The Hilversum carillon at the top of the town hall sounds a bit more musical again. Three new bells, two small and one very large, ensure that carillonneur Wim Ruitenbeek has even more options. “Now I have a really nice bass note that can really bring a song to the end,” he says proudly behind his carillon.
That bass note is provided by a gigantic new bell. “It weighs about 3500 kilos and is made of bell bronze,” explains Wim. The clock is also the largest in the tower of the Hilversum town hall and therefore emits the lowest pitch. “It was still some feet in the earth to hang it here, but we succeeded.”
To the sounds of ‘Make you feel my love’ by Adele, carillonneur Wim can perfectly demonstrate why the new clock is so important. “This song is in B flat, so I can never do justice to the song with that low.”
Curious how that new B flat bell sounds? Watch the video below.
Gooise carillonneur has a new clock hanging – NH News
The new bells are also essential for the traditional carillon pieces. “In many pieces, composers assume that you have that low B-flat. Also in the new piece that was specially written for this renewed carillon.”
With that new piece of music composed by Geert D’hollander, all the bells of the carillon are played. “All 51, so the low B-flat bell, but also the new high C-sharp and D-bells.”
“It just shows that the municipality appreciates this instrument”
The new clocks were allowed to cost a bit. In total, the entire renovation will cost around 180,000 euros.
Some say a ridiculous amount, but not according to Wim: “This gives me so many more options. It just shows that the municipality appreciates this instrument. I think it’s fantastic that they can take it all the way to the future.”