The Johan Franco Composition Fund

of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America

John Gouwens, Committee Chairman

The following materials are made available particularly for those interested in learning more about writing music for the carillon. Inquiries are welcome. The Johan Franco Composition Fund is an ongoing fund administrated by a committee of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. The committee generally commissions new works for carillon in odd-numbered years, and in even-numbered years, holds composition competitions. The following materials are related to those efforts. We held the competition again in 2006, with the deadline for receipt of entries on January 15, 2006. The next competition will be in January of 2008.

For 2006, Second Prize was awarded to Lee Cobb for his Sonata. (No First Prize was awarded.) The Sonata will be premiered by the composer (!) at the GCNA congress at Yale University this June.

For our 2004 competition, First Prize was awarded to Neil Thornock for his Sonata

In 2006, Second Prize was awarded to Lee Cobb for his "Sonata for Carillon," which was premiered by the composer at the GCNA congress at Yale University. The work is available from the GCNA Music Publications Committee.

Rules for 2008 (subject to revision)

Composition Competition

In the interest of encouraging new works composed expressly for the carillon, The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America is pleased to announce a Composition Competition. As many as two prizes may be awarded, the first prize being $800.00 (US) and the second prize $400.00 (US). Composers submitting pieces are requested to observe the following in their entries:

1– Anyone, regardless of age or nationality, may enter this competition, except members of the Composition Committee and winners of the 2006 competition. Winners of this competition from earlier years are eligible to enter again.

2– Each composition must have been written (completed) on or later than August 1, 2005. Older pieces will not be considered. Pieces previously adjudicated in this competition are also ineligible.

3– Each composition must be an original composition for carillon (not a transcription or arrangement of another work). Full-scale compositions based on pre-existing melodies (such as hymns) are allowed, provided the melody in question is not under copyright; however, please be advised that the judges will be seeking original compositions rather than mere arrangements of tunes. Compositions employing additional instruments, pre-recorded sounds, or additional performers (more than one carillonneur) will not be considered. Furthermore, this work must be one which has never been performed (publicly), published, or awarded a prize in a previous competition, as the winning piece(s) will be premièred at a congress of the GCNA.

4– Each composition must be playable on a carillon of 47 cast bells (Tenor c, d, e...chromatic to high c⁴– with low c# and d# omitted) with a 2-octave pedalboard (c, d, e...c²) and traditional mechanical (hand-played) action. (Composers are advised, however, that they may wish to write the piece so that it may be played also on European carillons, which generally have no more than 1½ octaves, c-g¹ pedal range.) Compositions for smaller carillons (minimum 23 bells) are acceptable, but pieces will be judged on their own merits alone. Judges cannot award extra points for writing within the limitations of a smaller instrument. Optional notes (written in parentheses) for instruments larger than 47 bells are allowed, provided the piece may be played effectively on a carillon with that 47-bell range.

5– A composer may submit more than one work, but only one prize will be awarded to any one individual.

6– A committee of three judges will evaluate all entries received by (or before) the deadline, scoring each piece for the purpose of competitive judging only. The committee reserves the right not to award either or both of the prizes if, in its opinion, no piece meets the criteria for either or both prizes. The scoring is for judging purposes only and will not be disclosed to the composers; however, judges’ comments may be shared with the composer at the discretion of the committee. The judgment of the committee is final.

7– To assure the most objective judging possible, the identity of the composers will not be revealed to the judges until after the completion of the judging process.

8– The composer of each prize-winning composition will be required: (a) To assign to the GCNA all publication rights in the composition; and (b) To warrant to the GCNA that the composition does not violate any existing copyright in whole or in part, and that he has the lawful right to sell the composition. If the composer has any arrangement with any performing rights organizations, such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SOCAN, and the like, the composer will be required to instruct the affiliated organization not to collect performance fees solely on the basis of this composition. (In some cases, this may entail waiving rights to performance royalties.) All prize-winning compositions will be published and distributed by the GCNA. Compositions that do not win a prize will remain the sole property of the composer. Judges’ copies of the compositions will be destroyed following the competition.

9– Compositions must reach the chairman of the committee, John Gouwens, (who will be acting as coordinator, not as a judge, to assure anonymity of composers) no later than January 15, 2008. The results will be established within a few weeks, and composers will be notified shortly thereafter.

10– The composition must be between four and ten minutes’ duration (inclusive).

11– Judges will be asked to evaluate the submitted compositions based on the following criteria:

a – Usefulness: Is this a piece that people would be interested in playing?

b – Effectiveness on the carillon: Is this piece idiomatic to the carillon?

c – Playability: Can a skilled carillonneur actually perform this piece?

d – Originality: Does this piece add something stylistically new to the carillon repertoire?

e – General Musical Interest: Does this piece sustain musical interest throughout?

All submitted compositions must be fully legible, and playable from the submitted score, as the winning compositions will be sent to the performer(s) immediately after the results are announced. Should there be a specialized form of notation for the work, a table or explanation must be submitted with the score. It is assumed that submitted compositions are written with the musical, physical, and technical properties of the carillon and carillon performance in mind. Those needing assistance in this area may contact a carillonneur in their area or contact the Chairman of the committee, John Gouwens, for assistance and information.

The judges for the competition will be:

John Courter, Berea, Kentucky

Jeff Davis, Berkeley, California

Tin-Shi Tam, Ames, Iowa

George Gregory, San Antonio, Texas – Alternate Judge

To preserve anonymity of the composers, we ask that composers refrain from contacting, directly or indirectly, any of the above people. Questions may be directed to John Gouwens.

To enter the competition:

Submit five clear, easy-to-read copies on single-sided pages (good photocopies, no FAXES) of your composition. Your name must not appear anywhere on the music. Please list your name, address, E-Mail address (if available), and phone number(s) on a note enclosed with the music. On this same note, please state the date the composition was written (completed), verify (state) that it has never been performed, and include your signature. Submit these materials to:

John Gouwens

Att’n Composition Competition

1300 Academy Road, #133

Culver, Indiana 46511-1291 (USA)

Should you have any questions, please contact Mr. Gouwens, by E-Mail, mail (above address) or at either of the following two phone numbers.

Home Phone: 574-842-2183 Office Phone (& Voice Mail): 574-842-8387

Click here for E-Mail Directions

Composing for the Carillon

The following is taken from Playing the Carillon: An Introductory Method,

by John Gouwens.

Appendix B: Writing for the Carillon – Some Suggestions

The following is based on information sent out for many years to composers interested in learning to write for the carillon. The advice provided has proven helpful to composers who entered the GCNA Composition Competition as well as with commissioned composers who had not written for carillon before (George Crumb, Lee Hoiby, Stephen Paulus, and Libby Larsen). Though the following comments are oriented primarily toward composers, the principles outlined are relevant also for arranging music for the carillon. Additional materials, including a videotaped demonstration and an audio recording of representative compositions, have been produced for this purpose and are also available upon request.

The best introduction is to find a skilled carillonneur who is willing to spend time with you, showing how the instrument is played.

A few very basic considerations:

I. Technical:

1. Normally, carillon music is written on two staves, the lower in bass clef, representing the pedals, and the upper, in treble clef, representing the manual part. The pedal range on a four-octave North American carillon (the usual range expected for a concert instrument) is normally two octaves (c-c²). The manual range can extend as low as c, going up to c⁴; however, in practice most manual writing rarely ventures below middle c (c¹), as the heavier clappers are more easily controlled by the pedals, where the player’s leg weight can assist in overcoming the inertia.

2. Except in slower passages, the carillonneur can generally play only one note at a time in each hand. In slower passages, the maximum range of notes that may be played in each hand is a perfect fourth; thus, two notes a fourth apart may be played in one hand, or a cluster, or of course a smaller interval.

3. Because of the heaviness of the lower bells, and the longer time it takes those keys to return, it is difficult to play an extended passage of notes below d¹ at a rate of more than, say, 200 per minute; rapid repeated notes in the low range are nearly impossible on most carillons.

4. Composers should bear in mind that frequent, radical, sudden changes in register (from high treble bells to lower, etc.) can be very awkward to execute due to the way in which the player must shift position on the bench.

5. Because the keys are so much farther apart (manual and pedal) on the carillon than on the piano and organ, wide reaches between the feet (a tenth at most) or between the hands (a maximum of two octaves) can be awkward if not impossible, especially for players with a smaller physique.

II. Musical:

1. Of primary consideration is the strong series of partials (overtones). For middle C (c¹), the main overtones are c (a “hum-tone” an octave below the main note), e-flat¹ (just a minor third above the main note), g¹, and c². Because of such an unusual series of partials, harmonic intervals used especially in the lower range of the carillon must be carefully selected. (Minor thirds, tritones, minor sixths, perfect fourths, and to some extent major seconds, though not all of these would be obvious choices, can often be especially effective.) Many composers have used the “octatonic” scale (alternating half-steps and whole steps: C C# D# E F#, etc.) with telling effect, since its interval content is so idiomatic to the carillon.

2. Chords should be thinned out as much as is practical, in view of the already full, rich sound of the bells. Spacing of the chords is critical. (c-e-g-c¹ would sound cloudy and dissonant, whereas c-g-e¹-c², while still a bit thick on some carillons, is much more effective.) One can employ much thicker writing in the treble range (above c²), both because of musical results and because the lighter action of the smaller bells allows the player far greater agility. Because the hum tone partial is an octave below the notated “prime” tone, some piano and organ pieces have been successfully transcribed for carillon by being played an octave higher with good results.

3. The fact that there are no dampers means that rapid changes in harmony can be a problem (also, a rapid “walking” bass line can become quite muddy at times). The bass bells always ring longer. In the treble range, with the short ring time, one can change harmony much more rapidly. (Noted composer John Pozdro refers to such harmonic changes in the treble range as “modulation by evaporation.”)

4. For reasons of balance, care should be taken to avoid active low bass notes against a very high melody in the treble. (An accompanimental figuration in the treble over a melodic bass can be very effective). In most carillons, the bass bells are more powerful and longer ringing than the trebles. As such, a piece which combines very high and very low notes simultaneously, with a gap between, can tend to be ineffective on the carillon.

5. Under the best of conditions, the carillon is capable of tremendous dynamic nuances, even more so than a piano, in the opinion of some. It is a good idea to take advantage of it!

Finally, it should be noted that compositions written with the intention of being truly idiomatic to the sound of the carillon will always find more favor with players and audiences than a piece that applies an abstract technique (such as pointilistic serialism) which is conceived as being equally effective on any instrument, while not really taking advantage of the special characteristics of the carillon. One should also be careful in selecting source material for transcriptions. A piano composition, for example, that does not match the guidelines above, such as a piece requiring rapid harmony changes or thick chords in the bass, is probably a poor candidate for a carillon transcription.

Author’s note: While the text within this book is protected by copyright, the author grants permission to copy and distribute this particular document without infringement, provided the author is given due credit for writing it. – John Gouwens

The following links take you to a summary of recital series information at:

Culver | Ball State University

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This Page was created and is maintained by: John Gouwens. Last update: 07/08/07