Jacob van Eyck

Jacob van Eyck ( , ; c. 159026 March 1657) was a Dutch nobleman, composer and blind musician. He was one of the best-known musicians of the Dutch Golden Age, working as a carillon player and technician, a recorder virtuoso, and a composer. He was an expert in bell casting and tuning, and taught Pieter and François Hemony how to tune a carillon. Van Eyck is credited with developing the modern carillon together with the brothers in 1644, when they cast the first tuned carillon in Zutphen. He is also known for his collection of 143 compositions for recorder, , the largest work for a solo wind instrument in European history. Biography Early life Jacob van Eyck was born in 1589 or 1590 into a noble family probably in The Hague and raised in the nearby town Bergen op Zoom. Born blind, he lived with his mother and father well into adulthood. Van Eyck moved to the town of Heusden and became involved as a player and technician of the town’s carillon by 1618. He met with several craftsmen and the city organist to discuss changes and improvements to the carillon, which he carried out in 1620 and 1621. Carillon career Van Eyck quickly established himself as a renowned carillon player and techn