World Carillon Congress 2021 - Report from Nordic Society of Campanology and Carillon

Dear friends and colleagues in The World Carillon Federation. Our Guild dates back to 1966 as The Nordic Society of Campanology, which later merged with The Danish Guild of Carillonneurs forming Nordic Society of Campanology and Carillon. To those of you not familiar with our region: The Nordic area consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, The Associated territories of Greenland, The Faroe Islands and The Åland Islands. Denmark, Norway and Sweden – which makes up Scandinavia, don't share a common language however we do understand each other - still it’s important for us to use English as a common language to be understood by all member countries.

My name is Vegar Sandholt, for the time being, president of our Guild. The Board elected during our 2020 conference consist of: Vice President Henning Andersen (N), Treasurer Povl Christian Balslev (DK), Secretary Karsten Hermansen (DK), and members Susanne Ketelsen (DK), Henriëtte Pihlmann Nielsen (DK), Asbjørn Myksvoll (N) and Lars Sømod (DK). Carillonneurs, campanologists and bell companies are all represented in the board. 

Here are the reports of The Nordic Society of Campanology and Carillon:

MEMBERS AND ECONOMY 

Today the number of members is close to 70, and the economic situation is good.

NSCK ONLINE

I want to point out to you our web site: nsck.org. We keep this site - and our Facebook site - updated with information on our activities and plans.  

CARILLONS

Until the last world congress in Barcelona (2017), carillons existed in only three of the Nordic countries; Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Our colleague Sinikka Honkanen is a skilled hand bell player, organist and carillonneur. I know that she for years has carried a dream for the first carillon in Finland. It’s a pleasure and great joy to announce that Finland now has got its first carillon. This is a cooperation between Eijsbouts bell foundry and Supavit Nummelin in Vantaa, organist, carillon player and bell enthusiast.

Finland (1 new carillon)

Tikkurila Church (Vantaa) December 2020 | 31 bells | g2-c5 + Bourdon a1 445 kg from 1969) | Eijsbouts / Supavit Nummelin (plans for c2-c5)

Sweden (15 carillons)

The last instrument was built in the early eighties (Härnösand Cathedral), however many of the carillons have no carillonneur and thus remain silent. Still there is a reason to hope and pray that a renaissance will take place in Sweden.

Norway (12 carillons)

Stavanger Cathedral houses the first carillon of Norway from 1922. Two octaves of English bells was twice expanded to totally 49 bells. For the jubilee next year we are working on a restauration of this instrument with new keyboard, automatic system and to add a bourdon bell.

Denmark (30 carillons)

Løgumkloster carillon celebrate 50 years in 2023. There are plans for a restoration of both the carillon and the tower with Per Rasmus Møller as consultant. The instrument will also be expanded to 63 bells. (c#1 - d#1 - f6) It will transpose up a minor third and get a world standard keyboard.

Grinsted church: A major prosjekt is planned for 2022. Peter Langberg is the consultant for a new carillon of 61 bells (Bb0 - c1 - d1 - c6). The instrument will have a world standard keyboard.

Aulum church: A new carillon of 27 bells (c2 - d2 - e4) is planned for 2022/23.

Sankt Mariæ Church (Helsingør): A new carillon of 48 bells (c2 - d2 - c6 ) with a North European standard keyboard is planned.

The travelling carillon: Morten Langberg has passed on the administration of the travelling carillon to Lars Bek Nielsen. The web site remains the same: nordic-carillon.dk

Our countries also has got a great number of automatic instruments and chimes.

PUBLICATIONS

Our bulletin Acta Campanologica have been published twice a year through most of our guild’s history. On our web site you will find a complete list of all articles in Acta, many of them with an English summary. Per Rasmus Møller is doing a great job as the editor of the bulletin.

Publishing Carillon music is mainly a private initiative by the composers and therefore music is to be found at different publishers. Several pieces are available for free on our web site. If music are available at other publishers we will inform about it under the news section. Goos ten Napel publishes his music on sheetmusicplus.com. Karsten Hermansen and Povl Christian Balslev published a small book of carillon music “Tårnhøje toner fra Det sydfynske Øhav” for our last conference. 

Some of you know the composition “The Sacredness of Trees” by Ellen Lindquist. It was commissioned by Nordic Music Days 2019 for Bodø Cathedral Carillon. The first performance was by carillonneur Vegar Sandholt, but the same time, the music was performed by several colleagues around the world. It will soon be available both for 3 and 4 octave carillons at Norsk Musikkforlag.

Composers and pieces mentioned will be a part of our Guild Concert during this congress.

A new book for carillon students at the Scandinavian Carillon School and elsewhere are made by Per Rasmus Møller. The 100-pages book’s got the title “Campanologi og klokkespilskundskap” and it is an introduction to campanology and carillon.

THE SCANDIAVIAN CARILLON SCHOOL

Peter Langberg and Per Rasmus Møller are the two teachers at the Carillon School. Today there are 4 students at the carillon school and several more are up for the next term. Lessons are given in Løgumkloster and Copenhagen.

There are plans for carillon lessons for students at the Norwegian State Academy of Music to evoke interest for the art of playing the carillon among Norwegian musicians. This might be an introduction to further studies at The Scandinavian Carillon School.

In general there is a need for more educated carillonneurs in the Nordic countries. We also wish we could arrange a lot more guest concerts on our carillons, although there is little tradition for that up north, and consequently lack of funds for such arrangements. You are in any case welcome to pay our carillons (and beautiful countries) a visit at any time, summer and winter alike.

THANKS

Thanks to those who worked hard to prepare the congress that should be taken place last year, and to those preparing the “online-congress” this year. We are also grateful for all the work laid down by to the board of our “mother ship” - the World Carillon Federation. For the “smaller” carillon nations the WCF and the congresses are most important and inspiring, especially for those living far from colleagues.

NSCK PRESIDENT