Here’s an eight-handbell arrangement of this medieval Cornish carol. The words tell of how the cherry tree willingly gave of its fruit to the Christ Child. Joseph was an old man, / An old man was he; He married sweet Mary, / The queen of Galilee. As they want a-walking, / In the garden so …
Category: Christmas
The Friendly Beasts (ORIENTIS PARTIBUS) – Eight handbells
The Friendly Beasts is sung to the medieval French melody ORIENTIS PARTIBUS. It’s a story about how the animals in Bethlehem were willing to sacrifice to make the beginning of Jesus’ life on earth easier. Jesus, our brother, strong and good, / was humbly born in a stable rude, and the friendly beasts around Him …
Pat-a-Pan – Eight handbells
Pat-a-Pan‘s title is onomatapoeic (“sounding like”) in nature, mimicking the sound of a drum. Later on, the lyric “tu-re-lu-re-lu” imitates the sound of a flute. The story is a bit like that of Carol of the Drum, where percussion is part of the worship of the Christ-child. Guillaume, prends ton tambourin, Toi, prends ta flûte, …
Hoe leit dit Kindeke (Cold is this little Child) – Eight handbells
The title of this Dutch Christmas song translates “cold is this little Child’, referring to the tradition that the Christ Child was born during the Bethlehem winter. Hoe leit dit Kindeke hier in de kou ziet eens hoe alle zijn ledekens beven ziet eens hoe dat Het weent en krijt van rouw. Na na na …
Aug 31
Los Peces en el Rio (for eight handbells)
This Spanish Christmas carol was part of our “A Carol a Day” postings a couple of years ago, but somehow it escaped official publication! It’s a lively song about how the fish in the river – “los peces en el rio” – rejoiced at the birth of Christ. Here’s where you can find our eight-bell …
Los Peces en el Rio – Eight handbells
This traditional Spanish Christmas carol has an interesting story in the lyrics: The baby Jesus has been born, and because life has its demands, Mary is described as going about her normal doings in the same say you and I would (well, except for being a parent of the Child who is the Son of …
Freebies
We have free stuff! That, of course, is so you can get a taste of what we have here at Choraegus. We do hope that you’ll be back to check out the rest of our store, but we’d like to give you a chance to see what’s here first. A large, large portion of our …
Cold December Flies Away (LO DESEMBRE CONGELAT) – Eight handbells
This Catalonian carol is called Cold December Flies Away in English. El desembre congelat / Confús es retira. Abril, de flors coronat, / Tot el món admira, Quan en un jardí d’amor / Neix una divina flor D’una ro, ro, ro, / D’una sa, sa, sa, D’una ro, / D’una sa, D’una rosa bella, / …
In the Bleak Midwinter – Eight Handbells and Organ
The poem often comes first… Christina Rosetti wrote the words for Scribner’s Monthly in 1872, and then a few years later (1906, to be precise), Gustav Holst set her verse to music. The result: In the Bleak Midwinter, one of the most reflective and well-loved of all Christmas songs. We have not only the eight-bell …
Dec 08
Gift shopping for Christmas (or anytime)!
We’ve just added a new feature to our e-store to make it easy and fun for you to give the gift of our music to your family and friends. Now you can buy gift certificates – all you have to do is purchase, download, print, and give! They’re available in amounts of $10, $20, $50, …
