German writer Rainer Maria Rilke called the Valais ‘the land of ringing bell towers’. To this day, the manual carillon is still played in some 35 church towers throughout the canton. Here, the original form of carillon playing with four bells has been preserved for centuries. The carillonneur rings the bells by pulling on a rope fastened to a clapper to which the bells are attached.
The Valais style of playing the carillon (known as ‘en piqué’ in French and ‘Unterschlagen’ in German) involves the bell ringer standing above the bell and ringing it with a foot pedal until it hangs upside down. They then ring the bell intermittently and stop it again upside down. In the meantime, the carillonneur plays tunes on the remaining bells. The combination of these two playing techniques has given rise to a unique art form in its own right. Despite the automation of bell ringing, this distinct style of playing has not been lost and is still performed regularly at various locations.
The Carillon-VS association seeks to promote activities throughout the canton to preserve this tradition. It is also an information hub for everything related to carillon playing in Valais. The Carillon-VS association website is gradually being expanded to become an encyclopaedia on the carillon and bell ringing in the Valais.
