H. de Sany, carillonneur
of Brussels, published in 1648 a list of the
tunes that he set for periodic play on his caril-
lon and that others also used. This list is in-
dicative 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 for the hour and another for
the half-hour. For Christmas there were five
special tunes, for Mardi Gras three, for Lent
four, for the Assumption (a great feast in Bel-
gium even to-day) six, for the month of May
three, for S. Michael's Day two, for S. John's
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 117
Day one, for Martyrs' Day two. S. Michael
is Brussels' patron saint, while the two days
last mentioned were special festivals there.
All three May songs were entitled "The Joy-
ful May," while at least one of the Christmas
tunes was a carol of which the Latin and
Netherlandish words were familiar. Besides
these tunes, de Sany gives a list of thirteen
French, Italian, and Spanish pieces for ferial
use, two of which, for instance, were always
played after the death of a Duke or Duchess
of Brabant. Gregoir and van der Straeten
give the music of some of these. If the bell-
master attended to making the many changes
which this large repertory seems to imply, he
must have been extremely busy and energetic.
There is an element in carillon music to
which, so far as I know, attention has never
heretofore been given. That element is the
variation in expression which results from the
influence that air currents, always present
more or less in the open, have in curving and
deflecting sound waves. By thus apparently
118 TOWER MUSIC IN
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
this partnership, is in two, three, or more
parts. Just as in clavier playing, it is the
smaller bells which are chiefly used, and so
the disturbing volume of sound characteristic
of most chimes, if heard nearby, is avoided.
The melody is frequently played 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
hammers strike, at Mechlin is of gun-metal,
five feet three inches in diameter, and was
made in 1733-34. It must be wound twice
daily and about 60,000 notes are played by it
every twenty-four hours, the barrel contain-
ing 1 80 longitudinal rows of holes, corre-
sponding to bars or measures of music. In
THE LOW COUNTRIES 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
towns (for Easter and for S. Bavon's Day in
October at Mechlin, 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 division on this rule comes opposite an
encircling 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
tune. There are a dozen or more different
forms of pins, the difference being in the off-
set, and the use of these varieties makes it pos-
sible to have a hammer strike its bell at any
one or 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 CARILLONS OF
them, which is accomplished by a trigger de-
vice. This makes the work of the drum 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-
ing mechanisms, is now possible. The deli-
cate trigger release permits the use of small
and accurate interchangeable cylinders, and by
slipping into place a duplicate cylinder, upon
which 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-
deed, there could be many of these cylinders
ready, their use resembling that of cylinders
in a phonograph. This trigger device is not
applicable to clavier play, for it, like the un-
successful pneumatic and electrical appli-
ances, would deprive the carillonneur of the
opportunity of putting any expression into his
playing. The Belgian carillons, many of
MECHLIN: TRANSMISSION BARS AND WIRES
These connect the keys of the key board with the clappers
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 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 1 80 longitudinal rows of holes at
Mechlin correspond to the 180 measures
played by clockwork each hour, while the 134
encircling rows correspond to the 134 ham-
mers which are arranged to strike the 45 bells,
some of these being equipped with as many as
five hammers apiece. The 180 bars are played
as follows:
Before the hour 108 bars
Before the half -hour 48 "
At the two other quarters, 8
bars each 16 "
At the four other eighths, 2 bars
each 8 "
Total 1 80 "
Quite as indefatigible as S. Rombold's bells
at Mechlin 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 IN
"One cannot say more for persistent chimes
than this — at Middleburg it is no misfortune
to wake in the night!"
That it is not a delight to all, however, is
shown by the opinion of one old French
writer, who describes this ringing of bells
every seven and one-half minutes as "a kind
of torture that Dante, if he had placed musi-
cians in his inferno, would have certainly
imagined for them." But 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 for the carillon
have been organists. Fischer, writing in 1738,
says to play well requires "a musician with a
good knowledge of music, good hands and
THE LOW COUNTRIES 123
feet, and no gout." Notwithstanding these
simple requirements, such playing seems not
always to have kept its high standards for we
find Gregoir deploring the decadence of the
art and asking "Where do you find today the
carillonneur that is capable of playing varia-
tions, trills, arpeggios, and fugues?" Hap-
pily in our time a revival has come, and as
the great competition of 1910 showed, there
are many that can meet both past standards
and present day requirements.
And this leads to the subject of music for
clavier play. Mr. Prosper Verheyden of
Antwerp has recently said:
"It is easy to explain the almost entire absence of
music written specially for carillon playing, for carillons
differ much among themselves. According to the wealth
of the cities which had them founded, the number of their
bells varies from 2^2 to over 4 octaves, and their bass
bell may be either large or small. In fact, the only music
written for the carillon and played with complete suc-
cess is the work of carillonneurs, and of very few caril-
lonneurs at that. There is the series of preludes by
Matthias van den Gheyn, the bell-master of Louvain in
the eighteenth century; then there is the fine suite of
124 CARILLONS OF
preludes by Josef Denyn; and finally there is a sonata
for the carillon by Gustaaf van Hoey, director of the
School of Music at Mechlin, who was an amateur caril-
lonneur at the time Adolf Denyn lavished his treasures
of music upon the few who listened in his day. One finds
here and there compositions 'for the carillon,' but these
usually show a complete ignorance of all the peculiarities
of the instrument. Even Benoit's 'Beiaardlied' ('Carillon
Song') is not really written to show to advantage a set
of bells."
Mr. Starmer mentions also as composers for
the carillon, Pothoff of Amsterdam in the
eighteenth century and J. A. H. Wagenaar,
senior, of Utrecht in the nineteenth century,
who like van den Gheyn were both organ-
ists 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-
ception will be obtained by thinking of it as
resembling an organ in majesty and a piano-
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 125
forte in delicacy, but with harmonies aerial
and unbounded. Like every other instrument
it must be judged when well-attuned and me-
chanically perfect. Awakened by the hand of
a master then, this tower music seems to come
from the heavens, the 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 500
feet from the bells and should combine quiet
and an unobstructed view of the louver win-
dows or the lantern of the tower. At Ant-
werp such places are the courtyard of the
Plantyn Museum (not accessible in the even-
ing) and the square in front of the Stadhuis
(noisy in the daytime) ; at Ghent one should
stand in S. Baafsstraat near the entrance to
the curious miniature chapel at the north side
of the cathedral, and at Ypres, at the farther
end of the Vandenpeereboomplaats. At
Bruges, there are several excellent places, the
126 TOWER MUSIC IN
belfry so dominates the city. Among these are
Zilverstraat near the corner of Giststraat, and
the Dyver. During evening concerts all traf-
fic on this quay, as well as in the Groote
Markt and the Burgplaats, is stopped. At
Mechlin too, traffic is stopped in the Groote
Markt. This square, the Straatje zonder
Einde and the Melaan are the best places to
listen there. Quiet places at Middleburg 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
office courtyard. At Haarlem, I suggest, the
Vaarmersstraat; at Delft, the canal bridges
behind the Nieuwe Kerk; and at Utrecht, the
garden behind the police offices near the Stad-
huis. For one crossing the river at Nimeguen
on the old-time current ferry, there is a rare
view of S. Stephen's, crowning the hill on
which the city is built, and there, on the water,
is preeminently the place from which to hear
the bells.
In not a few of these towers the carillon has
THE LOW COUNTRIES 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:
"Saturday for the country folk,
And Monday for the city,
Sunday for girls who charm the men
And make themselves so pretty."
Sunday concerts, whether intended as an aid
to courting or not, are nearly universal in Bel-
gium. Monday playing was specified in the
rules governing the carillonneur of Mechlin
as early as 1617, that being then the day of
the town council meeting. The council now
meets on another day, but tradition keeps the
play on Monday noon except in the months
when recitals are given Monday evening. As
on Saturday at Mechlin, so in nearly every
other town, a morning concert is given on the
day of the market, which usually is held in
the square upon which the tower looks down.
Thus at Alkmaar the bells are played for the
128 CARILLONS 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.
Besides the times of the horse markets, the
cheese markets, the butter markets, the egg
markets, the grain markets, the cattle markets,
the fish markets, and the miscellaneous mar-
kets, when the carillon is played, there are
the national holidays and the birthdays of the
royal family when the bells join in the re-
joicing. Also in all parts of Flanders and
Holland special local days are celebrated, as
at Briel, Alkmaar, and Leiden. The week of
the kermis in a town of the Low Countries
usually calls for special carillon playing. At
Antwerp, Ypres, and other Belgian 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-
sponding with this festive playing, is the an-
MECHLIN: THE KEY BOARD
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 129
nual month-long welcome of spring when
"Meideuntjes" ("May Songs") are given, as
at Middleburg, Gouda, and Utrecht. And
most enjoyable of all are concerts in sum-
mer evenings at Mechlin, Antwerp, Bruges,
Utrecht, and several other towns.
The claviers are arranged on the same prin-
ciple as the manuals and pedals of the organ.
The measurements given in the following de-
scription are those of the instrument at Mech-
lin. The 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 3J4". Those of the
lower row correspond to the white notes and
project 6*/2". The vertical movement of the
keys when struck is 2^". 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 foot. The
upper row of pedals projects 4." and the lower
8y2". The pedal board is needed because
large bells require more force to bring out
130 TOWER MUSIC
their tones. By 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
organs and Hemony's approval of their omis-
sion in carillons has already been mentioned.
CHAPTER VIII
"Wie vint zlch met
Verplicht uw ryk vernuft te danken?"
FOOT
ONE of the earliest references to caril-
lonneurs occurs in the records of Am-
sterdam where we find Stoffel Laur-
rensz mentioned as such in 1555. As caril-
lons became common, entries in the records of
the town concerning the wages, allowances,
and emoluments of carillonneurs are frequent.
In Amsterdam, when carillons were bought
for the City Hall and Exchange towers, they
and whatever bells existed in the Jan Roon
Gate were played by one van Neck, for which
he received 527 florins a year; for playing in
the Old Church and Mint towers, one Haver-
kamp had 500 florins; and for the South
Church, Herring Packers', and Montelban's
towers, one van Dort received 405 florins.
Pieter Pater was appointed to the office of
131
132 CARILLONS OF
carillonneur at the Hague about 1670, and an
admirer celebrated his elevation in a verse
entitled "A High Office":
"No place is there higher on land or on water;
No station is higher of council or town ;
No higher position's the gift of the crown ;
Than that which is held now by Heer Pieter Pater.
Next his, e'en those of his Highness seem small.
God bless thee, O Bell-Prince of our ancient tower!
For thousands feel daily the spell of thy power;
Next to Heaven thou art; in the Hague above all."
Of various kinds were the employment con-
tracts, and quite curious is one which was re-
corded in the Registry (kept since 1303) of
Oudenaarde. It reads in this wise:
"I, the undersigned Pieter Chatelet, excellent beiaard-
ier, promise the guild of S. Jacob to play on the beiaard
on S. Jacob's Day as long as I live, unless I am sick or
out of town, for my burial costs.
Done the 26 July 1681.
By me P. Chatelet, 1681."
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 Foot
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 133
while he lived; and when he died, upon his
tomb in the New Church at Delft was in-
scribed: "Here lies Dirck Scholl, who for
more than two and sixty years made the caril-
lon in the Nieuwe Kerk to live," and follow-
ing this there is mention of his work as an or-
ganist.
When Charles Burney came to Amsterdam
in 1772, he found there a carillonneur of great
fame whose playing he describes :
"At noon I attended M. Pothoff, who is not young and
totally blind, to the tower of the Stad-huys or town house
(now the Palace), of which he is carillonneur; he has
had this employment many years, having been elected to
it at the age of thirteen. He had very much astonished
me on the organ after all I had heard in the rest of Eu-
rope; but in playing these bells his amazing dexterity
raised my wonder much higher, for he executed with his
two hands passages that would be very difficult to play
with ten fingers; shakes, beats, swift divisions, triplets,
and even arpeggios he has contrived to vanquish.
"He began with a Psalm tune, with which their high
Mightinesses are chiefly delighted, and which they re-
quire at 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
had performed this task, he was so obliging as to play a
134 TOWER MUSIC IN
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 difficulty and the defects of the instrument; he
never played in less than three parts, making 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
to require little other merit than force, in the performer."
An even more famous carillonneur of the
same period, whose compositions both for the
carillon and for the organ are still in use, was
Matthias van den Gheyn, son of Andreas van
den Gheyn, the most distinguished founder
of that name. In 1741, Matthias at the age
of 20 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
notable victory. Not only did he compose
for the carillon, but "Every Sunday," Fetis
tells us, "he improvised for half an hour, and
his charm was such that long before he com-
AMSTERDAM
Carillonneur Vincent before his instrument in the Tower of the Palace,
•where Pothoff once played
PHOTOGRAPH BY W. G. RICE, JR.
THE LOW COUNTRIES 135
menced, the Place St. Pierre and the adja-
cent streets were 'encombrees par la popula-
tion.' "
The carillon of S. Rombold's at Mechlin,
generally admitted to be the finest that exists,
was saved from destruction in 1792 by the
diplomacy of Gerard Gommaire Haverals,
the carillonneur at the time. The revolu-
tionary council had decreed that the Mechlin
bells should be melted and made into cannon,
when Haverals by his eloquence and clever-
ness persuaded the French authorities that one
carillon should be preserved. Otherwise, he
asked, how properly could be celebrated "la
gloire de la republique?" A few years later
the reaction came, and he was given a sharp
reprimand by the town council because of
the republican songs 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-
136 CARILLONS OF
dued and he continued as carillonneur until
he died in 1841, being on the verge of four
score years, and having played the bells in S.
Rombold's tower continuously since he was
seventeen. Fetis, in his "Biographic univer-
selle des musiciens," says of him:
"Haverals was a distinguished artist of his kind. A
good harmonist, he executed on his bells very difficult
compositions in three parts, sonatas, fantasies, and fugues.
He also had a remarkable gift for improvising variations
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 for comparison. Sometimes the caril-
lonneur 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.
MECHLIN: THE BELLS
This shows bells hung in straight rows, the best arrangement
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 137
At Utrecht in 1588 the carillonneur had 12
Dutch pounds, 10 shillings (75 florins) each
half year for which he was to play twice a
week "for the recreation of the city" and to
take care of the clock. He was further re-
quired to teach each year one or two pupils
to play, for which purpose the city provided
him with a little practicing carillon. In
other towns the carillonneur was required to
instruct orphans in his art, as at Nivelles.
Emile Fourdin describes the conditions there
in 1587:
"At this epoch, the service of the carillon 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
and that of the chateau; he was also required, as much
as possible, to sing in the choir with the other singers.
"He received each year, for his services, the sum of
200 French pounds and six measures of wheat, besides
the emoluments coming from dedications, marriages,
burial services, anniversaries, and votive masses. He
was forbidden to play immoral songs or improper airs ; he
was required to play hymns or ecclesiastical chants, proper
to a divine service.
"One other condition was imposed upon the carillon-
138 TOWER MUSIC IN
neur, that was to initiate in his art some child from the
orphan house, designated by 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
little and greater bells, intended to provide for the
musical instruction of the children, the future carillon-
neurs."
At Alkmaar in 1684 d*6 PaY was 5°°
guilders a year, very high for that time, but
this carillonneur was evidently persuasive for
he asked for and got a new carillon of 35 bells.
Many thousands, the records say, were present
at the first concert in 1688. At Middleburg
the published records cover the period from
1592 to 1879 and the carillonneur's pay ranges
from 12 Dutch pounds (72 florins) in the first
year mentioned to 350 florins in the last, with
varying duties.
I am informed that the compensation of
the carillonneur at Antwerp today is 1800
francs, while at Mechlin, it is 2500 francs,
and for special play at marriages, the Mechlin
carillonneur has 50 francs. His duties are
solely to play the carillon at specified times
THE LOW COUNTRIES 139
and to set tunes. The oiling and winding of
all the machinery and the care of the clock
is the duty of his assistant, a mechanic, who
aids him in keeping the adjustment perfect for
the concerts. For each recital that he gives
at Antwerp, the carillonneur of Mechlin re-
ceives 150 francs. While the honour of being
a carillonneur is great, the pay is small. He
must therefore have some other occupation to
supplement his salary from the town.
Of the playing ability of the principal pres-
ent day carillonneurs, I shall speak in the next
chapter. But before coming to that, I wish
to say a few words of their character and
kindness to those who interest themselves in
their art.
It seems a frequent occurrence for carillon
playing, like bell founding, to run in a family.
I might mention the three generations of Tex-
tors of Schiedam, who have played 123 years,
the Nauwelaerts of Lier, who have played
nearly one hundred years, Adolf and Josef
Denyn of Mechlin, the Wagenaars of Utrecht,
140 CARILLONS OF
and several others. The family tradition has
made such men particularly proud of their
art. Had it not been for the interest and
courtesy of these and many other carillonneurs
throughout the greater Netherlands, 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-
lon of the Great Church tower. Bruges 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
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 141
the 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-
way, would show charms heretofore unknown
to old lovers of these lands and tell new trav-
ellers things not catalogued in any book?
When we first became interested in Low
Country bell music, we applied to the "Cen-
traal Bureau voor Vreemdelingenverkeer"
at the Hague. Under the shelter of that im-
posing name is found an admirable organisa-
tion maintained by the railways of the Nether-
lands. Gratuitously it solves difficulties for
the traveller, arranges his journeys, and an-
swers his inquiries. Information about caril-
lons, however, had never before been sought
and little was forthcoming. Thereupon we
set forth to find the carillonneur at the
142 TOWER MUSIC IN
Hague; courteously he gave us suggestions
and advised us to consult the bell-master at
Gouda. So we betook ourselves to Gouda and
sought out the enthusiastic Mr. van Zuylen.
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-
umes. By the best of 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
Klokkenist" of the principal Dutch and Flem-
THE LOW COUNTRIES 143
ish towns. That honourable title was sufficient
without any personal name.
By noon the next day replies began to come
in. The long time old "portier" at the Hotel
Ouden Doelen, so affectionately regarded by
many a traveller, was immensely interested in
this postcard campaign. Patriotically he had
corrected and improved the Dutch before the
cards went out. A morning or two later as he
held up a dozen answers to his ear, as if listen-
ing to their message, he greeted me with:
"Hush, I hear carillons ringing all through
the land." With the answers came many spe-
cial invitations. Once we were asked to take
coffee at the house of a carillonneur after the
morning concert, and several times a bell-
master volunteered (if the burgomaster gave
permission) to play at some other time than
the regular hour, if it would convenience us.
One of the early trips we made was to Briel,
where Mr. Borstlap, electrician by vocation
and carillonneur by avocation, had obtained
at his own suggestion special permission to
144 CARILLONS OF
play for us. He and his daughter were wait-
ing to welcome us when our boat arrived.
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. Both going to and returning from
this historic town, we passed through Vlaar-
dingen, which happened that day to be cele-
brating the centenary of the departure of the
French (as did all the towns in the Kingdom
at different times during 1913 and 1914), 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.
Not content with hearing one carillon, we
went also to Schiedam and Delft that day.
At Schiedam, Mr. 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
X"-
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 145
into the tower room, where all the machinery
was polished like a mirror. A board fastened
with a padlock was inserted between the two
rows of keys of the manual so that he had
to unlock his instrument before he sat down
to play for us. Everything, indeed, was in
perfect order and showed the loving care of
the old musician. At each end of the clavier
was a large candle, which served to illuminate
the room for his evening concerts. Our hos-
pitable friend would not let us leave till we
had gone to his house and drunk with him a
glass of Schiedam schnaps.
At Delft, the kermis was in progress and
though this made hearing the bells almost im-
possible, we greatly enjoyed seeing the merri-
ment and eating the many kinds of waffles and
poffetjes. Indeed a carillon enthusiast should
ever be ready to enjoy other attractions as well
as bells.
Many other and longer trips followed, and
with the pleasure of these excursions in mind,
I offer a few suggestions as to the order in
146 TOWER MUSIC IN
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
right triangle with Malmedy, southeast of
Liege, at its right angle, and with its hypoth-
enuse, running from Boulogne to the mouth
of the Ems, northeast of Groningen, along
the North Sea coast-line of Belgium and Hol-
land.
Tours might be as follows:
BELGIUM
I. Landing at Antwerp ; thence to S. Nik-
lass, Ghent, Bruges, Ypres, Courtrai, Oude-
naarde, Aalst, Louvain, and Mechlin.
HOLLAND
II. Landing at Rotterdam; thence to Schie-
dam, Delft, the Hague, Leiden, Haarlem,
Alkmaar, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Gouda.
Another short tour could begin at Flushing
THE LOW COUNTRIES 147
and include Middleburg and Veere; and in a
tour in the eastern part of the country one
should go to Arnhem, Zutfen, Kampen, Gro-
ningen, and Appingedam. In Belgium, 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
best in Chapter III and some others, and in-
clude 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
for the days and hours of play in each place.
However the tours are arranged, none is com-
plete without including Mechlin on some
Monday evening in June, August, or Sep-
tember, when Josef Denyn gives his concerts.
CHAPTER IX
"Tons les maitres lancent a travers I'espace leur
melopees tendres ou plaintives, ardentes ou triomphales"
N. VERSCHAVE
MECHLIN'S has always been num-
bered among the finest carillons.
The name "beyaert" was applied to
the bells of S. Rombold's tower for the first
time in 1556, and in 1557 a carillonneur was
appointed at a salary of 36 florins a year. In
1563 we know there were 18 bells, of which
10 were by Waghevens, 2 came from Ant-
werp, and the remaining 6 had been part of
the voorslag. This carillon was already fa-
mous in 1575, for commissioners from Ypres
came then to examine it. In 1583 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
29. In 1679 the carillon was largely renewed,
1 1 of the old bells being retained and 32 new
148
YPRES: THE CLOTH HALL TOWER
SKETCH BY JEAN BAES
I
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 149
ones purchased of Pieter Hemony, 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 order to select
the most capable person to fill it. The earliest
contest of this character was in 1599, when
two applicants came from Mons and one from
Dixmude. But the most important one took
place in 1788 when there were six entrants
from various parts of Belgium and when
Haverals, 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 somewhat embellished
account by Haweis of the one at Louvain to
which allusion was made in the preceding
chapter:
"On the 1st of July, 1745, the town of Louvain was
astir at an early hour: the worthy citizens might be seen
chatting eagerly at their shop doors, 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
150 TOWER MUSIC IN
Louvain, which is bounded on one side by the town hall,
and on the other by the church of S. Peter. Among the
crowd might be observed not only many of the most emi-
nent musicians in Belgium, but 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
organist of S. Peter's, who was descended from the great
family of bell-founders in Belgium, and whose name was
already well known throughout the country, Matthias van
den Gheyn.
"The nobility, the clergy, the magistrates, the burgo-
masters— in short, the powers civil and ecclesiastical, had
assembled in force to give weight to the proceedings. As
the hour approached, not only the great 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
in the City of London on Lord Mayor's Day.
"Each competitor was to play at sight the airs which
were to be given to him at the time, and the same pieces
were to be given to each in turn. To prevent all pos-
sible collusion between the 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
the strictest secrecy, and the players were to take their
seats as the lots fell upon them. The names of the trial
THE LOW COUNTRIES 151
pieces have been preserved, and the curiosity of posterity
may derive some satisfaction from the perusal of the fol-
lowing list, highly characteristic of the musical taste of
that epoch in Belgium: 'La Folie d'Hispanie,1 'La Ber-
gerie/ 'Caprice/ and one 'Andante.'
"M. Loret got through his task very creditably. Next
to him came M. Leblancq, who completely broke down
in 'La Bergerie/ being unable to read the music. M. van
Driessche came third, and gave general satisfaction. M.
de Laet was fourth, but he too found the difficulties of
'La Bergerie' insuperable, and gave it up in despair.
Lastly came Matthias van den Gheyn ; and before he got
through his task, the judges and the great assembly be-
sides had probably made up their minds; there was no
comparison between him and his predecessors. Loret
and van Driesscher, both eminent professors, were indeed
placed second, but beyond all shadow of a doubt the last
competitor was the only man worthy to make carillon
music for the town and neighbourhood of Louvain, and
accordingly van den Gheyn was duly installed in the
honourable post of carillonneur, which he held conjointly
with that of organist of S. Peter's. His duties consisted
in playing the bells every Sunday for the people, also on
all the regular festivals of the Church, on the municipal
feast-days, besides a variety of special occasions — in short,
whenever the town thought fit. He was bound to have
his bells in tune, and forbidden to allow any one to take
his place as deputy on the great occasions. His salary
was small, but there were extra fees awarded him upon
great occasions, and, on the whole, he doubtless found his
152 CARILLONS OF
post tolerably lucrative, without being by any means a
sinecure."
When carillons were inaugurated, experts
frequently met to pass upon the work. Gre-
goir mentions one of these assemblies at
Bruges in 1743 when the bells of Dumery,
still famous today, were judged "the most ar-
tistic and best attuned in Europe." Again at
Bruges, in 1912, there was a competition for
prizes for playing, which carillonneurs from
many parts of Belgium entered. The mani-
festation at that time of the mechanical de-
fects of this instrument led to its rearrange-
ment and improvement two years later, so that
it is now in excellent shape.
Mechlin, too, has recently been the scene of
prize competitions, one on June 27, 1897, of
minor importance, and one on August 21 and
22, 1910, which, according to the Musical
Standard (London), was attended by 30,000
people. No other event in carillon history
brought together so large a list of competi-
tors. From Belgium came eight professionals
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 153
and two amateurs and from Holland five
professionals and one amateur. Of the five
judges, one was from England. The address
of the President, Mr. Denyn, and the greater
part of the report of the judges is printed in
Appendix E. This report, written by Mr.
Denyn, is not only a careful estimate of the
merits and defects of each competitor, but em-
bodies also what is virtually a treatise on the
capabilities of the carillon and the rules which
should govern the choice of music for playing.
It is a century 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-
neurs) delighting gathered masses of the peo-
ple. Of this E. B. Osborn, in a special article
on "Carillon Music," gives an account, an ac-
count not based on tradition, but of what he
himself saw and heard:
"It was not until I heard the chief bell-masters of Bel-
gium and Holland playing on the great carillon at Mech-
lin in August 1910 that the range and power of the key-
154 TOWER MUSIC IN
board carillon were fully revealed to me. It was a fes-
tival of carillon players. The King of the Belgians had
offered prizes for the best executants, and throughout the
two days of competition the great square of the Groote
Markt was thronged with eager and attentive listeners.
Mr. Denyn's 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
of the possibilities, explored and unexplored, of the art
of bell music. The first piece was a stately and sonorous
Prelude, which might have been written by Bach, and
was Mr. Denyn's own composition, a long-meditated
tribute to the occasion. Peter Benoit's "Myn Moeder-
spraak" was rendered with bewitching delicacy. But per-
haps the most interesting and instructive of Mr. Denyn's
selections was a set of ancient French ditties made for
carillons at various dates. This was really a brief and
delightful history of the evolution of bell music."
In general Mr. Denyn begins a concert
with some brilliant piece, which immediately
takes his audience captive and compels its at-
tention, something perhaps by Verdi or Bach.
Toward the middle of the programme come
pieces which require the utmost skill, such as
a sonata by Nicolai or a work of some ancient
composer, like Pleyel or Kraft, which he has
adapted to the carillon in a marvellous fash-
THE LOW COUNTRIES 155
ion. The concert usually ends with music ex-
pressing deep emotions, a stirring piece by
Benoit or a tender song by Schubert. Besides
the brilliant numbers, in every programme
will be found one or two groups of simple airs,
folk-songs or the like. Handsomely printed
pamphlets giving the programme of the sum-
mer evening concerts are issued in four lan-
guages with illustrations and other informa-
tion at Antwerp and Mechlin. Mr. Denyn's
concert on July 9, 1914, at Antwerp is fairly
typical :
1. Jerusalem G. VERDI
2. a) Consdencelied JEF VAN HOOF
b) Bede JOHN DIEDRICH
3. a) Lob der T kronen ^|
b) Romanze aus Rosamunde V FR. SCHUBERT
c) Fruhlingsglaube j
4. Sonate HI V. NICOLAI
5. a) Myn hart is vol verlangen ~\
b) Heeft het roosje milde geuren I PETER BENOIT
c) Myn Moederspraak
Nor is Denyn solely a great virtuoso. He
is also a rejuvenator of an ancient art. For
156 CARILLONS 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-
werp, Louvain, Mons, and Bruges, and is
often called in consultation where improve-
ments are contemplated.
At any time Mechlin is an interesting place,
but on Monday, July i, 1912, it was particu-
larly so. The city was decked with flags ; the
great bells were ringing; the carillon was
played by the finest players of Belgium and
Holland, and for the lovers of bell music, it
was a day of rejoicing. The celebration was
in honour of Josef Denyn, for twenty-five
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-
lonneur from his admirers and friends. The
most touching of them all was a simple bou-
quet of flowers presented by a blind woman
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 157
on behalf of the colony of laceworkers 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 of the new bell from the foundry of van
Aerschodt. This was set up in the Grand'
Place and exhibited throughout the day. It
had been subscribed for by the public and pre-
sented to Mr. Denyn 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 Denyn with this
inscription in Flemish : — "To the great caril-
lonneur, Jef Denyn, from an admiring pub-
lic."
In the afternoon a carillon recital was given
in honour of the occasion by the best players
of Belgium and Holland. Carillonneurs Re-
doute of Mons, Igodt of Ypres, van Zuylen of
Gouda, Nauwelaerts, then of Lier, now of
Bruges, and many others took part. This re-
158 TOWER MUSIC IN
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
Mr. Denyn approached the tower door of S.
Rombold's, he must have been thrilled and
inspired by the immense audience numbering,
so the Musical Times (London) says, between
20,000 and 40,000 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
van den Gheyn's difficult 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-
ment of the eighteenth century melody, "Je
n'irai plus au bois" or the real life imparted to
the sixteenth century dance, "La Romanesca."
THE LOW COUNTRIES 159
Immediately after the concert, a procession
was formed in which all the societies of the
city were represented. They marched to the
accompaniment of the ringing of the great
bell and the playing of national melodies on
the carillon, to the Concert Hall in Merode-
straat. This large room was soon filled to its
utmost capacity. The chair was taken by
the Burgomaster, Mr. Dessain, who was sup-
ported by many officials, provincial and muni-
cipal. The chairman, in opening the proceed-
ings, announced amid tumultuous applause
that the King had conferred upon Mr. Denyn
"La Croix de Chevalier de FOrdre de Leo-
pold" and then read a telegram of congratula-
tion from the King and Queen. He pinned on
Mr. Denyn the medal of the First Class for
twenty-five years of distinguished service to
his country. Besides this he gave him a medal
from the City of Mechlin.
The new bell was then formally presented
and finally came the gift of the great album
containing autographic notes expressing many
160 CARILLONS 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
brief musical compositions, the whole being
a unique tribute from over a hundred well
known public men, musicians, poets, and
artists.
When the presentation had been finished,
Mr. W. W. Starmer said, on behalf of ad-
mirers of bell music in foreign lands:
"The great Handel is credited with the statement that
the bell is the English national instrument, and centuries
ago England was called the ringing isle. We love the
music of the bells, but our change ringing — clever 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
best music for it; your executive skill, in which you have
no equal, and other qualifications give you the highest
position as an artist. Long may you live to maintain
and excel in the best traditions of your art."
This speech was received with great en-
thusiasm, and Mr. Denyn, much affected by
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 161
the honours and tributes that had come to him,
briefly replied. So passed a day which 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
memory. But happily a movement is under
way which will preserve 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
direction of Josef Denyn at Mechlin. Prop-
erly equipped with means for practice and
affording competent instruction, such a school
should have a constant quota of students from
all the carillon region and could soon furnish
many well qualified players. Belgium pos-
sesses five great carillons, those at Antwerp,
Bruges, Ghent, Louvain (S. Peter's), and
Mechlin, all with large range, perfected cla-
vier, and adjustments of the most modern sort.
Following them come ten others of the first
162 TOWER MUSIC IN
order, instruments of smaller compass and less
perfect mechanism, but capable of being made
as good as any without great expense. Be-
sides these, Belgium has some thirty or forty
other carillons whose pleasure-giving ability,
to say the least, can be greatly increased. In
Holland, too, though it now contains no in-
struments equal to Belgium'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
concerts. Most, if not all, of those now quali-
fied have gained their technical skill by con-
tact with or teaching by Denyn himself.
Fully one hundred are needed to supply all
the carillons now equipped with keyboards.
The municipality of Mechlin has offered
the necessary housing for the school with heat,
light, and care, while the national government
has decided to grant an annual subvention
THE LOW COUNTRIES 163
toward the teaching expenses. Thus has been
made a provision for about one-half the esti-
mated annual expense of 11,000 francs neces-
sary to carry on such an enterprise. The hope
is that from private sources will come gifts in
the form of endowment that will supplement
the support already pledged and establish the
project upon a permanent basis. The scheme
of instruction, including both theoretical and
practical courses, has been thus outlined: The
instrument, bell tones, tuning, founding, key-
board system and transmission; History of
bells, of foundries, of carillon development;
Visits to foundries and principal carillons;
Technique, arpeggios, interpretation, adapta-
tion, execution, effects and programme mak-
ing; and, finally, Elementary harmony, prac-
tice in counterpoint and composition. There
would also be provided miniature practising
carillons, such as existed in the past. For one
cannot shut a regular carillon up in a sound-
proof room or close the openings of a tower
and seclude its sound when the learner prac-
164 CARILLONS
tices. The first struggles with the keys now
are known to all and are disagreeable both
subjectively and objectively.
One young Belgium girl got her first prac-
tice, so she told me, while the automatic hour
play was taking place. So she came to know
the feeling of the keys in action, and listeners,
mystified perhaps, laid to a disordered auto-
matic mechanism the confusion of sounds that
resulted. This gave her but about four min-
utes practice at most each hour, but it was an
experience she could get in no other way with-
out attracting the attention of the entire town.
* * * *
Earnestly may we hope that the dreadful
destruction which is an element of war may
not so impoverish Belgium in either men
or resources that the establishment of this
school and the steady development of carillon
playing shall long be hindered.
CHAPTER X
"En die van Mechelen spant zekerlyk de kroon"
ANONYMOUS
AJ Antwerp friend to whom we had
described the charm of the Dutch
carillons and of those we had heard
in Belgium, and the excellent playing of the
different carillonneurs in many places, would
listen with courteous interest and then, when
we had finished, would look up with a smile
and say, "But you have not yet heard Mr.
Denyn. Wait!"
We felt that he spoke with judgment and
knowledge, for he had been at the great con-
test in 1910 at Mechlin, where carillonneurs
of the two countries had assembled, to play
in turn in a two-days' contest on the bells of
S. Rombold's tower, after which the King's
prize had been awarded to the most accurate
and most finished competitor. That outdoor
scene of which he told us, the Grand' Place
165
166 TOWER MUSIC IN
filled with thousands of eager listeners, some-
how suggests a 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 half an hour. It was once the centre
of great political and ecclesiastic activity, and
is still the seat of the Primate of Belgium.
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
Flemish Netherlands, look down upon the
traveller. In the street of the Twelve Apos-
tles there is a small Beguinage, 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
and ancient quays, where verdure takes root
JOSEF DENYN OF MECHLIN: THE GREAT BELL-MASTER
THE LOW COUNTRIES 167
in the joints of the stones and is reflected in
the peaceful water. An air of great tranquil-
lity dwells in the entire city, and as if to em-
phasise this — and to approve it — high above
the red roofs and fine trees, rises the splendid
square tower of S. Rombold's Cathedral, a
serene and noble landmark.
In a Continental European town, the con-
trast between the day's occupations and the
gayety of evening is marked. Animated
groups of men and women, many of them
bareheaded, stroll up and down the streets or
stop to talk with other groups, giving a joyous
tone to the entire scene. On reaching Mechlin
we found unusual festivity because of the cele-
bration of the Feast of the Assumption. Gay
crowds filled the streets and many of the peo-
ple were walking toward the Groote Markt
or Grand' Place where the life of smaller
Flemish cities centres.
As there was yet a full hour before the con-
cert, we drove to Mr. Denyn's house — for the
Denyns' were already our good friends — and
168 CARILLONS OF
taking the three youngest children in the car-
riage 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 "la 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
went in with us to help choose the 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
S. Rombold's tower ceased to toll. We there-
fore started hastily for the Denyn house,
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 169
dropped the children bearing their flowers
and drove across the square as fast as our horse
would take us.
We had barely turned into the Grand' Place
when the carillon began to play the melody
that precedes the striking of the hour. It was
eight o'clock! The Groote Markt was filled
with people, some standing, but most of them
sitting at small tables outside cafes, and as the
bells began to play, the talking and laughter
grew less and last preparations were made for
the enjoyment of the concert. Our carriage
was the only one in sight; the coachman
snapped his whip again and again until he
started the horse into a run. Galloping across
the great square and into a narrow street, we
stopped before the entrance of a small school,
the garden of which was our destination, since
there the carillon could be heard to the great-
est advantage. Our arrival was accomplished
in the utmost haste, for the great deep bell be-
gan to toll the hour as we descended from
the carriage. Having left us, our coachman
170 TOWER MUSIC IN
whipped his tired horse again into a gallop
and dashed off 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
lighted by a candle. "Bon soir, Madame et
Messieurs," she said smilingly. Then in a
hurried whisper she added, "II faut vous
depecher" and, leading the way, quickly con-
ducted us through a long paved yard into the
pleasant school garden. Just as we reached
it, the last stroke of eight o'clock sounded.
In these northern countries the day is long
even in late August, and it was still twilight.
Against the southern sky, framed in by two
dark trees in the foreground, rose the broad,
rugged tower of S. Rombold's. High up,
near the top of the tower, from a narrow open-
ing shone out a faint, dull light.
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 COUNTRIES 171
ever was to be broken. Then pianissimo, from
the highest, 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
entire heaven seemed full of music. Seated
in the garden we watched the little 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
higher than that dim light, and was produced
by superhuman hands. Sometimes in winter
after icicles have formed, there comes a thaw,
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 this the music sug-
gested. It was low, it was loud ; it was from
one bell, it was from chords of many bells; it
172 CARILLONS OF
was majestic, it was simple. And every note
seemed to fall from above, from such heights
that the whole land heard its beauty. It was
as if a great master had said : "I am no 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
tower, and plays his sonata, or his prelude, or
his songs upon the great clavier, so that all the
world may hear. With this feeling, we lis-
tened that evening to van den Gheyn's "Pre-
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
petty cleverness, but a splendid master-hand
bringing out from his mighty instrument not
alone grand, sublime effects, but also the ten-
derest shades of feeling that awaken both
memory and aspiration. Indeed, the tower
seemed a living being, opening its lips in the
mysterious night to pour out a great and noble
message of song to all mankind.
As the hour passed, daylight died, but the
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 173
tower grew more distinct in the light of the
full moon rising over the trees. We had pro-
grammes which we passed in silence to one an-
other, and if there was occasion to speak, we
spoke in whispers. It seemed that if we
moved or spoke aloud, the tower, the far away
light, and the music might all vanish. Noth-
ing we had ever experienced had been like
this. Sometimes the sounds were so low that
we found ourselves bending forward to hear
them. They seemed to come from an infinite
distance, so faint and delicate were they.
Then at other times, great chords, in the vol-
ume of many organs, burst forth rapturously!
The concert ended promptly at nine with
the national air of Belgium. Directly after
this the great bell slowly, solemnly struck the
hour. Leaving the quiet garden, we walked
back to the square where all was liveliness
again.
At the foot of the tower we waited for Mr.
Denyn. He soon appeared at its door in hap-
piest mood, and leaving his lantern for the
174 TOWER MUSIC IN
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-
ings in French. As he dons for his work,
which is far more strenuous than is the play-
ing of any other musical instrument, a special
costume kept in the tower room, he came out
looking neat and cool and ready to enjoy with
his friends the remainder of the evening. In-
vited by him, we went to the Cheval d'Or, a
little cafe nearby. Here we came upon a
scene of much gayety, one which was in
marked contrast to the quietness of the sur-
roundings in which we had spent the last hour.
As we entered, many rose in honour of Mr.
Denyn, and coming forward grasped his hand
and expressed in Flemish their delight in his
playing. He invited us to sit down with him,
and to have coffee or beer. As we sat to-
gether, after the greetings of the crowd were
over, he spoke at length and with enthusiasm
of the powerful influence music had in pro-
moting a nation's happiness. And he said that
THE LOW COUNTRIES 175
in giving these concerts which thousands en-
joy, he felt he was contributing something to
the education of the people. But the time for
our return to Antwerp drew near and so, with
mysteriously moving thoughts of the past,
awakened by his music, and with feelings of
aspiration, we parted from this large-hearted,
simple man, the master bell-master.
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
LIST OF CARILLONS IN HOLLAND
IN this list, which is intended to include all
the carillons existing (together with sev-
eral that have been destroyed) in the
Koninkryk der Nederlanden, the towns are
arranged in alphabetic order, according to
their Netherlandish (and therefore true)
names. Following the name of the town is
the province in which it is situated, likewise
in Dutch. Next comes the building in the
tower of which the bells hang. Churches
have usually two names, as Groote Kerk or
Sint Laurenskerk (at Alkmaar and at Rot-
terdam), but I have used only the more famil-
iar. Then is given the number of bells com-
posing the carillon (usually excluding bells
not playable from the clavier) with the name
of their founder and the date of their casting.
179
180 APPENDICES
Finally come the name of the bell-master
and the time when he plays. In this connec-
tion, it may be remarked that the 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. Be-
sides the weekly playings noted, there are
concerts on some or all of the royal birthdays
— April 19 (Prince Henry), April 30 (Prin-
cess Juliana), August 2 (Queen Emma), and
August 31 (Queen Wilhelmina) — and in dis-
tricts predominantly Roman Catholic (Lim-
burg and Noord Brabant) on certain festivals,
such as Shrove Tuesday and Mid-Lent. Also
I would call attention to the special music in
many towns during the month of May. Not
only is there additional concert play at this
season, but the tunes selected are chiefly mei-
deuntjes or May ditties, expressing the pop-
ural rejoicing that winter has departed and
that spring has come.
The phrase among the best indicates that the
APPENDICES 181
carillon to which it refers is included in the
list given in Chapter III.
From the gallery of every tower, however
low, in these flat nether lands, one beholds a
panorama of great beauty, of animation in the
towns, and of repose in the country. It would
be monotonous to praise a view in every para-
graph; yet all the views deserve praise, for
the ascent of these towers never fails to re-
ward one with a prospect both inspiring and
restful.
Alkmaar, N. Holland; Waag (weigh-house) ; 35
bells weighing 14,300 pounds by de Haze, 1687; played
on Friday and Saturday, 12-1, also on October 8th, the
anniversary of the lifting of the siege of Alkmaar, which
was maintained by 16,000 Spaniards under Alva in 1573.
At each stroke of the hour, two mounted knights rush
out on a small platform below the tower clock, meet,
pass, and disappear again. The first concert on this caril-
lon was heard by an audience of many thousands on the
afternoon of August 28, 1688. Alkmaar is the largest
cheese market in the Netherlands. The playing during
the trading Friday mornings adds a pleasing touch to the
animated and unique scene presented by the picturesque
square, full of piled-up orange cheeses and crowds of
spectators and merchants. The porters of the cheese-
182 APPENDICES
trays, who dress in 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
burdens in step with the music. The tower may be
climbed (tickets fl. 0.25, obtainable only at the Stadhuis),
and from the balcony is a fine view from North Sea to
South Sea (Zuider Zee), while within the tower, the
carillonneur will play for you your choice of his reper-
tory. This instrument is rather crude, but the bell-mas-
ter is very obliging.
There was formerly a carillon of 32 bells by Son-
neman, 1692, in the tower of the Groote Kerk.
Amersfoort, Utrecht; Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk; 33
bells weighing over 20,000 pounds by F. Hemony, 1658;
Friday, 10-11, and Wednesday evening, 8-9. The tower
in which the bells hang is called by Baedecker "the finest
Gothic pyramid in the country."
Amsterdam, N. Holland, has five Hemony carillons.
That in the Paleis is among the best. In all five towers
the bells are hung in circles and may be seen from the
street.
The carillon in the royal palace consists of 37 bells
by F. and P. Hemony, 1664, arranged in two tiers, the
upper consisting of the largest bell (of 6,160 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-
cent, to produce effects almost as fine as those of good
Belgian players. Concerts are on Monday, 12-1, and on
AMERSFOORT: THE TOWER OF OUR LADY
Affectionately called " The Mother and Child" because
of the small spire carried by the tower
as if in its arms
APPENDICES 183
royal birthdays, 8-9, 12-1, and 4-5, and on summer
evenings, as announced from time to time in newspapers.
The tower of the Zuider Kerk contains 35 bells, 32 by
F. and P. Hemony in 1656 and weighing 19,500 pounds.
The three highest bells, founded by N. Noorden in 1700,
can be played only by clavier. Concerts are occasional.
In the Oude Kerk are 37 bells by F. Hemony, 1659.
Occasional concerts.
The Western Kerk contains a carillon by the same
founder dated 1657-8. These bells replaced a set made
by J. A. Leeghwater, the engineer who first proposed
draining the Haarlemmer Meer, which were put in place
in 1643.
The Munttoren also contains a carillon.
Furthermore, in the Ryks Museum is a small carillon
which comes from Arnemuiden, Zeeland, where it used
to hang in the church tower. Of its bells, 14 are by van
den Gheyn (dated from 1552 to 1583) and the other 10
have been made by recasting old fragments. It plays
quaint Dutch melodies on the whole and half hour.
Appingedam, Groningen; church; 25 light and ac-
curate bells by Taylor, 1911; concerts by the church or-
ganist, Jaeger, only on festival days. This carillon was
purchased with the unclaimed deposits of the church sav-
ings bank. The largest bell bears the inscription "Dit
klokkenspel is een geschenk van de Spaarbank van het
Oud-Diakengezelschap."
Arnhem, Gelderland ; Groote Kerk ; 35 bells weighing
25,143 pounds by F. and P. Hemony; Friday, 10:15-
10:45; among the best and soon likely to be improved,
184 APPENDICES
for Arnhem has recently consulted Denyn with the idea
of improving the keyboard and playing mechanism.
Bergen=op=Zoom, N. Brabant. Here was formerly
a carillon of 19 bells by J. ter Stege, but it was destroyed
in war.
Breda, N. Brabant; 40 bells founded in 1723; Tues-
day and Friday, 10-11.
Briel, Z. Holland; S. Catherinaskerk ; 22 bells by
F. and P. Hemony, 1661, and 1 inferior one of 1883.
The instrument is far from perfect; concerts are given
the first Monday of each month by W. Borstlap. The
bells are played also on April 1, the anniversary of the
taking of the town by the "Water Beggars" in 1572,
the first act of the Dutch war for independence from
Spain, and on December 1, the anniversary of the de-
parture of the only other foreign master the city ever
had, for Napoleonic domination ended on December 1,
1813. The carillon tower has long been a watch tower
and is equipped with a telephone connecting it with the
nearby coast defenses.
Culemborg (Kuilenburg), Gelderland.
Delft, Z. Holland; Nieuwe Kerk, tower 375 feet
high, 40 bells by F. Hemony, 1663; J. A. de Zwaan
(also bell-master at the Hague) ; Tuesday, 6-7 P.M. in
summer, 12-1 in winter; Thursday and Saturday, 12-1;
among the best. Pleasant places in which to hear the
bells are the Nieuwe Langendyk, the garden of the van
Meerten house (now a delightful museum), and the court
of the Prinsenhof, the building in which William the
Silent was murdered. Ver Meer's famous "View of
APPENDICES 185
Delft" in the Mauritshuis at the Hague shows the bell
tower of the New Church in bright sunlight in the mid-
dle distance.
Deventer, Overyssel; Groote Kerk; 34 bells, 25 by
F. and P. Hemony in 1646, and 9 of 1694; F. Harbrink;
Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30-10:30.
Doesburg, Gelderland; church; 23 (?) bells, light
and pleasing, by F. and P. Hemony.
Edam, N. Holland; Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk. This
carillon by P. van den Gheyn, 1561, is being renovated.
It was formerly played and probably will be, when again
in use, on Saturday from 1 1 to 12.
Eindhoven, N. Brabant; Stadhuis; 25 bells by Tay-
lor, 1914.
Enkhuizen, N. Holland; Zuidertoren; light bells by
P. Hemony, 1677 (?) ; Wednesday, 11-12, April to Oc-
tober.
Also Drommedaristoren ; carillon by F. and P. He-
mony, now under repair.
Flushing — see Vlissingen.
Goes, Zeeland; Groote Kerk; 40 bells; H. Vissers
plays on Tuesday, 12-1. These bells are attributed va-
riously to A. J. van den Gheyn, Jansz, and J. Petit.
Gorinchem, Z. Holland; Groote Kerk; 25 bells by
de Haze, 1682; Monday, 12-1.
Gouda, Z. Holland; Groote Kerk (in which is the
finest stained glass in the country) ; 37 bells, 32 by P.
Hemony, 1677; G. van Zuylen; Thursday and Saturday,
10:15-11; among the best. Mr. van Zuylen is most
courteous and is an enthusiastic carillonneur. On the up-
186 APPENDICES
rights near the keyboard are painted the names and dates
of service of preceding bell-masters. The bells here are
arranged in the usual Dutch fashion, in circles and ex-
posed to the weather. The lower tier consists of two
concentric rings, the 18 smallest bells surrounded by the
8 largest; while above are the other 11, also hung in a
circle. "Wilhelmus van Nassauwe" is always the hour
tune. During May the carillonneur gives additional con-
certs Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from
6 to 7 in the evening.
's Gravenhage (den Haag), Z. Holland; Groote
Kerk; 37 bells by de Haze, 1686; J. A. de Zwaan, the
organist of the church and a master musician; Monday
and Friday, 12-1 ; among the best. In this Great Church
in the Hague, Queen Wilhelmina was married while the
carillon rang joyfully above her. The best view of the
tower of this church is from across the Vyver, which, says
E. V. Lucas, "is a jewel set in the midst (of the Hague),
beautiful by day and beautiful by night, with fascinating
reflections in it at both times, and a special gift for the
transmission of (the sound of) bells in a country where
bells are really honoured." There is a detailed account
of this carillon, entitled "Het Klokkenspel van den
Haagschen Sint-Jacobstoren," by W. P. H. Jansen.
Groningen, Groningen; Martinikerk; 37 bells, 31 by
F. Hemony, 1662; 5 by P. Hemony, 1671, and 1 by A.
van den Gheyn, 1788; H. P. Steenhuis; Tuesday, 10:30-
11 and Friday, 1-1:30; among the best. There are also
3 bells antedating the carillon, but able to be connected
with it; these were cast by H. von Trier in 1578. This
ENKHUIZEN: THE DROMEDARY TOWER
APPENDICES 187
carillon is silent during Holy Week. The tower in which
it hangs is the station of a watch-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.
Haarlem, N. Holland; Groote Kerk, 35 bells weigh-
ing 19,500 pounds by F. Hemony, 1660-4; H. W. Hof-
meester; Monday and Friday, 12-12:30; among the best.
This church contains a famous old organ, which is usu-
ally played on Tuesday from 1 to 2 and on Thursday
between 2 and 3.
The Hague — see 's Gravenhage.
Hasselt(?), Overyssel; F. Hemony, 1662-4 (?).
Hattem, Overyssel; 22 bells.
Helmond, N. Brabant ; Stadhuis ; automatic play only.
This carillon, hidden in 1795 to save it from the French,
was originally in Postel Abbey in Limburg, Belgium.
9s Hertogenbosch (Bois-le-Duc), N. Brabant; S.
Janskerk; 40 bells; van Aerschodt, 1874; Wednesday,
11-12.
Also Stadhuis; 23 bells; F. and P. Hemony; Wednes-
day, 9-10.
Heusden, N. Brabant; Stadhuis; small carillon played
Tuesday, 11-12.
Hoorn, N. Holland. The Groote Kerk once con-
188 APPENDICES
tained 32 bells by P. Hemony, 1670, which were de-
stroyed by fire.
Hulst, Zeeland. A carillon of 28 bells by P. Hemony,
1669 (?), formerly was played Monday (market day),
"Maar, helas, in het jaar 1876 is de toren en ook het
klokkenspel vernietigd," the "horloge-naker" of the city
writes me.
Kampen, Overyssel; Bovenkerk; 35 bells; F. Hemony,
1662; H. J. Dieter; Monday, 11-12, and Friday, 6-7.
Leeuwarden, Friesland ; Stadhuis ; 33 bells by Fremy,
1687-9. The carillon hung in the New Tower till 1884
when, the tower becoming dangerous, it was taken down.
It will soon be put up again in the tower of the Town
Hall.
Leiden, Z. Holland; Stadhuis; 39 bells, 29 by P.
Hemony, and 10 by Fremy in 1680; R. H. T. van
Leeuwen; Wednesday and Saturday, 10:15-11, and Mon-
day evening, 8:30-9:30. Also on October 3, when the
inhabitants eat a special dish made of chopped carrots
and meats to celebrate the relief of Leiden, besieged by
the Spaniards for a year ending October 3, 1574. After
mounting the fine perron of this Town Hall and so
reaching the floor on which are the rooms adorned with
magnificent old tapestries, it is a short climb up an elec-
trically lighted stairway to the bell-master's room. The
ceiling of this room is supported by mortised beams ra-
diating from the centre and decorated with white stars
on a blue ground. An attractive spot in which to hear the
bells is by the little dolphin fountain behind the Town
Hall. Unfortunately the playing of the fountain (Sat-
APPENDICES 189
urday, 3-6) and the playing of the carillon do not coincide.
Lochem, Gelderland; Reformed Church; 29 bells,
which are not played by clockwork, and by clavier only
on great holidays. These bells were given to the town by
an individual (G. Naeff).
Maastricht, Limburg; Stadhuis, 28 bells by F. and
P. Hemony, 1664-8; J. Muller; Saturday, 12-1.
Also S. Servaaskerk; 40 bells by van den Gheyn, 1767.
Formerly there was a carillon of 40 bells in Onze
Lieve Vrouwe Kerk.
Middelburg, Zeeland ; "Lange Jan," the tower of the
Abdy (Abbey) ; 43 bells by N. Noorden and J. A. de
Grave, 1714-5, of which 41 are used; J. Morks; Thurs-
day, 12-1, and in May, Friday, 7-8 A.M. and 6-7 P.M.
Among the best and much the busiest of carillons. It
plays for nearly two minutes before the hour, a minute
before the half, 3, few measurers at the quarters, and
some notes every seven and a half minutes, besides a warn-
ing ripple before each quarter hour. The butter and egg
market-place, crowded with peasants in costume at the
market hour (Thursday noon), is perhaps the most inter-
esting place to hear the bells. They blend with the ac-
tivity of the marketing most agreeably. In quiet places,
too, like the Abbey yard or the secluded garden of the
Grand Hotel, Lange Jan's bells are welcome compan-
ions. A detailed study of this carillon is embodied in
F. A. Hoeffer's "De Klokkenspellen van Middelburg."
Middelstum, Groningen; church; 23 bells by F. He-
mony, 1661-2; since 1857 played by clockwork and at
present only by that method. Van der Aa, writing in
190 APPENDICES
1851, says the bells were played Wednesday between 11
and 12 and Sunday before service. This is the only in-
stance I have found of Sunday play within the Kingdom
of the Netherlands, while in Belgium it is nearly universal.
Monnikendam, N. Holland; 33 (?) bells by P. van
den Gheyn.
Nykerk, Gelderland; Oude Kerk; 28 ( ?) bells by
van den Gheyn; Monday, 9-10. In this church are
tombs of van Rensselaers and van Curlers, families from
which came early colonists of New York.
Nymegen (Nimwegen), Gelderland; Groote Kerk;
40 bells by van den Gheyn, 1597; W. de Vries; Monday
and Thursday, 11:30-12; among the best. 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.
Oudewater, Utrecht; Friday, 10-11.
Purmerend, N. Holland. Formerly there was a caril-
lon of 31 (?) bells by F. and P. Hemony.
Rhenen, Utrecht. The very graceful tower of S.
Cunera, in which was the carillon, was struck by lightning
in September, 1897, and completely destroyed. The new
tower is an exact copy of the old, but contains no bells.
Rotterdam, Z. Holland; Groote Kerk; 39 bells,
weighing 35,000 pounds; F. Hemony, 1660; W. C. de
Lange; Tuesday and Saturday, 11-12.
Also Beurs (Exchange); F. Hemony, 1660; played
only by clockwork. This set of bells was made for the
Stadhuis and hung there till 1829.
Schiedam, Z. Holland; Oude Kerk; 41 bells, of
APPENDICES 191
which 28 are used, by A. J. van den Gheyn, 1786; H. J.
P. Textor; Friday, 11-12, and occasionally summer eve-
nings, 9-10. The 3 heaviest bells, used respectively as
a church bell, an hour bell, and a half-hour bell are not
connected with the keyboard, nor are the 10 lightest bells
because of their unsatisfactory timbre. There are four
weights here to be wound up daily : one for the hour bell ;
one for the half-hour bell, which — as everywhere in the
Netherlands — 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
has 112 rows of holes in which pins may be inserted. Of
these, 72 "measures" play before the hour, 32 before the
half-hour, and 4 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 1791 and
the present one takes proud care of his laboratory. The
stairway up the tower, a short climb, is spick with white-
washed walls and supplied with a taut rope hand-grip,
while the tower room is a model of Dutch order and
lustrous cleanness. The cylinder, and indeed all the ma-
chinery, is polished like the engines of an ocean liner and
the cylinder pins, accurately sorted, glisten in their allot-
ted compartments, while Heer Textor himself is a very
hearty and obliging host. Altogether this is one of the
most satisfactory towers to climb, though the bells cannot
be given as high a rank as those in many other places.
192 APPENDICES
Schoonhoven, Z. Holland; a small carillon, very
pretty and light, made from cannon by O. van Noort;
van Rossum, carillonneur.
Sittard, Limburg. F. A. Hoeffer has written a
pamphlet on these bells.
Sneek, Friesland; S. Maartenstoren ; 26 bells by
Borchard and Eckhof, 1771; J. Lindema; Tuesday and
Friday, 12-12:30.
Tholen, Zeeland; Stadhuis; automatic play only.
Tilburg (?), N. Brabant.
Utrecht, Utrecht; Dom; 42 bells weighing 32,000
pounds, chiefly by F. and P. Hemony, 1663; J. A. H.
Wagenaar; Saturday, 11-12, and in May, Monday, Tues-
day, Thursday, and Friday, 7-7 :30 A.M. ; among the best.
The clavier of this instrument is connected with more
bells than any other in the country and the carillonneur
is very skilful in using them. The tower, 338 feet high,
stands apart from the Cathedral, since the collapse of
the nave in 1674. Stairs of 458 steps lead to the bell-
master's cabin and from this height a splendid view
of the surrounding country is obtained. The best place
in which to listen to the bells is the garden behind the
Stadhuis.
There is a carillon of 23 bells by F. and P. Hemony
in the Claaskerk (Church of S. Nicholas or Santa Glaus).
This plays only by machinery, but has excellent bells.
There once was and still may be another carillon by the
brothers Hemony in the Jacobskerk.
Veere, Zeeland; Stadhuis; 36 bells chiefly by P. and
A. van den Gheyn, 1736.
VEERE: THE TOWN HALL
APPENDICES 193
In the Groote Kerk was once another carillon which
belonged to the church.
Vlissingen, Zeeland; Groote Kerk; 33 bells by Tay-
lor, 1914; among the best; one of the three new carillons
of the same English make, the others being at Appinge-
dam and Eindhoven. This carillon was played for the first
time on April 30, 1914, Princess Juliana's fifth birthday,
as a surprise to the people of Flushing. The mechanism
is wound by electricity and the face of the clock is thus
lighted at night. The old tower of the Great Church,
burned September 5, 1911, contained 35 bells by P. van
den Gheyn, 1770.
Weesp, N. Holland; 29 bells by P. Hemony, 1676;
J. W. Bovenkerk plays on royal birthdays, 8-9 A.M.
Ysselmonde, Z. Holland ; R. G. Crevecceur, carillon-
neur; Wednesday, 11-12.
Zalt Bommel, Gelderland; S. Maartenskerk ; 33(?)
bells by F. Hemony, 1663 ( ?) ; Tuesday, 11-12.
Zierikzee, Zeeland; Stadhuis; 14 bells by P. van den
Gheyn, 1550-5; S. Klimmerboorn ; Thursday, 12-1. This
is the oldest and smallest carillon still played by a caril-
lonneur.
Zutfen, Gelderland; Wynhuis; 32 bells, 26 by F. and
P. Hemony, 1645; Thursday, 10:15-10:45. Zutfen, like
its neighbours, Arnheim and Nimeguen, has recently con-
sulted Mr. Denyn about improving the mechanism of its
carillon. These are the earliest bells of the Hemonys.
Zwolle, Overyssel. F. A. Hoefer has written a
pamphlet on the bells of Zwolle.
APPENDIX B
LIST OF CARILLONS IN BELGIUM
MOST of the remarks at the head of
the preceding list apply quite as
much to the following. Out of re-
gard to the fact that carillons are a Nether-
landish institution, an expression of art pecul-
iar to the Low Country branch of the Teutonic
race, I have arranged these Belgian towns
alphabetically according to their names in the
Flemish rather than the French language.
Since the latter, however, is frequently more
familiar to the foreigner, and is the official
language of Belgium, and in some form the
popular language of nearly half the people,
the French name also is given whenever it is
different. These two names in each case seem
a sufficient identification without any mention
of the province. Otherwise the arrangement
of information is the same as in the preced-
ing list.
194
APPENDICES 195
As has been often pointed out in the body
of this book, the best carillons of Belgium are
generally superior, not in the bells but in the
machinery for playing them, to the best ones
of her northern neighbour. The superiority,
therefore, is likely to be temporary; but for
the present, Belgium has a very considerable
advantage. Owing to this greater perfection
of the carillon as an instrument, concerts in
the quiet of evening take a more prominent
place in Flanders than in Holland and are
constantly becoming more popular.
Unfortunately my information about Bel-
gium is so far from complete, that I have been
able in many cases to note merely the name of
the town where there is a carillon. I en-
deavour, however, to make at least this much
mention of every carillon in the country. It
will be noticed that the great majority are in
the northern half of Belgium, that being the
portion where the people are Netherlandish
in race and language. The whole country,
however, has the bond of a common church,
196 APPENDICES
which strikingly differentiates the Kingdom
of Belgium from the Kingdom of the Nether-
lands. But it must be remembered that the
carillons, whether in Protestant or Roman
Catholic churches, are always municipal, not
ecclesiastic, property.
Aalst, Alost; belfry; 38 bells, some by Joris Dumery
and some by F. van Aerschodt ; K. de Mette, carillonneur,
Antoing, small carillon; automatic play only.
Antwerpen, Anvers; cathedral, 47 bells, 36 by F.
and P. Hemony, 1655-8, 3 by Joris Dumery, 1767, the
7 smallest by F. van Aerschodt, 1904, and one, the "bour-
don," or heaviest bell, bearing a rhymed inscription show-
ing it was founded by Jan and Willem Hoerken in 1459;
Gustaaf Brees; Friday, 11:30-12:30, and during the
summer, Monday and Thursday evenings, 9-10; among
the best, ranking almost as high as Bruges and Mechlin.
Of these evening concerts about half are given by Mr.
Brees and the remainder by bell-masters of other Bel-
gian towns. An attractive illustrated booklet, giving the
programmes for the whole series, is published each spring
by the City Information Bureau, Meir 60.
The cathedral tower, which Napoleon likened to Mech-
lin lace, contains also 26 bells ordered by ecclesiastical
authorities from the Hemonys in 1654. These bells,
however, are not now used. Another carillon was de-
stroyed when the tower of the S. Andrieskerk fell in
ANTWERP: THE CATHEDRAL SPIRE
View at Sunrise, looking over the Place Verte
PHOTOGRAPH BY H. L. P. RICE
APPENDICES 197
1755, and two others, in the S. Michaelsabdy and the S.
Jacobskerk, were destroyed during the French dominion.
Antwerpen-Kiel; 28 bells; new.
Audenarde — see Oudenaarde.
Bergen, Mons; belfry; 44 bells, 21 by de la Paix,
1673 — he made 35 but 14 have been refounded — 10 by
Chevresson, Simon, and Duforest, 1761, 6 by Drouot,
Hubert, and Bastien, 1821, and the 7 smallest by van
Aerschodt, 1894; Fernand Redoute; Sunday 12-12:30,
and in July, August, and September, Monday evening,
8-9 ; among the best. Details of this carillon and descrip-
tions of all the bells, past and present, of this town are
contained in "Notice Historique sur les cloches at les
carillons de Mons," by A. de Behault de Dornon.
Binche; small carillon; automatic play only.
Borgerhout; Stadhuis; 35 bells by Beullens, now be-
ing repaired ; E. Steenockers.
Brugge, Bruges; Halletoren or belfry; 47 bells by
Joris Dumery, 1743, which replaced 38 bells by F. He-
mony, 1662, destroyed in 1741; Antony Nauwelaerts;
from September 15 to June 15, Sunday, Wednesday, and
Saturday, 11:15-12, and from June 15 to September 15,
Saturday, 11:15-12, and Monday and Wednesday eve-
nings, 9-10; among the best, ranking second only to
Mechlin. Mr. Nauwelaerts comes from a family which
has supplied the carillonneurs of Lier for about a cen-
tury. Besides the regular concerts just mentioned, he
gives, at the request of "Die Roya," a society for the pro-
motion of the coming of travellers, several special con-
certs, usually Thursday evening from 9-10. The pro-
198 APPENDICES
grammes of these are published in a pamphlet, "Indicateur
— Bruges," while those of the regular concerts appear in
local newspapers. During the evening concerts the cir-
culation of vehicles in the Groote Markt and in neigh-
bouring 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
in Gaillard, "Le carillon de Bruges."
Brussel, Bruxelles. In 1541 there were 9 carillons,
but none of these has survived to the present, and Brus-
sels now has no carillon.
Chi may; small carillon; automatic play only.
Courtrai — see Kortryk.
Dendermonde, Termonde; Stadhuis; 40 bells by A.
van den Gheyn and others; E. Loret; Sunday 9-9:30,
Monday, 11:30-12. [Reported destroyed, 1914.]
Diest; S. Sulpiciuskerk ; 37 bells, chiefly by P. Hemony,
1671; F. de Roy; Wednesday, 11-12.
Diksmuide or Dixmude; S. Niklaaskerk; 32 bells in
poor condition; E. Vermeersch; Sunday and Monday,
11:30-12.
Dinant; small carillon; automatic play only.
Doornyk, Tournai; belfry; 42 bells by Waghevens
and others; Roger; played only "par ordre de Fhotel de
ville"; among the best.
Also S. Brice; 27 bells; never played. There were at
one time 11 carillons in this town. See Desmonts' "Les
cloches de Tournai."
Edingen or Einghen, Enghien ; 3 1 bells by J. van den
Gheyn and G. Dumery; automatic play only.
APPENDICES 199
Gent, Gand; Belfort or belfry; 52 bells, 38 by P.
Hemony, most of the rest recent — 9 by O. Michaux —
and the 6 or 7 highest quite useless — details in Appen-
dix D; Gustaaf Brees of Antwerp; Friday, 12-1, and
Sunday, 6:30-7:30; also from June to September in-
clusive, Saturday evening, 8-9; among the best. The
mechanism has been recently restored by Desire Somers
of Mechlin, 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.
There is another extant carillon of 27 bells by P.
Hemony, 1664 (?), in the tower of the University Li-
brary (formerly Baudeloo Abbey).
Hal, Halle; Notre Dame; 28 bells in disrepair.
Harlebeke; old tower of S. Salvatorkerk ; 32 bells
now being put in order.
Hasselt; S. Quintynkerk; 42 bells by A. Bernard and
van den Gheyn; A. Hamoir; Tuesday and Friday, 11-
11:30.
Herenthals; Stadhuis; 35 bells by A. L. J. van Aer-
schodt.
Hoei, Huy; Notre Dame; 38 bells by A. van den
Gheyn and others; keyboard play only (and rarely).
Also Hotel de ville; 38 bells by A. van den Gheyn;
automatic play only.
Iseghem; St. Hilon; 34 bells by van den Gheyn, van
Aerschodt, and others.
Kortryk, Courtrai; S. Maartenskerk ; 47 bells by S.
van Aerschodt; A. Vermeulen; Sunday and Monday,
200 APPENDICES
11:30-12:30, and Monday evening if fair; among the
best.
Leau — see Zout-Leeuw.
Leuven, Louvain; S. Geertruikerk ; 46 bells, 38 by
A. van den Gheyn and 8 by van Aerschodt; J. van de
Plas; played only on holidays; among the best, being
remarkable for justness of tone and accord.
Also S. Pieterskerk; 40 bells by J. A. de Grave and
N. Noorden; van de Plas, senior; Sunday, 12-12:30.
among the best. These bells hung until 1810 in the
nearby Park Abbey, which was suppressed during the
French Revolution, but has since (1836) been revived.
Besides its bells, this town has the distinction of being
a place where carillons are founded; the van Aerschodt
foundry, where bells for many Belgian and some foreign
towns have been cast, and the foundry of Omer Michaux
are both here.
[These carillons were destroyed by the Germans on
August 26, 1914.]
Liege — see Luik.
Lier, Lierre; S. Gommaruskerk ; 40 bells, 36 by A.
Julien, 1725 ( ?), and 4 by A. van den Gheyn, 1755 ( ?).
Luik, Liege; cathedral; 40 bells.
Also Palais des Princes Eveques ; about to be refitted.
Mechelen, Malines; S. Romboutstoren (cathedral);
45 bells weighing 36 tons — details in Appendix D; Josef
Denyn; Saturday, 11-11:30, Sunday, 11-12, and Monday,
11:30-12, except in June, August, and September. In
these three months, the Monday concerts are from 8 to 9
in the evening and during them all traffic is stopped in
APPENDICES 201
the Groote Markt. A pamphlet is published every year
giving programmes of all these concerts. In July Mechlin
has the kermis and there is so much noise in the evening
that Mr. Denyn would then throw "margaritas ante por-
cos" if he played, as a friend expressed it. This carillon
is not merely among the best, but is THE BEST. Details
may be found in Chapters IX and X and in "Les caril-
lons et les carillonneurs a Malines" by G. van Doorslaer.
[Badly damaged by German shells, September, 1914.]
Mespelaere (near Dendermonde) ; church; 20 bells
by S. van Aerschodt ; automatic play only.
Namen, Namur ; cathedral ; 47 bells by van Aerschodt ;
automatic play only.
Nieuwpoort, Nieuport; church; 40 bells; L. de
Schieter; Tuesday and Friday, 11:30-12, and Sunday,
1 :30-2 ; in bad condition.
Oostende, Ostende; 40 bells by Witlockx and Cau-
sard.
Oudenaarde, Audenarde; S. Walburgskerk ; 37 bells
by A. van den Gheyn, 1758; A. Schynkel; Sunday and
Tuesday, 11:30-12.
Peruwelz; Bon Secour; light carillon; A. Oyen.
Roeselare, Roulers; S. Michielskerk; 36 bells by S.
van Aerschodt.
Sint Niklaas, Saint Nicolas; Stadhuis; 35 bells by
F. van Aerschodt; A. Rolliers, bell-master.
Sint Truiden, Saint Trond; Stadhuis; 35 bells by
Legros and A. van den Gheyn.
Sotteghem; church; 29 bells by Dumery and S. van
Aerschodt.
202 APPENDICES
Steenockerzeel; church; 41 bells by J. Tordeur and
A. van den Gheyn ; not in use.
Termonde — see Dendermonde.
Thielt; Stadhuis; Jacob Dumery; J. de Lodder; Sun-
day and Thursday, 11 :30-12; recently refitted by Denyn.
Thienen, Tirlemont; S. Germain; 35 bells by N. Wit-
lockx, 1723; recently restored.
Thorhout, Thourout; church; J. Dumery; Sunday
and Wednesday, 11:30-12:30; keyboard play only.
Tirlemont — see Thienen.
Tongeren, Tongres ; Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk ; being
restored.
Tournai — see Doornyk.
Turnhout; S. Pieterskerk; 35 bells by A. van den
Gheyn; E. C. Verrees; Sunday and Saturday, 11:30-12.
Verviers; Notre Dame aux Recollets; 30 bells by F.
van Aerschodt.
Wyngene (near Thielt) ; 33 bells by S. van Aer-
schodt.
Yperen or leperen, Ypres; Halletoren or belfry;
44 (?) bells by F. van Aerschodt, founded under the
supervision of Denyn; Noel Igodt; Sunday, 11-11 :30, and
Saturday, 11:30-12, and occasional evening concerts;
among the best. The bells in the lantern that are seen
from the street are of an old set no longer used.
Zout Leeuw, Leau; S. Leonardskerk ; 30 bells, some
by S. van Aerschodt.
Many Belgian carillons, including all those
belonging to abbeys, were melted into cannon
APPENDICES 203
during the French Revolutionary period. Fol-
lowing is a partial list of those that disap-
peared then and at other times:
Afflighem (abbey), Antwerpen (S. Michael, S. Jacob,
S. Andries), Ath (S. Juliaan), Aulne (abbey), Aver-
bode (abbey), Bergen (Val des ficoliers, St. Germain,
Ste. Elisabeth, St. Nicolas en Havre), Brugge (semi-
nary), Brussel (S. Niklaas, Broodhuis, St. Jaques sur
Caudenberg), Cambron (abbey), Doornyk (cathedral,
Atheneum, St. Jacques, St. Jean Baptiste, Ste. Marie
Madeleine, Ste. Marguerite, St. Martin, St. Nicaise
St. Piat, St. Quentin (seminary), Eename (abbey),
Geeraardsbergen (or Grammont), Gent (S. Baaf, S.
Jacob, S. Michael, Carthusian convent), Grimberghe
(abbey), Kortryk (S. Maarten), Lier, Luik, Mechelen
(Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk), Meenen (or Menin), Na-
men (Porte Horegoule, St. Jacques, belfry), Ninove
(abbey), Nyvel (or Nivelles), Oostende, Oudenburg,
Poperinghe, Postel (abbey), Veurne (or Furnes), Watou,
Zinik (or Soignies).
APPENDIX C
LIST OF CARILLONS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
THE 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
are about 40 in France, 20 in Germany, and
20 in other countries. Yet these figures only
confirm the assertion that carillons are Neth-
erlandish. In France, most of them are in the
departments of Nord and Pas de Calais, next
to Flemish Belgium and sometimes called "la
Flandre frangaise," for in this district the
population is Netherlandish in race and even
in language. In Germany, too, many of the
carillons are near the Dutch and Belgian
border and are due to Netherlandish influ-
ence. And in more distant parts of the world,
we can frequently detect it.
The Spanish carillons came from the Span-
204
APPENDICES 205
ish Netherlands; the Austrian ones probably
from Belgium while under Austrian domin-
ion. Those in Sweden are in towns with
Dutch settlers, while that at Riga is perhaps
traceable to the sojourn of Peter the Great in
Holland.
Unfortunately the information in the fol-
lowing list is almost entirely at second hand,
while that in both the foregoing was obtained
chiefly by conversation and correspondence
with bell-masters and bell-lovers in the Low
Countries. But here, as in both the preced-
ing lists, I have striven for accuracy rather
than for fulness of information.
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
Graz, Austria. Salzburg, Austria.
DENMARK
Kjobenhavn (Copenhagen) ; Fredericksborg (royal
castle) ; 28 bells by S. van Aerschodt. Also Radhus
(town hall) ; new.
FRANCE
(Flemish name, when native, follows French. Depart-
ment is in parentheses.)
206 APPENDICES
Annoeullin (Nord). Armentieres, Armentiers
(Nord). Arras, Atrecht (Pas de Calais). Ascq
(Nord). Avesnes (Nord). Bailleul (Nord), 31
bells. Bergues, Sint-Winoks-Bergen (Nord). Bou-
chain (Nord); 36 bells. Bourbourg (Nord); 37
bells. Buglose (Landes). Calais, Kales (Pas de
Calais). Cambrai, Kameryk (Nord). Cassel (Nord).
Le Cateau (Nord). Chalons-sur-Marne (Marne).
Douai (Nord); belfry; 39 bells. Dunkerque, Duin-
kerken (Nord); belfry; 38 bells by van den Gheyn.
Esquelbecq, Ekelsbeke (Nord). Estaires (Nord).
Falaise (Calvados). Gondecourt (Nord). Hesdin
(Pas de Calais) ; M. Waghevens. Lille, Ryssel (Nord) ;
S. Etienne; 19 bells, 1565. Merville, Merghem (Nord).
Paris (Seine) ; S. Germain 1'Auxerrois. Perpignan
(Pyrenees orien tales). Roubaix, Roodebeke or Robaais
(Nord). Saint Amand (Nord); 38 bells. Saint
Omer, Sint Omaars (Pas de Calais). Saint Quentin
(Aisne). Seclin (Nord). Valenciennes (?) (Nord).
GERMANY
Aachen, Rheinland, Preussen; Miinster. Bremen,
Bremen. Berlin, Brandenburg, Preussen; Parochial-
kirche; 37 bells. Danzig, Westpreussen, Preussen;
Rathaus. A carillon of 37 bells by J. N. Derk of Hoorn,
Holland, 1738, which hung in the Katharinenkirche was
destroyed by fire in 1911. Darmstadt, Hesse-Darm-
stadt; Schlosz; 37(?) bells by P. Hemony, 1671.
Duren, Rheinland, Preussen; Annakirche. Freiburg,
Baden; Rathaus. Genshagen, Brandenburg, Preussen,
APPENDICES 207
J. A. de Grave, 1717. Hamburg, Hamburg; Nikolai-
kirche. Also Petrikirche. One of these consists of 32
bells by van Aerschodt, while the other is by F. Hemony,
1662-4. Koln, Rheinland, Preussen; Rathaus; 38 (?)
bells, recently installed. The carillonneur, Schafer, plays
daily, 12-12:30. Lubeck, Liibeck. Mainz, Hesse-
Darmstadt; small; F. Hemony, 1662 (?). Malmedy,
Rheinland, Preussen; 35 bells by J. Legros, 1786. This
carillon (in a Walloon district only a few miles from the
Belgian border) was restored in 1914 by Denyn.
Munchen, Oberbayern, Bayern; Rathaus; modern and
poor ; automatic play daily at 11; no keyboard. Pots-
dam, Brandenburg, Preussen; Garnisonskirche.
GREAT BRITAIN
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland; S. Nicholas;
36 ( ?) bells by van Aerschodt, 1890. The heaviest weighs
6,578 pounds.
Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The 36 bells of this
carillon were sold in order to increase the ring.
Bourn ville, Worcestershire, England; 22 bells; re-
cently erected under the supervision of Mr. W. W.
Starmer. Bournville is the model village founded by
George Cadbury, just outside of Birmingham.
Cattistock, Dorsetshire, England; S. Peter and S.
Paul; 35 bells by van Aerschodt, 1882-99. The heaviest
weighs 4,400 pounds. Mr. Denyn plays this carillon the
last Thursday of each July. Automatic play is every hour
from 8 A.M. to 9 P.M.
Eaton Hall, Cheshire, England; 28 bells by van
208 APPENDICES
Aerschodt. The heaviest weighs 4,719 pounds. This is
the seat of the Duke of Westminster.
Loughborough, Leicestershire, England; tower of
John Taylor and Company's bell-foundry; 40 bells by
Taylor. These are rather small bells of very perfect
pitch. "It is the only carillon in the world tuned to
equal temperament and the very accurate tuning of the
small bells is a veritable triumph," says the Musical
Times.
ITALY
Roma; S. Paul's (American Episcopal Church) ; 23
bells by van Aerschodt; pitch of bells poor and mechan-
ism in disrepair; no clockwork.
LUXEMBURG
Luxemburg; Liebfrauenkirche.
PORTUGAL
Mafra; convent, formerly palace chapel; two carillons
of 48 bells each by N. La Vache of Antwerp, 1730.
RUSSIA
Riga; 28 bells by C. Fremy, 1694. St. Petersburg;
38 bells by J. N. Derk, 1757.
SPAIN
Aranjuez. El Escorial; 31 bells by M. de Haze,
1676. Also 59 bells, "of which 32 formed a harmony
like that of an organ and could be played by means of
a clavier," were destroyed by fire in 1821. About 1692
APPENDICES 209
Charles Poignard, a priest of Namur, went to Spain and
repaired and improved this carillon to the entire satisfac-
tion of the king. According to another story, he estab-
lished this and several other carillons at Spain, among
them that at Aranjuez.
SWEDEN
Goteborg (Gothenburg). Stockholm; Dutch
church; 39 bells by Petit and Fritsen, 1887. This re-
placed a better carillon of 28 bells by F. Hemony, 1663,
destroyed by fire in 1878.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Buffalo, New York; S. Joseph's Cathedral; 43 bells,
of which 20 are in use, by Bolee et Fils, Le Mans,
France, 1866. This carillon was exhibited by the found-
ers at the Paris Exposition of 1867 and was not hung in
Buffalo till 1870. One of the bells, however, is in-
scribed, "Ernest Bollee Ad Buffalo Me Misit." The
20 bells connected with the clavier make the scale of C
from lower C to A of the first line above the treble clef,
both inclusive; so tunes may be played only in the key
of C. The bells are played before late mass, which is at
9:30 on Feastdays and 10:30 on Sundays. There is no
clockwork.
Notre Dame, Indiana; University chapel; 32 bells,
of which 23 are connected with the automatic barrel, by
Bollee et Fils; automatic play only; temporarily not
working, but soon to be improved in mechanism and
used again.
APPENDIX D
THE 45 BELLS OF THE MECHLIN CARILLON
(As given by Dr. G. van Doorslaer, 1896)
FIRST OCTAVE
PITCH NAME WT. IN KG. FOUNDER DATE
Bt2 Salvator 8884 L. and S. van Aerschodt 1844
C Charles 6000 M. de Haze 1696
D Rombaut 4235 S. van Aerschodt 1861
E Maria 3000 S. Waghevens 1498
F Madeleine 2000 M. de Haze 1696
F # Libert 1749 A. van den Gheyn 1766
G 1555 A. van den Gheyn 1777
G# (out of tune) 1201 A. L. J. van Aerschodt 1873
SECOND OCTAVE
A J. Dumery 1735
fife Gielis A. Steylaert 1564
B Michael 655 J. Waghevens 1515
C P. Hemony 1674
C# Jhesus 400 H. Waghevens 1480
D P. Hemony 1674
Efe A. van den Gheyn 1784
E P. Hemony 1674
F P. Hemony 1674
F# P. Hemony 1674
G A. van den Gheyn 1784
G# P. Hemony 1674
THIRD OCTAVE
A to G complete 12 bells P. Hemony 1674
FOURTH OCTAVE
A to A complete 13 bells P. Hemony 1674
Total estimated weight (45 bells) 34,098 kilograms.
210
APPENDICES
211
The above list does not exactly agree with
the last two sentences of this description in
the Mechlin Concert Pamphlet for 1914:
"The biggest bell, 'Salvator,' weighing nearly 9 tons,
is the largest bass bell in any carillon. The bells cast
by Simon, Joris, and Hendrik Waghevens are our most
ancient ones. There are besides, 28 bells cast by the great
bell-founders F. and P. Hemony. The others were cast
by M. de Haze, A. van den Gheyn, Dumery, Steylaert,
Michiels, and the family van Aerschodt."
The Denyn festival bell by F. van Aer-
schodt, 1912, was substituted for one of the
higher bells which was unsatisfactory.
THE 52 BELLS OF THE GHENT CARILLON.
(As given by "Gent XXe Eeuw")
FIRST OCTAVE
PITCH
WT. IN KG.
DIAM. IN
METRES
PITCH
WT. IN KG.
DIAM. 11
METRE!
G
6050
2.10
D#
1300
1.25
A
4459
1.90
E
1100
1.20
B
3170
1.70
F
950
1.12
C
2607
1.55
F#
800
1.08
c#
2000
1.45
G
700
1.04
D
1700
1.35
Gft
625
1.00
SECOND OCTAVE
A
500
.92
D #
200
.69
Aft
450
.89
E
175
.65
B
400
.87
F
150
.61
C
350
.84
F #
125
.58
Cft
300
.80
G
100
.56
D
250
.71
G#
90
.55
212
APPENDICES
THIRD OCTAVE
DIAM. IN
DIAM. IN
PITCH
WT. IN KG.
METRES
PITCH
WT. IN KG.
METRES
A
80
.51
D #
25
.34
A#
65
.47
E
25
.33
B
50
.41
F
22
.32
C
40
.40
F#
20
.31
c#
38
.38
G
18
.29
D
30
.37
G#
17
.28
FOURTH OCTAVE
A
16
.27
D#
10
.25
A#
15
.26
E
10
.25
B
14
.26
F
10
.25
C
13
.25
F$
10
.25
c#
12
.25
G
9
.24
D
11
.25
G#
9
.24
FIFTH OCTAVE
A
9
.24
B
8
.22
A#
9
.24
C
8
.22
Total weight (52 bells), 29,154 kilograms.
LIST OF THE 11 BELLS IN THE EXETER
CATHEDRAL PEAL
(As given by John Taylor and Company, Loughborough)
WEIGHT IN
DIAMETER IN
PITCH
A
B
C#
D
E
F#
G
Gtf
A
B
Ctf
NAME
Grandison
Stafford
Cobthorne
Doom bell
Pongamouth
LBS.
FT.
AND IN.
7252
6
4094
5
3
3361
4
9|
2804
4
6
1919
3
Hi
1804
3
8£
1133
3
41
1027
3
3i
850
3
885
722
2
2
104
DATE OF
FOUNDING
1902
1676
1729
1676
1693
1902
1630
1676
1658
1616
1729
Total (11 bells) 25,851
Note : the G is an extra half-tone not used in ringing changes.
APPENDICES 213
LIST OF THE 14 BELLS IN THE CHIME OF
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
(As given by Andrew Dickson White, Ithaca, N. Y. )
DATE OF
PITCH WEIGHT IN LBS. POUNDING
C 4830 1868
D 3167 1908
E 2151 1908
F 1720 1868
F# 1579 1908
G 1350 1908
A, 950 1908
B|Z 799 1908
B 683 1908
C 595 1908
C# 554 1908
D 472 1908
E 336 1908
F 310 1908
Total (14 bells) 19,496
All were made by Meneely & Co., of Watervliet, N. Y.,
the original nine bells of 1868 and one of 1869 having been
recast (except C and F) when four new bells were added
in 1908. This chime is hung fixed and tunes are played
from a "chiming stand," a kind of clavier.
APPENDIX E
COMPETITION OF CARILLONNEURS AT
MECHLIN
August 21 and 22, 1910.
ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT
AT THE AWARDING OF THE PRIZES
The Jury of the competition of carillonneurs has noted
with pleasure and deep satisfaction the general ability
displayed 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-
neurs. 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,
for as the Jury concluded, the qualities 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
APPENDICES 215
their carillons, so eminently fitted to cultivate the popular
taste. We feel certain that then within a short time
the talent of many carillonneurs will reach its full devel-
opment and that an even larger number of artists will
spring up than we just had the 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.
To the prize-winners, the Jury says that they have
more than merited their reward and it congratulates
them heartily. To all it expresses its sincere thanks and
bids them: Au revoir!
REPORT OF THE 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
principal features noticed in the competition. They be-
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.
INSTRUMENT AND CHOICE OF Music
While we cannot but admire the ingenious construc-
tion of a carillon, we realise on the other hand all the
difficulties that must be overcome in order to produce a
good instrument. Owing to these difficulties one caril-
216 APPENDICES
Ion is better than another and there is probably none
that 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,
first of all, he must examine the carillon on which he
wishes to play and test the bells, in order to use, so far
as may be, only those which will not disturb the chords
and harmonies. He will use the purest bells by prefer-
ence and play his melodies in those keys which will show
his instrument to the best advantage and which will pro-
duce the finest possible effect. He must try to arrange
his entire manner of playing in such a way that, so far
as possible, the best parts of his instrument shall domi-
nate even in the modulating motives. In accordance with
this rule, compositions having an often changing key,
such as portions of "Tannhauser" by Wagner, "Friihlings-
lied" by Mendelssohn, and many others like them, should
be rejected as being wholly unsuitable for the carillon.
The carillon is not a piano-forte, neither is it a band or
an orchestra, and therefore pieces written for such play-
ing will have to be in most cases altered and nearly
always simplified.
At the competition we heard a performance of the
"Beiaardlied" ("Carillon Song") and the "Souvenirs de
la Rubens-Cantate," by P. Benoit, in which use was
made of those constantly swelling basses which are, no
doubt, very effective in orchestral music, but which on
the carillon make the playing heavy and leaden, smother
the melody and destroy all beauty. How different would
have been the effect if this exquisite "Beiaardlied" had
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218 APPENDICES
been rendered simply and with the required expression,
with a few notes for accompaniment. Bells 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-
lonneur played the "Marche Solennelle" by Mailly. This
piece was written for the organ and 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.
The compass of the keyboard, too, must be taken into
account. In the same march, for instance, it is impos-
sible to find room for the second motive on the keyboard
of the carillon. This is a reason why this piece should
not be selected, for should one absolutely desire to play
it, he has personally to make variations, which in a com-
petition is not acceptable. In the competition we are re-
viewing this piece was played by one of the most skilled
competitors and yet notwithstanding his skill, the piece
was badly maimed. Indeed it could not have been other-
wise. But what is a jury to do, when on the other hand
a piece is played of perhaps less general value but better
adapted to the bells, and played perfectly, with expression
and rhythm, and not requiring intricate tricks which truly
rob it of its character ?
APPENDICES 219
In a carillon competition, perhaps more than in any
other, the selection of the piece by the competitor is of
the greatest importance, for the reason that the purpose
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 appreciated.
Manual skill is certainly an important element, but the
artistic interpretation is the greatest, the best, the 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-
cate his natural talent, his power, and his own concep-
tion of the art. Pieces of his own choice therefore are
more advantageous to the competitor, and it is surprising
that some made their selections with so little discrimina-
tion. The Jury greatly regrets that so little use was
made of our great stock of Flemish anthems, old and
new. These themes specially are much better suited for
the carillon than portions of the "Cavalleria Rusticana,"
"Mignon," "Tannhauser," etc.
OBLIGATORY PIECES
In a competition the pieces designated by the jury are
of still greater importance than the pieces of the com-
petitor's selection. These latter indicate his taste and
the height at which he rates his own skill. The obliga-
tory piece however allows a much more correct opinion
220 APPENDICES
to be formed of the capacity of the carillonneur, of the
quality of his performance and of his technical skill
(virtuosity), for here he no longer can show off his own
much practiced pieces, but has to conquer within a lim-
ited time the same difficulties 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 "Het Lied der Vlamingen" ("The Song
of the Flemings") by P. Benoit was the test number.
The competitors received this song with piano accom-
paniment only. It was specially 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
one (Mr. Rolliers) was able to exhibit a personal inter-
pretation of the accompaniment, which, independent of
the melody, made the rhythm much more powerful.
The "Andante Cantabile," the test piece for the com-
petition of honour, was well played by nearly all the com-
petitors. However, according to the rules of the com-
petition, this piece had to be played exactly as it was writ-
ten and all indications for retarding and accelerating the
time had to be strictly followed. Not all the performers
kept this in view. With the "Poco animate" the vari-
ous competitors were allowed to choose from three ac-
APPENDICES 221
companiments. Some were apparently of opinion that to
select the most difficult accompaniment would lead to
victory. These must have been disappointed. Certainly
it would have given them an advantage if, in so doing,
they had not retarded the time, weakened the rhythm and
rendered their play unduly heavy.
Let us now criticise the various performances.
GENERAL COMPETITION
FIRST AWARD: Mr. Jules van de Plas, carillonneur
of the S. Gertrude's Church at Louvain. This com-
petitor has given a good performance of "Het Lied der
Vlamingen." He succeeded well in playing the melody
in octaves which made it very clear. The time, however,
was too slow. He certainly found it not easy to choose
and couple motives from "Les cloches de Corneville" by
Planquette. The performance of the very intricate
"Fugue" of his own composition and of the very difficult
Fifth Prelude by J. S. Bach, was a revelation. None of
the pieces played at the competition were so difficult as
these. The almost perfect interpretation of these pieces
commanded the highest appreciation. It far exceeded
the expectation of the members of the Jury, who with the
score before them, were fully aware of the enormous skill
required.
SECOND AWARD: Mr. A. Rolliers, municipal carillon-
neur of S. Niklaas. This competitor was the only one
who has found the suitable accompaniment for the obli-
gatory piece referred to above. His was far the best
interpretation of that powerful song. Also "Brise des
222 APPENDICES
Nuits" and "Myn Vryer is een Kerelken" ("My Lover
is a Fellow") were exquisitely played and with great sen-
timent. The choice of these pieces was certainly modest,
but the performance of these simple songs with exceeding
beauty, showed how wise a choice was made.
THIRD AWARD : Mr. Fernand Redoute, municipal caril-
lonneur of Mons, has a very firm stroke on the key-
board. The obligatory piece was well played ; but he did
not take notice of the rest after every organpoint. Ta-
gliafico's "Romance" was not played in the proper time
and was given without the contrasts which make it me-
lodious. The fantazia of "Tannhauser" (a bad selection
as stated above) was played with great skill. Generally
his performance was marked by proper sentiment.
FOURTH AWARD: Mr. K. de Mette, municipal caril-
lonneur at Aalst * * *; FIFTH AWARD: Mr. A.
Schynkel, municipal carillonneur at Oudenaarde * * * ;
and SIXTH AWARD: Mr. Em. Verrees, carillonneur of
Turnhout * * *.
* # * # *
COMPETITION OF HONOUR
PRIZE OF THE KING: Mr. A. Rolliers, municipal
carillonneur of S. Niklaas. All the pieces played by this
gentleman bore the stamp of correctness, seriousness, and
true sentiment. The beautiful fantasia of "Les Cloches
de Corneville," and "The Song of the Blacksmith" were
faultless and exquisite. In the "Andante Cantabile" he
succeeded very well, and the "Poco animate" was excel-
lently performed. He had the prudence to select the
APPENDICES 223
most simple accompaniment and the only criticism that
we can make is that the retard of the variation was played
somewhat quickly. His delicacy, his taste, his correct-
ness, the beautiful and pure interpretation of all his
pieces, gave him the King's award by a unanimous vote.
PRIZE OF THE MECHLIN ATTRACTIONS: Mr. J. Re-
doute, municipal carillonneur of Mons, performed the
"Andante Cantabile" somewhat slowly but with much
sentiment, though the retards were a little premature.
"Les Pecheurs de Perles" by Bizet, was perfectly per-
formed and with sincere sentiment. It was a pity that
he missed an important note at the concluding chro-
matic scale. "La Voix des Chenes" demands a more
lively performance and this competitor should have tried
to put more contrasts in it, which would have improved
the whole. Mr. Redoute should specially practice classic
exercises in order to develop more technical skill. If he
does this, the Walloon country will have in him a very
competent carillonneur.
COMPETITORS FROM HOLLAND
In this report, we have purposely left the Dutch
competitors until the last as we want to devote a sepa-
rate division to them.
These competitors have a quite different style of in- 1
terpretation. The influence of the ever developing art
of carillon playing in Flanders has had no effect on
them. In Holland the use of springs behind the clap-
pers is unknown. This mechanical deficiency makes it
224 APPENDICES
impossible for a carillonneur to produce a satisfactory
sustained tone. We hope that this lack will be remedied
in the Dutch carillons in the near future. Messrs, van
Zuylen of Gouda and de Lange of Rotterdam distin-
guished themselves particularly, and Messrs, de Vries,
Wagenaar, Mens, and Diedrich (the latter's perform-
ance may be looked 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.
One must particularly admire their spirit as, notwith-
standing they were conscious that their fight was a for-
lorn hope, they held on and did their part to make the
competition a success. Their experience here may give to
them and their principals an important suggestion for
improvement in the equipment of their carillons. The
way 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
carillon playing, and in order that this may truly become
an art in the greater Netherlands.
Jos. DENYN, Municipal Carillonneur of Mechlin.
W. W. STARMER, Member of the Royal Academy
of Music, London.
G. VAN DOORSLAER, Carillon-historian of Mechlin.
J. A. DE ZWAAN, Organ-professor at the Con-
servatory at the Hague and Municipal Caril-
lonneur of Delft.
CYR. VERELST, Manager of the Municipal Music
Academy, Mechlin.
APPENDIX F
ENGLISH BELLS AND CHANGE RINGING
AND OTHER NOTES
MR. W. W. STARMER in an ad-
dress in 1905 says:
"English bells are very heavy compared
with those used for the same purpose on the continent.
Melodies played on such (continental) bells are more
satisfactory than when played on heavier bells; the pitch
of the notes under the former conditions being so much
higher that there is no interference between the tones."
Discussing the Exeter Peal Mr. W. Hamp-
son remarks:
"It must be understood that there are carillons and
chimes of much heavier weight, but this is the greatest
set of bells to be run in full swing in what we may term
the English fashion. In connection herewith, we may
say a few words about carillons, for although we all love
the grand tone of the bells rolling in full swing in our
solid English fashion, and although there is no other way
so well suited to produce the full power of tone from the
bells, still we could wish that in one or two of our
225
226 APPENDICES
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-
matic octaves up to bells of only a few pounds, and
played upon by a skilled performer, would delight large
numbers of musical people."
And Mr. E. Denison Taylor in a letter to
the London Morning Post 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-
grammes could be drawn up, embracing a wide range of
music, from the inventions, fugues, and airs of Bach, to
the best of our old English folk songs. Moreover, there
is no reason why our modern writers should not pen
fantasias, rondos, and even sonatas, to catch the character
of the carillon."
The following is condensed from Grove's
Dictionary of Music and Musicians :
"The word 'change,' in Change Ringing, has reference
to a change from the 'usual order/ viz.: the diatonic
scale, struck from the highest to the lowest bell; but in
a sense, this 'usual order' is also included as one of the
changes. * * * Change Ringing is the continual pro-
duction of such changes — without any repetition. * *
APPENDICES 227
It is an interesting and engrossing art, which many per-
sons in England have practised as an amusement. *
From three bells six changes are derived; from four bells
twenty-four changes; from five bells 120 changes, and
so on until from twelve bells (the largest number ever
rung in a peal) 479,001,600 changes are possible."
Mr. E. B. Osborn, in the London Morning
Post, July 25, 1913, writes:
"Change-ringing, of course, is a comparatively modern
invention. It is true we hear of guilds of bell-ringers
at Westminster Abbey and other collegiate churches in
pre-Reformation days. But 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-off days effectually prevented them from
making the almost complete revolution, starting from
an inverted position, which causes the clapper to strike
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
order which are known to the ringers of to-day. * * *
Why change-ringing should be the Englishman's fa-
vourite form of bell music is, I think, easily explained. It
involves much physical exertion, which tries, but need not
overtax, as many muscles as are used in rowing, and is
unquestionably one of the finest exercises known. * * *
228 APPENDICES
Strictly speaking, change-ringing is not music at all;
though when the voices of the bells used are mellow and
melodious it decorates the passing time with simple, sub-
tly-varied sound-patterns, and forms an acceptable obli-
gato to the elemental emotions of an individual or the
In Great Britain and on the continent, out-
side of the Low Countries, what bell ringing
often comes to be is well exemplified by a peti-
tion sent in October, 1913, to the church war-
dens of St. Matthias Church, Richmond Hill.
The petition reads:
"We, the undersigned, medical men, professional and
business people, lodging-house proprietors, keepers of
nursing homes, and others, being much annoyed by the
frequent and unnecessary ringing of this bell on Sun-
days and Holy Days, earnestly request that your atten-
tion be drawn to the matter. As you are aware, the
bell 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
sound of this 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-
ber of strokes to 60, not exceeding one minute in dura-
tion."
APPENDICES 229
To which one of the clergy replied :
"We do not ring as often or as long as we used to do
and it is surprising that after fifty years this bell should
now at last have become a nuisance."
The preface to "A Key to the Art of Ring-
ing," by William Jones, John Reeves and
Thomas Blakemore, London about 1796,
begins :
"As an Athletic Exercise or Amusement there are few
of so noble a nature, so conducive to health, and employ-
ing so many faculties, both mental and corporeal, as that
of the ART of RINGING."
Easter Monday, 1911, on a ring of 12 bells,
the tenor weighing 2700 pounds, at Ashton-
under-Lyne Parish Church, Lancashire, 12
change-ringers rang the Record Length of
Kent Treble Bob Maximus, 12,240 changes,
in 8 hours 39 minutes!
Chapter VII mentions a charm of carillon
music that comes from the fact that the caril-
lonneur cannot be seen. In the preface to the
new Widor-Schweitzner edition of Bach's
Organ Works, Albert Schweitzner says:
280
APPENDICES
"For rightly interpreting Bach's works something else
is needed, which is too frequently lost sight of. The im-
pression of grandeur and sublimity must not be impaired
by any externalities unpleasing to the eye. It has become
the fashion to set up organs in such a way that the player
is visible to the audience. This is an aesthetic aberration
without parallel. Contrasted with the organ, the form
of man is far too insignificant. And though the organist
play never so quietly, he nevertheless moves to and fro
before the hearers' vision, in sorry contrast with the
majesty of the music. Anything more unedifying can
scarcely be imagined than to 'see' a Bach fugue played.
"Why should an undisturbed enjoyment of the grand
old Master's music be reserved for the blind alone? In
olden times the organist was always hidden behind the
Riickpositiv. And in the modern organ, too, some ar-
rangement should be made for keeping him invisible."
And Goethe in Wilhelm Meister (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.
Here the choir can stand concealed while singing; these
iron ornaments below the cornice serve for fastening-on
the tapestry, which, by order of my uncle, must be hung
round at every burial. Music, particularly song, was a
pleasure he could not live without : and it was one of his
APPENDICES 231
peculiarities that he wished the singer not to be in view.
'In this respect,' he would say, 'they spoil us at the
theatre; the music there is, as it were, subservient to the
eye; it accompanies movements, not emotions. In ora-
torios and concerts, the form of the musician constantly
disturbs us ; true music is intended for the ear alone.' "
The quotations following are from letters
received from Belgium just as this book is
completed :
"Antwerp, August 30, 1914. You can well guess that
carillon concerts are stopped at Antwerp since August 3d.
Mr. Denyn played until last Monday (August 17th) at
Mechlin. There were crowds of our troops in that city
and everybody was glad to hear him playing 'Braban-
9onne,' 'Valeureux Liegeois,' 'God Save the King,' 'The
Russian Hymn,' 'The Marseillaise,' and 'De Vlaamsche
Leeuw' ('The Lion of Flanders'). But now we are in
a state of siege and no kind of festivity is appropriate."
"Blankenberge, September 12, 1914. We were bom-
barded (at Mechlin) first on Tuesday, August 25th, at
5:30 A.M. A shell shattered the wall of our garden
and destroyed the rear of our house. Happily we 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 we fled
to Antwerp. * * * The carillons of S. Peter's and
S. Gertrude's at Louvain are gone. The carillon at
232 APPENDICES
Mechlin is badly damaged, though S. Rombold's tower
has withstood the shells wonderfully. The cathedral
otherwise is almost destroyed."
Mr. J. Vincent, carillonneur of Amster-
dam, writing of the probable destruction of
the Mechlin carillon, says in the Hague "Het
Vaderland," September 4, 1914:
"Thereby one of the best products of the bell founders
Pieter and Franc Hemony is lost. The carillon of
Mechlin was one of the finest in Belgium. * * * Widely
known were the concerts which were given by the cele-
brated Josef Denyn. Only a short time ago I had the
privilege of attending one of these concerts. Hundreds
of earnest listeners gathered along the quiet canals and
streets of Mechlin. * * * The beautiful tower with its
picturesque outline, the evening stillness, the square, the
silvery tones of heavenly music, all combined to make an
indelible impression upon the mind, and when, at the end,
Denyn played the funeral march by Chopin, I saw many
a person wipe away a tear. Unforgetable moments these.
And now! * * * Poor people, poor Denyn."
ML
1039
R52
Rice, William Gorham
1026492
ML Rice, William Gorham
1039 Carillons of Belgium and
R52
Roll nd