Every three years the Beiaard World Federation organizes a congress, each time in a different country as long as that country has at least one carillon, a recognized or soon-to-be-recognized carillon association and of course also at least one carillonneur who is the titular player of that at least one carillon. Our old Low Countries have many carillons and carillonneurs, but how is it in Portugal, the host country of the congress?
In the good old days of feudal kings and colonies where all riches were plundered such as masses of golden jewelry from the 'wild indians' (yes, that's how our teacher in second grade - 1967 - still spoke of the 'indians' in America and the 'negroes' in Africa: savages…) those kings became enormously enriched. One didn't need to worry about a palace more or less and trade flourished. There was intense trade between Portugal and the so-called Southern Netherlands, especially with Antwerp as an important port. The Portuguese king Johan V visited our regions and heard the carillon there. He wanted such a spectacular thing too and when he heard that it "costs so little", he suddenly ordered two. The basilica under construction of the palace in Mafra, also then under construction, now UNESCO World Heritage, indeed had two towers and so each tower would get a carillon. One made in Antwerp and one made in Liège. The king must have sensed the Flemish – Walloon conflict already. 250 years later Belgium would speak of the waffle iron politics: this one gets this, the other gets that, needed or not. In any case, two bell founders benefited from it. The Walloon carillon was a flop of an instrument. It was played three times at the inauguration and then they silenced those kettles in the form of bells, to this day.
The Antwerp carillon of founder Willockx was fortunately of the right caliber. Bells with a beautiful fresh and at the same time somewhat melancholic sound, very well tuned. Unfortunately, the instrument fell into disrepair over the many years. There must be people with passion who 'go for it' as they say and if there is only one instrument in your country, it is difficult to keep enough people in motion to learn to play it, maintain it, give concerts and enthuse the population. This partly succeeded in the 1980s when the quality instrument was overhauled. However, it didn't take long before there was decay again due to lack of proper vision. Until the very talented musician Abel Chaves, trained at the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, after much sweating and toiling, got enough noses pointing in the same direction to make the necessary efforts so that the Willockx instrument was again responsibly playable in a safe environment. Curiously enough, Covid 19 lent a helping hand: the instrument had just been thoroughly tackled and Abel started with carillon concerts via streaming on various channels such as YouTube and Facebook. That had wonderful success and gave the carillonneur, but also those responsible, the necessary courage and conviction to do more.
Mafra Congress more than 'a congress'
Yes, Mafra, where all those Belgians, Dutch, Americans and many nationalities would have to come to hold congress with their Portuguese colleagues. Beautiful palace, summer weather, splendid instrument: what more could you want? A government that believes in it entirely and so it happened. City and palace provided the necessary funds – a serious amount – and for staff, logistics, catering, transport and all sorts of practical things and everything that comes with such an organization.
Abel Chaves had and has vision and that vision he would push through. So there would not be just the classic congress formula with a series of lectures and performances, Abel wanted a total package with the classic formula supplemented with presentation stands from music schools, interest groups, companies and the like. Also, a bell, a peace bell at that, would be cast on the spot in a specially built outdoor furnace and casting mold. The melting of the bronze and the casting of the bell would be framed with an evocation of music and dance.
Abel's colleague, Ana Elias, also trained in Mechelen, provided a special contribution that would make it clear that the carillon can be used for more than playing some tunes weekly and giving a concert now and then. Disco music would sound from speakers, dancers à la K3 would give their show on stage and the mobile carillon – a smart investment by Elias, a very beautiful sounding modern carillon mounted on a truck – would play together with the disco music.
The closing evening would be festively enlivened by the police harmonie - a professional concert band like for example the Muziekkapel van de Gidsen in our country - which would perform together with the mobile carillon and among other things bring a symphony specially composed by Abel Chaves for this congress in world premiere. Success assured.
To make everything complete, he organized together with the palace a very engaging, impeccably finished and very educational exhibition about the carillons in the palace with all sorts of documentation, old clappers, practice keyboards and more. Professional scientists and exhibition builders were called upon for this. It became a not too large, well-proportioned exhibition that informs the visitor 100% and certainly doesn't bore anyone. Quite the opposite.
Carillon congress dances around the hot issue
Several lectures were given on topics that do have to do with the carillon, but that don't always provide more insight or contribute to the further development of everything around this instrument. Informative and worthwhile, but not always the stuff for a congress, let alone a world congress where important sore points were not discussed. For example, nothing was said about the future of the instrument. How to convince young people to learn to play the instrument? How is training at institutes, masterclasses and the like worldwide? How are salaries? Why is it that some have 10 or more carillons in their portfolio and others hardly or never get a turn? How to cooperate with governments and organizations? How to get media attention? How this and how that? No lists of demands for honest, responsible salaries were discussed. None of these things that you come into contact with as a matter of course in any professional congress. No working groups, only a hastily arranged discussion round where 13 sore points were briefly addressed. May this be an opening to absolutely continue working on this in the future because it is necessary.
Networking is abundant, contacts are made and reaffirmed, invitations for concerts follow. That is part of a congress, but it should not be the core. It belongs there, especially during meals, free hours.
From strong to unusual to painful concerts
And then, the concerts... A professional association must (!) enforce the highest musical quality standards. Now it is a hodgepodge that the association programs because it assumes that each branch should be given a chance. But what if a (usually smaller) branch does not have decent musicians, but only poorly trained dilettantes or amateurs? It is simply not defensible that there is bungling on an instrument, and that during a world congress where many eyes are upon it, by carillonneurs who cause more harm than anything else, whose playing is an absolute anti-promotion? Mistakes, hitches and a lack of general musical insight are apparently simply the norm for some. This is not serious, it is unethical and a curse against music in general and the carillon in particular. Dear BWF, there is work to be done! There are plenty of very good carillonneurs, of whom only a few (too few) were given time to perform at this congress. In addition to the bungling of some, there should also be better attention paid to what music is being played. The man in the street is not served by complicated intellectual compositions, it may be friendlier, more appealing. There is so much quality music from the early baroque to now to not play music that hardly anyone understands.
Overall, it was a very well-organized congress with excellent fringe activities that will ultimately be remembered most. If the association addresses the much-needed points of attention, there is truly still a future. If not, great question marks arise…