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Dom Tower Bells

by SWP Records

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Comes in a simple sleeve, but the recording itself has been meticulously mixed and then mastered by a top sound-designer from the film world.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Dom Tower Bells via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      €5.20 EUR  or more

     

1.
Dom Tower Bells Utrecht 14:52
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about

The Dom Tower Bells of Utrecht are among the finest in Europe. All 14 bells are rung together only twice a year. This sequence is 14’57” long. The bells are:
Salvator: diameter 2277/2272mm, Maria: diameter 2035mm, Martinus: diameter 1820mm, Michaël: diameter 1702mm, Johannes Baptista: diameter 1528mm, Magdalena: diameter 1360mm, Agnes Maior: diameter 1273mm, Agnes Minor: diameter 1218mm, Poncianus: diameter 1139mm, Campana Crucis: diameter 1019mm, Beningnus: diameter 991mm, Thomas: diameter 852mm, Adrianus: diameter 761mm, + Jesus Maria Johannes (little Jesus bell): diameter 821mm. You will notice that the largest bell is not completely round...

On the site of the old Roman fort Trajectinum, a first stone church was built at the end of the 7th century. After a great fire in 1253, that destroyed most of Utrecht, it was decided that a new cathedral in Gothic style should be built: St. Maarten Kathedraal was constructed between 1321 and 1381, and its Dom Tower is the tallest church tower of the low countries (Netherlands & Flanders). In 1674 a tornado tore through the middle of the cathedral and destroyed the central nave. It has never been rebuilt – so the tower stands alone, with the remaining transcept no longer connected.
The set of thirteen bells were cast in 1505 by Johannes Gerardus van Wou, a bellmaker who was well-known throughout Europe. He also made the Jesus Maria Johannes bell, as an afterthought, a year later. Van Wou cast large bells for Hamburg, Lübeck, Erfurt, Braunschweig, Osnabrück, to name but a few. There are 140 ‘Van Wou bells’ still in existence. The six largest Dom bells of Utrecht are Van Wou originals (as is the little Jesus bell), the other bells in the Dom Tower were made in 1982 by Eijsbouts in Asten, restoring the original set back to 13. The Utrechts Klokkenluiders Gilde was founded in 1979 and the association now has 900 members. They also ring the bells of several other churches in the old City of Utrecht.

bells sequence by Sjoerd van Geuns
rung by Utrechts Klokkenluiders Gilde
recorded by Michael Baird on 24th August 2018
mixed by hEuzzz / Michael Baird / Jaim Sahuleka

Yes this is a 'field recording' made in the centre of an old city! Both as a longtime resident of the old city centre of Utrecht and as a musician/composer, Michael Baird loved the sound of the Dom bells when they were all rung together every August to mark the beginning of the Festival Oude Muziek. And as an internationally renowned field-recordist of music out in the African bush, for many years on such ringing occasions he wandered about the centre of town searching for the (probably) best spot from which to record this heavenly music thundering down upon us from a high tower - no easy task, also with over 300 people present in the cathedral square! Now finally a recording that captures the build-up and power of this music, and that does justice to the beautiful bells of the Dom Tower of Utrecht.

You can also download the track in high quality 96kHz/24bit audio.

credits

released January 18, 2024

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SWP Records Utrecht, Netherlands

SWP Records was founded by Zambian-born drummer, composer, producer, field recordist Michael Baird in 1987. The label releases his own music, music from central, southern, and eastern Africa, and any other beautiful music that has been forgotten. SWP Records opted out of all streaming platforms and other digital services to join Bandcamp and we are very happy to be here! Enjoy the music! ... more

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