Description
The carillon, the world's largest musical instrument, originated in the sixteenth 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 World War I, 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.
Author: Luc Rombouts
Publisher: Leuven University Press
Published: 07/15/2014
Pages: 360
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.60w x 1.00d
ISBN13: 9789058679567
ISBN10: 905867956X
BISAC Categories:
- History | Western Europe | General
- History | United States | General
- Music | Musical Instruments | Percussion
About the Author
Luc Rombouts is carillonneur of the city of Tienen and of KU Leuven. His original Dutch publication on carillon history entitled Zingend brons received several awards in Belgium and the Netherlands.