Chesman appointed
Jeremy Chesman has been appointed University Carillonneur and Instructor of Music at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. He will develop and direct a carillon program and teach music theory. Additionally, he will serve as staff accompanist.
The carillon, installed in August, is a 48-bell instrument cast by the Royal Eijsbouts Foundry in Asten, The Netherlands. The bourdon, a C3, weighs 4850 pounds. The instrument is chromatic for four octaves, excluding the lowest C-sharp.
Mr. Chesman holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Michigan, in organ and carillon, respectively. He is currently studying at the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium, on a fellowship from the Belgian American Educational Foundation. His primary carillon teachers include Margo Halsted, Todd Fair, and Eddy Mariën.
Carillon study at the Lemmens Institute, Leuven, Belgium
The Lemmens Institute opened in Mechelen, Belgium, in 1879, founded by Flemish organist and composer Jaak Nikolaas Lemmens (1823–1881). Lemmens is remembered by organists for his revolutionary pedal technique which, through his students Guilmant and Widor, had a significant impact on French romantic organ music. His method book, Ecole d'orgue basée sur le plain-chant romain, emphasized the importance of pedal technique as well as manual technique and was adopted by the Paris Conservatory among others. Lemmens founded the Institute as a school of church music, basing the curriculum on the study of Gregorian chant and the organ.
The Lemmens Institute moved to the famous university town of Leuven (Louvain) and has developed into a broader school of music offering training in all musical disciplines: all instruments, voice, theory, music education, music therapy, jazz, and theater. Carillon study is also possible at the Institute, and because of its status as a department of the "Hogeschool voor Wetenschap en Kunst" it offers a Master's Degree in Carillon.
Each student's curriculum is designed individually and includes a broad range of related disciplines. The aim of the course of study at the Institute is the total development of the musician as opposed to focusing solely on an instrument. Carillon students can also study another instrument such as organ.
The carillon curriculum consists of:
* Bachelor's Degree (3 years): courses in harmony, music theory, history, analysis, carillon playing, etc.
* Master's Degree (2 years): improvisation, arranging, campanology, etc.
Post-graduate courses are available.
The carillon department has a lively exchange program with the Netherlands Carillon School in Amersfoort.
Partners of the Lemmens Institute in the Erasmus Program for carillon are the Academy of the Arts, Utrecht, The Netherlands, and the Academy of Music, Gdansk, Poland. This program offers the student the opportunity of specialized study in any of the three academies. For example, a student could spend a term studying baroque performance practice on carillon with Bernard Winsemius in Amersfoort or learning about arranging music for carillon and brass ensembles from Carl Van Eyndhoven.
General information:
Lemmensinstituut
Herestraat 53
3000 Leuven
Belgium
Tel :+32 / 16 23 39 67
Fax: +32 / 16 22 24 77
Information about carillon studies:
Carl Van Eyndhoven
Tel: +32 476 337 330
e-mail: [email protected]
Carillon composition competition
2002 is the 400th anniversary of the formation of the Dutch East India Trading Company, or VOC (from the Dutch, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie). Chartered on 20 March 1602, the VOC monopolized trade with the East Indies. It was a coalition of a number of small, independent trading companies, all operating out of The Netherlands. During its 200-year history, the VOC became the largest company of its kind, trading spices like nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and pepper, and other consumer products like tea, silk, and Chinese porcelain. Its factories and trade centers were world famous: Desjima in Japan, Mokha in Yemen, Surat in Persia, and Batavia, the company's headquarters on Java. The new company was given extensive powers by the government of The Netherlands, including the rights to enter into treaties, to maintain military forces, and to produce coinage, as well as powers of government and justice. By the second half of the seventeenth century, the VOC had established Cape Town, South Africa, as an important place for replenishing its ships with essentials such as water, fresh fruit and vegetables.
To celebrate this momentous event many activities are planned in the six Dutch cities that make up the former VOC: Amsterdam, Middelburg, Rotterdam, Delft, Hoorn, and Enkhuizen. In addition to a week of carillon recitals given by the carillonneurs of these cities, the organization The Carillon Of Hoorn has organized a carillon composition competition.
Songs from that era were selected by a musicologist, and they will form the basis for each composition. Included are songs such as "Sailor's Farewell," "A Veritable and Pitiful Tale," and "A Vagabond Song." A complete set of these works will be sent on request.
The prize winner will receive 4000 Dutch guilders. The composition will be the required piece for the performance competition to be held in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands, on 22 July 2002. Along with the winning composition, five or six of the best remaining works will be published and may also be played during the carillon week.
Competition rules and information
1. The keyboards of both Hoorn and Enkhuizen are: G, B-flat, C, D, chromatic to D5 (52 notes).
2. A composer may submit multiple works but only one will be awarded a prize.
3. The work should be based on one of the VOC songs without necessarily following them note-for-note.
4. A list of songs is available from: Frits Reynaert, Zuiderhavendijk 40, 1601 JC Enkhuizen, The Netherlands; phone: 0228 317816;
5. Duration of the piece should be between six and nine minutes.
6. Form and style is left to the composer.
7. The composition should be playable on meantone instruments.
8. The jury consists of Peter Bremer, chairman Wim Franken, Geert Bierling, Carl van Eijndhoven, and Mathieu Dijker. Frits Reynaert is the non-voting secretary.
9. The jury will judge for originality, musicality and suitability for carillon.
10. The jury has the right to award no prize as well as splitting the prize.
11. To ensure impartiality, no identifying marks may be placed on the score.
12. The identity of the winner will only be made known at the end of the competition.
13. Composers should send in six good clean readable copies (no originals please). Deadline is 1 April 2002 to Frits Reynaert. In a separate letter the composer should give their name and address, the title of the piece, and a short curriculum vitae.
14. The winner agrees to all of the rules of the competition which include publication of the winning piece.
15. The winner will be notified on 1 May.
Send items for "Carillon News" to Dr. Brian Swager, c/o The Diapason, 380 E. Northwest Hwy., Suite 200, Des Plaines, IL 60016-2282. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, write to: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221.
