The melody in this arrangement of Away in a Manger by James Murray is the one most familiar to Americans. Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head, The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep on …
Category: Handbell Ensemble
Wrong Foot Forward – Eight handbells
We love the way this slip jig by Sarah Allen and Brian Finnegan of “Flook” plays! The challenge: It’s in 7/8 – you can imagine how it might confuse the dancers! Alternate Titles: (for some reason, there apparently aren’t any…) Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package: $ US G5-based practice track: $ US F5-based practice track: …
Larry and Carla’s Eight-Bell Jig Collection
Here’s our first eight-bell jig collection! It’s a set of fast-moving, exciting pieces that you’ll find to be tremendous fun to play. So… get this collection (scroll to the bottom of the page below the five videos), break out your bells, and hold on to your hat! Here’s what this collection contains: The Butterfly Hardiman …
Eight-Bell Jigs
The jigs here come from Ireland, Scotland, and – yes – America (more in a bit)! They usually are in 6/8 or 9/8, though that’s not the only possibility. Wrong Foot Forward (by the band Flook) is in 7/8, presumably for the purpose of tangling up the dancers’ feet. Other than those two, the others …
Eight-Bell Dances
We started exploring jigs and hornpipes as a possibility for new eight-bell music. Amazingly, we found them to be very well-adapted to our instrument, and have since then made quite a few arrangements. We’ve enjoyed playing them, having found the following: They’re fast. Jigs and hornpipes are happy, lively music, and are made for rapid …
Jim Ward’s Jig – Eight handbells
Jimmy Ward was a tremendously skilled Irish banjo player who wrote this tune. We think you’ll have a lot of fun playing it! Alternate Titles: An Chéad Phunnann Clare, The Clare The First Sheaf Jimmy Ward’s Favourite Port Shéamus Mhic A Bháird Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package: $ US G5-based practice track: $ US F5-based …
The Blarney Pilgrim – Eight handbells
Kissing the Blarney Stone can be a somewhat scary experience. You climb to the top of Blarney Castle… easy. You lie down across the edge of the parapet… probably not easy. You bend downward below the level of the wall’s edge to kiss the stone, upside down… definitely not easy. And then you return to …
The Whinny Hills of Leitrim – Eight handbells
Leitrim (pronounced LEE-trim) is in the north of Ireland. You can imagine the lovely green hills and the beautiful scenery! Alternate Titles: Cnoic Aiteannach Liadroma Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package: $ US G5-based practice track: $ US F5-based practice track: $ US This arrangement is also included in Larry and Carla’s Eight-Bell Jig Collection. Purchasing …
Banish Misfortune – Eight handbells
Don’t you wish you could just play a song and make all the ills of your world go away? Here it is (of course, some of the other title for this tune are quite interesting…)! Alternate Titles: Díbir Anachain Díbir Mí-Ádh The Horse Under The Stairs The Humours Of Mullinafauna The Little Bag Of Meal …
Morrison’s Jig – Eight handbells
The story of Morrison’s Jig was that it was a tune composed by Tom Carmondy, and that his fiddler friend Morrison played/recorded it for him. You’ll hear the fiddle playing the repeated motifs in the melody… dance the night away! Alternate Titles: Cry Of The Celtic Tom Carmondy’s Favorite Port Ui Mhuirgheasa The Stick Across …
