Belgian band Wör (pronounced ‘were’) recreates music rooted in 18th-century melodies from the Flanders region of Belgium. Their sound includes elements of folk, early music, and jazz, and highlights the tunes preserved in old Flemish manuscripts.
The band members include Fabio Di Meo (baritone saxophone), Jeroen Goegebuer (fiddle), Bert Ruymbeek (accordion), Jonas Scheys (guitar), and Pieterjan Van Kerckhoven (Flemish bagpipes, baroque musette, saxophone). Notably, the band does not use drums or percussion.
Wör has toured in Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Much of their present repertoire is built around Belgian manuscripts from the extensive carillon repertoire from the Low Countries. In the late Middle Ages, the carillon (a set of tuned bronze bells suspended in a large tower) served like a radio station, playing the hits of the day to everyone in the surrounding area.
Their first album, “Back to the 1780’s”, was released in 2015. Meanwhile, their second recording, “Sssht” album, won the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award) in 2018.
On Wör’s third album, “About Towers”, the band focused on the tunes composed and performed by violinists, bell tower musicians, and dance masters. The artists that are celebrated in “About Towers” include Petrus Josephus Van Belle (1743, Viane); carillon player Ioannes de Gruijtters (1746, Antwerp); the Di Martinelli Family of musicians (ca. 1750, Diest); dance master Jean-Baptiste-Robert d’Aubat de Saint-Flour (1757, Ghent); dance master Pierre Trappeniers (ca. 1775, Brussels); carillon player and organist Franciscus De Prins (1781, Leuven); P.J. Vanpelt, (1786, Tongeren/Maastricht); and Theodoor or Augustinus Everaerts (1728, Antwerp).
Discography:
Back to the 1780’s (Appel Rekords, 2015)
Sssht (Appel Rekords, 2017)
About Towers (ARC Music, 2021)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.