Rotterdam, City Carillon (The Netherlands)

Since the 14th century, Rotterdam had a town hall with a small set of bells of unknown size. In 1660, François Hemony secured a contract for two complete carillons: one for the Laurenskerk tower and the other for the City Hall tower. The latter carillon was a relatively light set of twenty-six bells. In 1829, the carillon found a new home in the tower of the ‘Beursgebouw’, and by 1870, the keyboard was removed, making the carillon audible only through the drum.

Upon the completion of the new Rotterdam City Hall in 1920, the municipality received many gifts from citizens, including a new carillon donated by the Van Ommeren brothers. The carillon comprised forty-nine bells, with the largest bell weighing approximately 4034 kg. The bells were cast by the English bell foundry Taylor, and the three largest bells were named VREDE (‘Peace’), ARBEID (‘Labor’), and WELVAART (‘Prosperity’). During WOII Rotterdam was bombed in 1942 and the Hemony carillon of the ‘beursgebouw’ was destroyed. In September 1943, all the bells of the Taylor carillon, except the smallest one were requisitioned by the occupiers and were not recovered. The current carillon, a gift from municipal staff and the heirs of the Van Ommeren brothers, was installed on August 27, 1948.

The quality of the highest octaves did not fully meet later standards, prompting the Petit & Fritsen company to recast the thirty-seven highest bells in 1975 and add twelve small bells, zo that the range of the carillon expanded to five octaves. However, the two bell sets from 1948 and 1975 did not harmonize in terms of pitch. In 1996, the 1975 bells were retuned to match the pitch of the 1948 bells. Additionally, two new treble bells, named Laura (after Laura J. Meilink-Hoedemaker, the chairperson of the carillon committee at the time) and Harmonia, were added. The tower received a new playing cabin with a beautiful new oak keyboard. The entire action was renewed, and the clappers were replaced and overhauled.

The carillon is played weekly by city carillonneur Richard de Waardt. With his Great Rotterdam Songbook, he plays music for all 170 nationalities represented in the city. During the summer, concerts are organized for which the garden of City Hall functions as an open-air concert hall for an audience of 300 people. The carillon is also played during celebrations and commemorations, such as the earthquake in Morocco, the attack in New Zealand, the war in Ukraine, World Day for Cultural Diversity, etc.

Musica Laetitiae comes medicina dolorum

(Inscription on keyboard)