Singing bronze
a history of carillon music
Samenvatting
The fascinating history of bell music.
The carillon, the world's largest musical instrument, originated in the 16th
century when inhabitants of the Low Countries started to produce music
on bells in church and city towers. Today, carillon music still fills the soundscape of cities in Belgium and the Netherlands. Since the First World War,
carillon music has become popular in the United States, where it adds a
spiritual dimension to public parks and university campuses.
'Singing Bronze' opens up the fascinating world of the carillon to the reader.
It tells the great stories of European and American carillon history: the
quest for the perfect musical bell, the fate of carillons in times of revolt
and war, the role of patrons such as John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Herbert
Hoover in the development of American carillon culture, and the battle
between singing bronze and carillon electronics.
Richly illustrated with original photographs and etchings, 'Singing Bronze'
tells how people developed, played, and enjoyed bell music. With this book,
a fascinating history that is yet little known is made available for a wide
public.
