|
Carillon. A set of at least 23 bells encompassing two or more octaves in half-tones, and manually played from a touch-sensitive keyboard. The instrument originated in the 16th century in the Low Countries, in ranges of from two to three octaves. In the early 21st century a range of four octaves is common; five or more is exceptional. The carillon usually is an outdoor instrument, its bronze cup-shaped bells fixed in a tower belfry or, in some modern examples, on an open frame. The bells vary in size: those in a large carillon range from 16 cm in diameter and 5 kilograms in weight to over 2 m and 1000 kilograms. The carillon is played from a keyboard of large round wooden keys and short pedals that are connected to the bell clappers by simple tracker action. The keys and pedals are depressed with full arm and leg stroke, sometimes requiring considerable physical exertion. Dynamics vary with touch, and there are no dampers. Automatic playing (in which there is virtually no control of expression and dynamics) formerly was rendered by a rotating cylinder, with pegs (set according to the music) moving the external hammers. Latterly electric magnets or motors have been used to move the hammers or clappers, the music being encoded on an electronic cassette or computer disk, often as part of a MIDI system. Automatic playing is limited mostly to European carillons. A true carillon is played manually without electric or electromagnetic assists, but can be set up to be played automatically by external hammers and manually by internal clappers.
The carillon came into use as an adjunct to the Dutch tower clock, announcing the time at frequent intervals with pleasing melodies, and providing hand-played open-air music on festive occasions. The carillon's rarity may be attributed to the difficulty in tuning the partial tones in the bells so that chords and complex passages may be sounded accurately. After the mid-18th century there was a lapse of 150 years before well-tuned carillons were built again; in the 19th century about 15 instruments of inferior quality were installed in Europe and three in the US. At the beginning of the 20th century two English founders, Gillett & Johnston of Croydon and John Taylor & Co of Loughborough, developed sufficient skill in casting and tuning to produce satisfactory carillons, and prior to 1922 about eight appeared in Europe.
The Carillon's Arrival in Canada
The first carillon to be installed in Canada, a 23-bell set commissioned from Gillett & Johnston by Chester D. Massey in memory of his wife, was placed in Metropolitan United Church, Toronto, in 1922. It was followed by instruments in the US and in many other parts of the world. In 2007 there were about 600 carillons in the world; 11 of these are in Canada, most of English origin: Metropolitan United Church, Toronto (installed 1922 with 23 bells, increased to 35 in 1960 and to 54 in 1971) Norfolk War Memorial, Simcoe, Ont (1925; 23 bells); renovated St George's Anglican Church, Guelph, Ont (1926; 23 bells, increased to 35 bells in 2006) Hart House, Soldiers' Tower, University of Toronto (1927; 23 bells, increased to 42 in 1952, renovated and enlarged to 51 bells in 1975) Peace Tower, Parliament Buildings, Ottawa (1927; 53 bells) Cathedral of Christ the King, Hamilton, Ont (1933; 23 bells) St-Jean-Baptiste Church, Ottawa (1940; 47 bells; not in operating condition) Rainbow Tower, Niagara Falls (1947; 55 bells; renovated 1998-2001; not in operation) Saint Joseph's Oratory, Montreal (1955-6; 56 bells) The Netherlands Centennial Carillon, Victoria, BC (1967; 49 bells, increased to 62 bells in 1971) Exhibition Place Carillon, Toronto (1974; refurbished 2001; 50 bells) In addition to these, there are a few instruments that do not fit the definition of a carillon. In 1966 the Province of Alberta installed a "Centennial Carillon" in Edmonton. Despite its name, this device is not a true carillon, as it does not use bells. Another instrument, installed at Edmonton city hall in 1992, also falls outside the definition because it uses an electric rather than a mechanical keyboard.
Canadian Carillonneurs
The playing of the carillon rests in few hands. There are only about 400 professionally qualified carillonneurs in the world. The pioneer in the field in Canada and a world authority was Percival Price; other carillonneurs active in Canada in the past were Émilien Allard, Herman Bergink, Robert Donnell, Sydney Giles, J. Leland Richardson, Sydney J. Shep, Jack Skillicorn, James (Bud) Slater, Arnold Somerville, June Somerville, and Daniel Zlatin. Among the handful of carillonneurs professionally active in Canada in 2007 were Claude Aubin (Montreal), Donald Hamilton (Guelph), Michael Hart, Charles Hogg, Rosemary Laing, Roy Lee, Gerald Martindale, Claire Poirier, and Gordon Slater (Ottawa). Andrea McCrady became Dominion Carillonneur in 2008. Eight Canadians, Price among them, were founding members of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, and Ontario was the guild's base for its first seven years (1938-45). Recordings include those made on the Peace Tower carillon by Price and Slater, on the Netherlands Centennial Carillon in Victoria by Herman Bergink, on the carillon at Saint Joseph's Oratory by Émilien Allard, on the Soldiers' Tower by Leland Richardson, on the Rainbow Tower by Slater, and on the Metropolitan United Church instrument by Martindale.
Discography
The Netherlands Centennial Carillon, Victoria, BC. Herman Bergink, Leent Hart. 1974 Bells and Brass. Gordon Slater, Canadian Brass, Peace Tower carillon. 1978. Cassette, Good Day GD7371 Peace Tower Christmas. Gordon Slater. 1979. Tapestry Records GD 7373 Anniversary Carillon. Gordon, James and Pamela Slater, Heather Spry, Andrea McCrady, Metropolitan United Church carillon. 1982 (cassette), 2006 (CD) Jan Jarvlepp, John Winiarz. Chronogrammes. Gordon Slater et al. 1986. Jarvlepp Productions JW 861 On Christmas Night. James Slater, Metropolitan United Church carillon. 1996. Cassette and CD Touch the Hem. Gerald Martindale, Metropolitan United Church carillon. 1999 Gaudeté. Gerald Martindale, Metropolitan United Church carillon. 2003 Look At The World. Gerald Martindale, Metropolitan United Church carillon. 2006
Author
Percival Price, Gerald Martindale
Bibliography
'Bell music invades Canada,' Canadian Music Trades Journal, vol 22, May 1922 Price, Percival. The Carillon (London 1933) - 'Carillons of North America,' manuscript, 1933 Belford, Margaret S. 'Victoria's singing tower,' Victoria Daily Colonist, 3 May 1970 Allemang, John. 'Let the bells ring out,' Toronto Globe and Mail, 27 Jun 1986 Wadsworth, H. 'The carillon: an orchestra unto itself,' Classical Music Magazine, vol 15, no 5, 1992 Keldermans, Karel and Keldermans, Linda. Carillon: The Evolution of a Concert Instrument in North America (Springfield, Ill 1996) Leeper, Muriel. 'Ringing the bells,' Performing Arts & Entertainment in Canada, vol 32, Oct 1998 "Carillonneur's job has nice ring to it: Gordon Slater," Toronto Star, 23 Dec 1999 Hood, Sarah. "If I had a bell . . . Canada's carillonneurs ring remembrance," Performing Arts in Canada, Autumn 2002
Links to Other Sites
The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America
The complete guide to carillons. Check out the history of carillons, search for carillons world wide, look for carillon music and peruse a lengthy glossary of bell-related words. Also offers a link to the World Carillon Federation website.
The Carillon
An insider’s view of a Parliament Hill landmark – the 53-bell carillon in the Peace Tower. One of the featured “Canadian Symbols at Parliament” from the Library of Parliament, Ottawa. Also, check the main Parliament of Canada website for a schedule of Carillon concerts.
The Carillon of Metropolitan United Church
This page is devoted to the various music programs offered at Toronto’s historic Metropolitan United Church. Includes a brief note about the playing of the carillon before services and during special events throughout the year.
Gerald Martindale
This site offers a profile of Gerald Martindale, Carillonneur of Metropolitan United Church in Toronto.
Ringing the bells
Accomplished musician Gerald Martindale discusses the technique involved in playing the 51-bell Soldiers' Tower Carillon at the University of Toronto. An article from “Performing Arts & Entertainment in Canada.” A LookSmart website.
Soldiers' Tower Carillon
The website for the Soldiers' Tower Carillon, located at the downtown campus of the University of Toronto. Features information about upcoming events, a photo gallery, music downloads, and an archives section that includes profiles of John Lewis Skillicorn and other former carillonneurs associated with the Soldiers' Tower.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| David Thompson was an outsider, struggling to find a foothold in the empire that had consumed his country... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Welch, Blakeman. Composer, journalist, therapist, teacher, b Birmingham, England 27 Feb 1935; BA (Durham) 1957, certificate in education (London) 1960, B ED (Manitoba) 1974. While teaching in London Welch conducted and ... |
|
|
