Just a Closer Walk with Thee probably dates from the nineteenth century, but has an unknown composition date. Regardless, this prayer seeking closeness to God has helped many believers as they’ve struggled through difficulties. The simply-stated, yet profound message reminds us that we can stay close to Him in this life as we anticipate the …
Category: Church Music
Jun 24
A Sparrow on Christmas Morning (Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, plus handchimes, 3 octaves, Level 3+)
Otto Kotilainen’s Finnish carol A Sparrow on Christmas Morning tells the story of a sparrow that has exhausted his summer food supply. In danger of starving in the winter cold, he visits a young girl who offers him a seed to eat. The sparrow gratefully accepts the offer, and then reveals that he, her deceased …
Jun 15
Oh, How I Love Jesus – for eight handbells
The tune OH, HOW I LOVE JESUS is a simple one; its composer is unknown. It’s been sung for quite a long time as a gentle expression of faith in Christ for young children and mature adults. We hope you’ll enjoy playing our arrangement for eight handbells! There is a name I love to hear, …
Oh, How I Love Jesus – Eight handbells
The tune OH, HOW I LOVE JESUS is a simple one; its composer is unknown. It’s been sung for quite a long time as a gentle expression of faith in Christ for young children and mature adults. There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth; it sounds like music …
Jun 06
New 3-octave Christmas music!
Handbell folks find it’s never too early to start thinking about what we’re going to play for the Christmas (technically, Advent + Christmas + Epiphany) season. The world around us associated handbells with Christmas, so we have to be ready to play in church, at Christmas parties, and even outdoor events such as parades. Today …
Jun 04
Our first US duet performance
Many of you know that Carla and I (Larry) were in a long-distance relationship between California and England for several years. After getting engaged in 2011, we worked on getting her a fiancée visa; it was approved in time for August 2012 to be the Month of One-Way Plane Tickets. I flew from California to …
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (HYFRYDOL) (Handbells, 3 octaves, Level 2)
The popular Welsh tune Hyfrydol was composed by Rowland Prichard and has been matched to many hymn texts. It’s almost certain that you’ll find it as the melody in more than one place in your hymnal! Hymn tune: HYFRYDOL Find metrically-matched hymn texts Preview: Handbell Choir Version: $ US Also available for 6 accompanied handbells …
Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne (MARGARET) (Handbells, 3 octaves, Level 2)
The absolute humility that the Son of God showed in coming to earth is shown in this Christmas song. He descended from a heavenly throne to start mortal life in a manger, and now beckons to all of us to share in all that He has. Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown …
May 20
It’s small ensemble time!
Small (handbell) ensembles are much more the order of the day after mid-May, at least in the Northern hemisphere. Pretty much everyone in the United States syncs their calendar to the end of the school year, and so family vacations and summer programs ramp up, resulting in a local population decrease as people get out …
May 15
Here’s the “Surprisingly Easy”™ eight-bell “O Worship the King” (LYONS)!
We started writing “Surprisingly Easy”™ variants of many of our eight-bell arrangements years and years ago. That was to provide a faster-to-worship learning time, especially for duets, trios, and quartets who are newer to four-in-hand and ensemble ringing. If you aren’t already familiar with our easier eight-bell scores, they’re generally equivalent to a Level 2 …
