Beethoven wrote nine symphonies. He was an amazing composer, creating wonderful music during his later years even though he had gone deaf. One of his best known symphonic melodies in the choral world is the “Ode to Joy” from his final symphony, the tune for the hymn Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee. Joyful, joyful, we …
Category: Handbells
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 …
Come, Christians, Join to Sing – Eight Handbells and Organ/Piano
Come, Christians, Join to Sing reminds us of our responsibilities before God to sing – well, ring – before Him! We think this arrangement will also make you dance! Come, Christians, join to sing / Alleluia! Amen! Loud praise to Christ our King / Alleluia! Amen! Let all, with heart and voice / Before His …
Jan 01
Happy 2018!
Happy New Year to all of you (or as they say in some places, “all y’all”)! We’ve had a fun year finding videos and receiving emails about who’s been playing our music. The greatest number of stories are about our eight-handbell repertoire. Most of what we’ve seen is videos of four-in-hand duets or one-bell-in-each-hand quartets …
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, …
Bass Ringer’s Notebook, Second Edition
The Bass Ringer’s Notebook has been a reference work for bucket slingers since 2007. The second edition provides updated information, new ideas, and illustrations with matching YouTube videos that show how to perform with your bass bells. Topics include: Lifting Bass Bells – Every note played on every handbells starts with a lift. With bass …
How to Purchase Music from Choraegus
It’s simple! Find each piece of music that you want to buy, and press the “Add to Cart” button to put it into your (electronic) shopping cart. Check the quantity of each piece you’re ordering to be sure you’re getting the correct number for your needs. For details, please see our Licensing Agreement. When you’ve …
Oct 27
Five (5 octaves of handbells)
Our fifth anniversary was approaching, so I wanted to give Carla something special. This original composition was the result, and the handbell choir at our church in Holland, Michigan premiered it as the prelude in the services on our anniversary weekend. It’s entitled Five, and can be a treasure hunt for you and your ringers …
Oct 23
Accompanied twelve-bell music for Christmas!
We usually play unaccompanied eight-handbell music. Maybe that’s because it’s easier to get together to practice; only two of us have to head to the rehearsal room. However, we do realize that many of you may have larger groups, or might want to include a pianist. So we have a couple of new Christmas arrangements …
Ring
Choraegus has loads of handbell music for you to try, rehearse, and perform. We have scores of all sizes: Six accompanied handbells. Two or three ringers, plus piano accompaniment. Eight handbells. Two to four ringers, sometimes with piano or organ accompaniment. Our eight-bell pieces come in two varieties: “standard” and “Surprisingly Easy”™ (sometimes described as …
