Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Ghent carillon will begin playing a Jacques Brel and David Bowie song starting on 20 April. The selected music list excluded both Turkish classics, ABBA and Dylan. Ach Rosalie, along with Klokke Roeland, had previously obtained placement in the carillon playlist.
Starting on April 20, the Ghent carillon will broadcast both Jacques Brel’s song Ne me quitte pas and David Bowie’s Life on Mars, along with its regular playlist consisting of Klokke Roeland and Ach Rosalie. The new songs will take over the airwaves along with Klokke Roeland, Ach Rosalie, and all 51 conventional city chimes.
A public vote found Bowie and Brel occupying the first positions, while the remaining songs received insufficient support. The public voting process excluded ABBA’s Dancing Queen, Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love and Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, which originally served as the official European anthem.
The residents of Ghent use online voting to create a playlist for the carillon’s biennial presentations. The civic authority offered ten selected songs for its residents to vote on through an online system in which a total of 6,798 citizens cast ballots. The Carillon playlist choice between Jacques Brel’s Ne me quitte pas and David Bowie’s Life on Mars emerged as clear winners with a vote difference exceeding 1,000 compared to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.
The song Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan obtained only 441 votes out of the total votes cast. Turkish classical music appeared for the first time in the top ten shortlists, where it obtained positions seven and nine. Both Klokke Roeland and Ach Rosalie became established permanent performers in the official song selection.
What is the historical and statistical context of Ghent’s Carillon playlist updates?
The UNESCO World Heritage Site Belfry Tower in Ghent maintains its historic carillon instrument, which began serving the cultural landscape in the middle of the 14th century. The 54-bell instrument underwent its most significant acoustic quality preservation work during the 2020 restoration following numerous previous restorations.
Since 2012, the public has participated in voting for the carillon’s playlist as part of a community involvement program in cultural programming. The number of voters participating in carillon music selections rose substantially from 3,500 votes in 2016 until it hit 6,798 in the most recent election.
The original selection of Klokke Roeland became a permanent part of the carillon when it started playing in medieval times. Following a campaign that collected more than 2000 signatures, the folk song Ach Rosalie by Walter De Buck received its place among the carillon repertoire in 2018. International artists David Bowie and Jacques Brel represent changes toward cultural diversity without eliminating the traditional dominance of Flemish and classical music.
