In front of the Royal BC Museum at Victoria, British Columbia, is a tower in the shape of a rectangular block with a staircase leading to its top.I did not know what it was until I looked at the board with this introduction:
The carillon was a gift from British Columbia’s Dutch community to honour Canada’s 100th birthday in 1967 Her Majesty Queen Juliana of the Netherlands unveiled the cornerstone of this tower on May 23, 1967; it now sits in the garden below.
The board further explains:
A carillon is a musical instrument with a set of 23 or more bronze bells. It is housed at the top of this tower, which stands 27 metres (89 feet) tall. The largest bell in this carillon weighs 1500 kilograms.
To play the Netherlands Carillon, a musician climbs the 75 steps of the spiral staircase and then a 10-step ladder. There, the carillonneur depresses the keys and pedals of a clavier to play a song on the bells. Carillon bells do not swing like church bells; they ring when struck by clappers connected with wires to the clavier.
At the bottom of the board are written:
de zingende toren
the singing tower
What a nice name given to this tower! The Singing Tower
2 comments:
Ding Dong Ding Dong, Ding Dong Ding Dong...
That was the name that Abby gave to this tower!
Beautiful tower, beautiful music, but needs a sporty musician.
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