September 11 Toll
Bells and carillons tolled around the world to mourn the
tragic losses of 11 September 2001. Many American carillonneurs played special
programs, and our foreign colleagues seemed closer than ever through their
outpouring of morale and musical memorials.
Carillonneur and composer John Courter of Berea, Kentucky,
responded quickly with a poignant, accessible composition which he mailed to
many carillonneurs worldwide.
One program is especially indicative of the solidarity of
the carillon world. The central library building of the University of Leuven
(Louvain), Belgium, was donated by American high schools and universities after
the First World War. The Gillett & Johnston carillon in its tower was a
gift from 16 American engineering associations. On September 30, the city of
Leuven presented a sound and light show which featured the dramatic history of
the library. It was entitled "575 Light Years." Some 5,000 to 7,000
gathered on the square in front of the library. The carillonneur was asked to
play a prelude recital of 30 minutes before the event. The recital was
announced as a memorial recital for the events of September 11. On this
"American instrument" carillonneur Luc Rombouts played American
carillon music which he thought would evoke feelings of sadness, revolt, and
consolation.
The program was the following:
In Memoriam, September 11, 2001, John Courter; Reflection,
Robert Byrnes; Memorial, Theophil Rusterholz; "Dies Irae" (from
Gregorian Triptych), John Courter; Sarabande, Ronald Barnes; Land Beyond the
Clouds, arr. Ronald Barnes; "Serendipity" (from Music for Twilight),
Frank DellaPenna.
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