Special sounds from lofty heights

Franzpeter Uhlig, Cornelia Blaudeck & Sebastian Liebold

Sounds that come from above. But very few people know who plays the melodies. "People look, but they don't know what it actually is," says Franzpeter Uhlig, one of the three musicians responsible for the sounds from the tower of the New Town Hall. Together with Cornelia Blaudeck and Sebastian Liebold, he plays the carillon - a glockenspiel - high up, 60 metres above the market square to be precise.

Next year, the Chemnitz Carillon celebrates its 40th birthday. And yet it is not so well known. Why?
Sebastian Liebold: It's simply not noticeable from the market. Most people only know the Figural Carillon in the Old Town Hall because you can stand in front of it and see the figures. Most people don't realise that there is also something in the New Tower - even spatially. Over time, you can explain to people that the figural carillon has smaller, brighter bells. Roughly speaking, the carillon has deeper, rounder bell sounds.
Cornelia Blaudeck: Many people are surprised that the carillon is played mechanically. People think it's an automatic carillon.

How exactly does the instrument work?
Franzpeter Uhlig: We have two floors at the top of the tower. The console is at the bottom and the bells are at the top. The keys are arranged on the console in a similar way to a piano. Only the dimensions are a little larger. So you press this so-called stick key and behind it is a metal joint with a wire. This goes up to the second floor. There are small deflection levers there. From these, another wire goes to a clapper, which is located in a bell. If you press a certain button at the bottom, the corresponding clapper strikes the bell and a tone sounds. In addition to the keys, there are pedals on the console that can also sound bells.

A total of 48 bells hang at the height of the tower clock of the New Town Hall. The smallest has a diameter of 12 cm and weighs 9.5 kilograms, the largest has a diameter of 1.12 metres and weighs 957 kilograms. All together they weigh 5.2 tonnes. An almost unimaginable size. "At first, the carillon was supposed to go into the Old Town Hall," says Franzpeter Uhlig. "But it was simply too heavy." Even the Red Tower was discussed as a location. In 1968, the Schilling company from Apolda began casting the Karl-Marx-Stadt bells. Nine years later, the last one was finished.

The instrument actually comes from the French-Belgian-Dutch region. How did it come to Germany?
Franzpeter Uhlig: It actually originated in the Benelux region. It is very important there - more so than in Germany. Professional carillonneurs also work there. You can really study it. It has probably travelled across the border over the centuries. The Schilling company from Apolda then promoted the carillon on a large scale in the former GDR and also installed ours.

Germany has around 50 carillons. Is the instrument threatened with extinction?
Franzpeter Uhlig: No, on the contrary. I am a member of the German Carillon Association, and new carillons have been built or renovated in recent years. For example in Munich, in Herrenberg, Baden-Württemberg, in Geisa, Thuringia, and in Weilbach, Bavaria. The Parochialkirche in Berlin got a new one in 2016. The age structure of my colleagues is broadly diversified. From young to older. So I don't think it's threatened with extinction.

In Chemnitz and Karl-Marx-Stadt, it is thanks to Peter Franz that the carillon was played. He studied piano and clarinet, learnt to play the organ at an early age and has been playing from the tower of the New Town Hall since the early 1980s. From 2003, he taught young players who were to continue his musical legacy. He died on 24 August 2015 at the age of 90. Towards the end, his steps to the tower were more arduous, but you could tell how "he really got younger when he played. Then he started to swing," says Sebastian Liebold, describing his teacher. "He also played jazz tunes on the carillon. That was really funny. We learnt a lot musically thanks to him."

How did you come to play this instrument?
Franzpeter Uhlig: My story began in January 2003. The carillon was to be closed down for financial reasons. There was an outcry among the population that this should not happen. Thanks to sponsors, things continued and the music school looked for a pupil to train and support Mr Franz. As a piano student at the music school, I asked the director at the time if I could do this. On 26 April, I was allowed on the tower for the first time. I didn't know anything about the instrument at the time, but found it very interesting when I saw it. From then on, I went up there every week with Peter Franz.
Sebastian Liebold: Cornelia and I joined in 2007. Just like Franzpeter, Mr Franz took us up the tower once and I felt like an apprentice. I sat next to him, he didn't say anything else, just played and just wanted to know if you could find your way around the instrument. He also expected you to watch, listen and form an opinion.
Cornelia Blaudeck: It was important to Peter Franz that you don't just play the pieces like in the school songbook - not just tonic, dominant, subdominant - using the simplest harmonies, but incorporating a few nuances, sevenths or diminished chords. He had musical refinements at the ready.
Sebastian Liebold: We're really having fun with that now. The transitions between the songs - that's the fine art. For example, in autumn, not just playing the song "Bunt sind schon wieder Wälder" and then "Schwarze Rose Rosemarie", but building in an interesting transition in between.

Do you all do this on a voluntary basis?
Franzpeter Uhlig: Yes, exactly - there is only a small allowance. We all have a "normal" job. Sebastian is a political scientist and contemporary historian, Cornelia and I are music teachers.

What do the people of Chemnitz think about the Carillon? Do you actually get reactions from the market during the performance?
Cornelia Blaudeck: You don't see it yourself. But if someone is up on the tower with you, they can describe the situation down on the market. Older people in particular, who recognise the songs, stop to listen.
Sebastian Liebold: Two songs that always go down well - one from the region, one from the theatre world: "Wu de Wälder haamlich rauschen" - both old and young listen to it, including Mr Franz's bravura piece from the GDR musical "Der Goldene Pavillon". Older people in particular remember brilliant dance evenings... Peter Franz's idea was that we shouldn't just play heavy classical music, but melodies that people would recognise when shopping at the market. This year, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (A Mighty Fortress is Our God) was a good fit for the Luther Year.
Franzpeter Uhlig : I also had a case like that with a modern piece, the song from Titanic "My Heart will go on". It was recognised.

The carillon sounds three times a week at the market. "In Chemnitz, we have the privilege of playing on Wednesday mornings, Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings. That's really good. Other carillons sometimes only have playing times once a month," says Sebastian Liebold. The dates are planned months in advance to make sure no one cancels. "There really are carillons that only play on special occasions. And we have earned the honour of playing several times a week. It's an outstanding story for our city," says Franzpeter Uhlig.

Has a date ever been cancelled?
Franzpeter Uhlig: " There have been dates that we simply couldn't fill. But normally one of us plays.

Are you looking for young musicians?
Cornelia Blaudeck: The situation is not acute at the moment. I always take pupils with me. That does arouse interest. You have to have a certain musical understanding.
Sebastian Liebold: And then you shouldn't underestimate the fact that it's a commitment that lasts for years. You have to enjoy it.

How many carillonneurs are there in Germany?
Franzpeter Uhlig: I think we have around 70 members in the Carillon Association, of which perhaps 60 are active.

If you consider the 50 or so carillons in Germany, Chemnitz has a luxury with three players.
Franzpeter Uhlig: That is a certain luxury. There are carillonneurs in Germany who are responsible for several instruments.

Next year, you have planned something with the carillon for the city's 875th anniversary celebrations. What exactly?
Franzpeter Uhlig: After the break in January/February, the opening concert is scheduled for 1 March. There will be a small spring concert in April and the birthday concert on 10 May - the official 40th birthday of the Carillon. On 20 October, there will be the meeting of the German Carillon Association in Chemnitz and the autumn concert a week later.
Cornelia Blaudeck: I am planning a postcard campaign about the carillon with pupils during the project week. It will be ready in the week after the winter holidays.
Sebastian Liebold: On the days after 10 May, we want to investigate a mystery surrounding the carillon and explain to the audience what the "Ringing Town Hall" is all about. A little suspense is allowed.

Where do you see the carillon and the city of Chemnitz in 2025?
Cornelia Blaudeck: Maybe we can compose a great Chemnitz song and play it on the carillon.
Franzpeter Uhlig: That's what I had in mind too - creating a beautiful Chemnitz anthem that can also be performed elsewhere. And what else would be nice for the carillon: that more people become aware of it and talk about it with pride. That would be a nice goal that we could achieve by then. After all, it's a beautiful piece of culture that we've had in Chemnitz for almost 40 years.
Sebastian Liebold: I also think that, if it continues like this, the colourful programme is always an attraction for the audience on weekdays and Saturdays and we can be very satisfied. By the way, on 10 May 2018, I will be playing a piece that has the makings of a good Chemnitz song - from a well-known Erzgebirge "mountain series".