Mar 26

Blessed Assurance (ASSURANCE) (Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, Level 3-)

Blessed Assurance is one of Fanny Crosby’s all-time classic hymns. It speaks of faith, dependence, and triumph through having an absolute reliance on God and His power. Our arrangement is for three or five octaves, and will be a welcome addition to your ensemble’s repertoire.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

    This is my story, this is my song,
    Praising my Savior, all the day long;
    This is my story, this is my song,
    Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with his goodness, lost in his love.


Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Mar 17

Bass Handbell Solo: “Danny Boy”/”Londonderry Air”

I arranged “Danny Boy”/”Londonderry Air” for bass handbells over twenty years ago, and after a run at a Silicon Valley retirement facility, finally dared to play in public at the 2004 Area 12 conferences. Unfortunately, technology of the time didn’t give us an easy way to make even a scruffy video of what happened then.

Fast forward to 2024, and we *finally* have a better-than-scruffy visual recording of the solo, which has been revised (and hopefully improved!). Before you enjoy the video, I do need to say that it wouldn’t have come together as it did were it not for Carla’s technical genius!

Mar 01

Update to “Dona Nobis Pacem”!

We’ve learned that there are some folks might not be able to play our G5- and F5-based scores of Dona Nobis Pacem. For instance, there are sets in England that have white keys C5-G6, and maybe F#s and Bbs, and therefore won’t have all the needed notes.

To help work with this, we’ve added C5- and D5-based versions of Dona Nobis Pacem. Do check them out – and if you’ve already downloaded this little arrangement before, it’s still free – you’re more than welcome to download it again!

Note: If you have only white-key bells with no A6, though, these still won’t work perfectly – but you could try playing A5 in the place of the A6s to get most of the pitches (and all of the harmonies). *Sigh*. But we ringers do what we can, right?

Feb 28

To God Be the Glory (TO GOD BE THE GLORY) (Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, Level 4)

Fanny Crosby and William Doane were a “dynamic duo” of hymn-writing in the decades on either side of the year 1900. She wrote the words, and he composed the music. One of their best-known hymns is To God Be the Glory Personal note: This was the favorite hymn of Larry’s great-aunt Pat. Our new arrangement for three or five octaves of handbells is an exciting journey into the glory of God!

To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us his Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the lifegate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord; let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord; let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He has done.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer and higher and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!

Feb 15

Beautiful Lilies (LILIES) (Handbells, 3 octaves, Level 3+)

Beautiful Lilies (hymn tune: LILIES) is an Easter hymn from the turn of the twentieth century. The Easter lily is a symbol of resurrection, and symbolizes the trumpet of victory that proclaims that Jesus has risen from the grave. Our arrangement for three octaves of handbells has a charm that will keep the song in your mind!

Beautiful lilies, / White as the snow,

Speak to us softly / Of long ago;

Telling of Jesus, / Who from the grave

Rose all victorious, / Mighty to save.

Refrain:

Beautiful lilies, / White as the snow,

Speak to us softly / Of long ago;

Beautiful lilies, / Beautiful lilies,

Speak to us softly / Of long ago.

Lilies of Easter, / Blossoms of spring,

Wake from their slumber / Gladness to bring.

O they are ever / Heaven’s bright sign

Of life beyond us, / Endless, divine.

E’en as our Father / From winter’s night

Waketh the lilies / To summer’s light,

So His dear children / His love will keep,

Waking them softly / from death’s long sleep.

Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!

Jan 22

Lift High the Cross (CRUCIFER) (Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, Level 3-)

Lift High the Cross undoubtedly is most frequently sung in churches at Easter (and maybe on through Pentecost), but the message of salvation through Christ rings true the whole year round. Our arrangement for three or five octaves of handbells will be a welcome addition to your repertoire.

Refrain: Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.

Come, Christians, follow where the Master trod,
our King victorious, Christ the Son of God.

O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
your death has brought us life eternally.

So shall our song of triumph ever be:
praise to the Crucified for victory!

Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!

Jan 15

Mack the Knife (Handbells, 5-8 octaves, plus handchimes, 3 octaves, Level 5)

Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill wrote Mack the Knife in 1928 for the Threepenny Opera. Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitgerald, and Bobby Darin performed it, guaranteeing its place in our music social awareness. It’s such a happy, bouncy song that you’d hardly know it was talking about a hit man. But the legend lives on, and we’re thrilled to present our arrangement of this classic for five to seven octaves of handbells and three octaves of handchimes.

This arrangement isn’t for the faint of heart, being a solid Level 5 score – but it’s just SO much fun to play! The line forms to the right… old Macky’s back in town!

Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear / And it shows them pearly white.
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe / And he keeps it, ah, out of sight.

You know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe / Scarlet billows start to spread.
Fancy gloves, oh, wears old MacHeath, babe / So there’s never, never a trace of red.

Now on the sidewalk, huh, huh, whoo sunny morning, un huh / Lies a body just oozin’ life, eek.
And someone’s sneakin’ ’round the corner / Could that someone be Mack the Knife?

There’s a tugboat, huh, huh, down by the river don’tcha know / Where a cement bag’s just a-droppin’ on down.
Oh, that cement is just, it’s there for the weight, dear / Five’ll get ya ten, old Macky’s back in town.

Now did ya hear ’bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe / After drawin’ out all his hard-earned cash.
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor / Could it be our boy’s done somethin’ rash?

Now Jenny Diver, ho, ho, yeah, Sukey Tawdry / Ooh, Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown.
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe / Now that Macky’s back in town.

I said Jenny Diver, whoa, Sukey Tawdry / Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown.
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe / Now that Macky’s back in town.

Look out, old Macky’s back!

Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Jan 10

Mahler Swing (Handbells, 5-8 octaves, plus handchimes, 2 octaves, Level 5)

I fell in love with Mahler’s symphonies a long time ago. They’re gigantic works which stretch the limits (so far…) of how musical expression can be built. As of the twentieth century, they represent the pinnacle of orchestral composing.

Mahler’s first symphony is about an hour in length (around three times the length of Mozart’s symphonies, and nearly twice as long as Beethoven’s). Arranging the entire work would result in a very, very large score. The use of thematic material, however, allows a bit of “compression”.

Several decades after Mahler’s time came the Swing Era, with luminaries such as Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Count Basie (and by no means is this an exhaustive list!). This was some of the popular music of the 1930s and 1940s, and the hits from that time endure to the present.

So… the thought crossed my mind: What about melding Mahler and the Swing Era for handbells? The result is the Mahler Swing, which takes elements of the first movement of Mahler’s first symphony and makes them swing. The result is a piece that’s a marvelous earworm!

Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Dec 19

Merry Christmas 2023!

As usual, our December has been our busy performance season. People associate handbells with Christmas, so that’s when they book us. We’ve been at some fun places:

  • Holland Kerstmarkt. Between Thanksgiving and mid-December, we were the ambience for our city’s Dutch Christmas market. It’s an outdoor event, so we pre-chill our bells, bundle up, and look forward to making our local event even more exciting.
  • Otsego Hometown Christmas. Otsego is a town about an hour from home between Holland and Kalamazoo. Like the Kerstmarkt, this was an outdoor event, and we were thankful for the opportunity to gather round one of the firepits after we were done making music.
  • Community organizations. We presented Christmas concerts at retirement communities and a library. These were every-other-year sorts of opportunities, so we enjoyed seeing some friends who we’d visited in the past.
  • Churches. Getting to be part of church services makes Christmastime special for everyone.

We’ve also been sharing our eight-bell music on our Facebook page as well. It’s given us the opportunity to show people from many places what’s possible with just eight handbells.

2024 is just around the corner, and we have much more new music to publish. While that’s all being lined up, we wish you a Merry Christmas, with blessings for the New Year.

Christmas Tree 2023

Nov 27

Ding Dong, Merrily on High – for eight handbells

The sixteenth-century English tune Ding Dong, Merrily on High is quite popular at Christmas. It reflects the joy of the season, and invites us to share in the joy of heaven at the birth of the Son of God. Here’s our eight-bell arrangement – enjoy!

Ding dong merrily on high,
In heav’n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv’n with angel singing.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

E’en so here below, below,
Let steeple bells be swungen,
And “Io, io, io!”
By priest and people sungen.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

Pray you, dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers;
May you beautifully rime
Your evetime song, ye singers.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score, if part of the purchase) – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!