The Inventory Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the Netherlands contains ICH of which the communities, groups or individuals involved have written a safeguarding plan. Those plans are reviewed by an independent review committee. Every three years an evaluation of the safeguarding takes place.

Description

In many places in the Netherlands carillon music is heard at certain hours. Such bell music concerts are produced by carillonneurs. A carillon consists of a series of chromatically tuned (going up by semitones only) bells and is played with a so-called baton keyboard, consisting of a manual and a pedal. The manual is played with the fists, therefore the keys are further apart than with a piano. The keys, (of both manual and pedal) hinge in the back of the keyboard. Every key is connected by a cable with the clapper of the respective bell. The bells themselves do not move. The clapper hangs on the inside of the bell and is pulled against the bottom inside of the bell by striking a key. The most common are carillons with a reach of four octaves (between 47 and 49 bells). The bells are cast in bronze. The diameter and the profile of the bell determine the pitch and the sound. Many carillons can be played by means of an automated mechanism or a drum. In this case often a short melody is played every quarter of an hour and a longer version at the whole or half hour. The carillonneur takes care of programming the machine. He must then re-pin the drum. There are also modern, computerised systems.

 

Community

Without carillonneurs, qualified and amateur, there is no carillon music. Many carillonneurs are associated with the Nederlandse KLokkenspel-Vereniging (the Dutch Carillon Society). An important knowledge and information centre for the carillon culture in the Netherlands is the Dutch Carillon Centre in Amersfoort. The Dutch Carillon School, associated with the HKU Utrecht Conservatory, offers a professional education for carillonneurs. There are also other courses and studies for playing a carillon elsewhere in the country. Many people regularly enjoy the carillon playing. The carillon owners are often municipalities, but university boards, church councils and individuals can also own a carillon. There are some bell foundries in the Netherlands where new bells are cast.

 

History

The carillon originates from the towns of the Low Countries. In the second half of the fourteenth century clocks were placed on many city towers. To prevent the people from missing the first stroke, some small bells, the warning bells, were played. Besides this sextons and bell ringers started to play rhythmic patterns. By increasing the number of bells, simple melodies could be composed. In the sixteenth century the mechanical playing drum came into use. On the outside of this drum metal pins (notes) were attached. The place of the pins determines the chords. In 1510 Jan van Spiere in Oudenaarde was given the assignment  to produce a keyboard with bells. This phenomenon spread rapidly. By the economic downturn in the eighteenth century there was no money for maintenance of carillons and purchase of new instruments. The turning point came in 1875, when pastor J.W. Brouwers argued for restoring the appreciation of the carillon. The carillonneur from Mechelen, Jef Denyn has made a major contribution to the revival of the carillon culture. In 1918 the Dutch Carillon Society was established. During World War II more than half of the swinging and carillon bells were looted by the German occupiers. In 1953 the Dutch Carillon School was established. In 1969 the National Carillon Museum was opened in Asten. From the Low Countries the carillon culture has become a tradition in the United States and Canada too. The function for time indication has become less important; the music has become more and more important.

 

Contact

Nederlandse Klokkenspel-Vereniging
Botenmakersstraat 1B
1506 TA
Zaandam
Noord-Holland
Netherlands
Website