“Echte Sjeng”

Mestreech dialect for ‘real Maastrichter’ a person born in and raised in the Dutch city.

Last month, the Meisjes went up to the very highest point in Maastricht for a very interesting, and scenic interview with someone who you have often heard but not seen… Frank Steijns the official Carillon player of the city of Maastricht.

We climbed many stairs to get to the top of the tower in the city hall and were greeted by a glorious view, the sun even came out to join us.

Frank mentions from the offset, how privileged he feels to have this beautiful location as his ‘office’, where the view is beautiful in every season.

It’s silly not to mention that we already know Frank as we all perform together in André Rieu’s JSO orchestra but Frank gives us a quick run through of his other musical work:

“I’ve been playing (the violin) with André now for more than twenty-five years. I was unemployed for one night. The day after I graduated, he called me and said, ‘I need a violin, do you want to play?’ So I came along and never left and then a few months later, I became the Carillonneur of the City. My father used to be the Carillonneur here.”

Frank has a long history with the tower, as a small boy, when his father was playing the Carillon, the city hall was his playground! So it was very apt that he follow in the footsteps of his father and take over this unique position.

Aside from his busy touring schedule with André Rieu and position as Carillonneur of the City of Maastricht, Frank is also a member of the board of Culture Mosae and the Limburg Youth Symphony Orchestra, so he is also helping to nurture the next generation of musicians too.

For those of you, (myself included), who aren’t so familiar with the Carillon, it is a traditional Dutch instrument which allows people to play a larger range of music on the bells of the city. The bells are connected to a keyboard (similar to that of a piano) but due to their function in having to control such a large amount of bronze, it’s necessary to strike them with the fist. Sint Servaas was one of the first churches to have a Carillon.

“The Carillon was like the ‘radio for the people’ and would play the music of the era across the city. It was very important to have a Carillon as it would show how rich you were. Also, the bells are made of bronze which is the same material as guns, brass canons, so it was like a storage pile of bronze just un case the city would be sieged and they could take them out of the tower and cast them into canons. After the war was over, the canons would be melted down and returned to bells. That’s why bells are always a symbol of peace.”

A beautiful concept.

Frank has managed to combine his two ‘jobs’ by performing on the Carillon with the orchestra of André Rieu both in the city of Maastricht but also on tour with a mobile version of the instrument.

Next time you are in the Markt square, listen out for Frank. Every weekend he plays for one hour and you might be surprised by what you hear! This job is more than just playing though, he is responsible for maintaining this historic monument. The bells were made in the 17th Century as a joint project by the two most famous bellfounders of the time. So caring for and maintaining this renowned treasure chest is no small task.

I highly recommend that you watch our video interview as there is a small musical surprise at the end!