Category: International Music

Four Twelve-Bell Hanukkah Songs!

A friend asked if we could come up with some twelve-bell music for Hanukkah. We’re happy to say that we found four songs that worked nicely! Hanukkah, O Hanukkah – a lively, happy song about the Jewish Festival of Lights, the annual holiday commemorating the miracle of God’s provision and sustenance. The symbol for this …

Continue reading

The Twelve Days of Christmas – for handbell trio!

The Twelve Days of Christmas has been a holiday favorite for a long time, so much so that there’s an annual update about the cost of a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens… For the dedicated true love person, it details a serious financial enterprise! Our arrangement for handbell trio, …

Continue reading

Banana Passacaglia (handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, Level 4)

One day on Facebook, a post appeared: Replace one word in the title with “banana.” What’s your favorite handbell piece? With one reply being: Banana Passacaglia And then: I would like for Larry Sue to get to work on this immediately. So, to make a not-so-long story short, it took a couple of days to …

Continue reading

Boat on Lake Tai (太湖船) (Handbells, 3 to 5 octaves, plus handchimes, 2 octaves, Level 4-)

Lake Tai is a large lake near Shanghai. It’s in a central location, so it has many commercial connections; because it’s quite shallow, it’s a peaceful place to visit. The Chinese folk song Boat on Lake Tai (太湖船) draws a picture of a peaceful scene, where a small boat glides across the water. You’ll enjoy …

Continue reading

Boat on Lake Tai (太湖船) (Handbells, 3 to 5 octaves, plus handchimes, 2 octaves, Level 4-)

Lake Tai is a large lake near Shanghai. It’s in a central location, so it has many commercial connections; because it’s quite shallow, it’s a peaceful place to visit. The Chinese folk song Boat on Lake Tai (太湖船) draws a picture of a peaceful scene, where a small boat glides across the water. You’ll enjoy …

Continue reading

Happy Birthday!

(Larry here) It’s my birthday today, so we’re putting out a treat for those of you who’ve been wishing to congratulate your ringers, or family, or friends, or anyone else by having your bell choir play in their honor. Our arrangement of Happy Birthday to You is scored for three to seven (!) octaves of …

Continue reading

Happy Birthday (Handbells, 3-7 octaves)

Here’s our arrangement of the universal party favorite, Happy Birthday, for three to seven octaves of handbells (add handchimes if you wish!). After much history and (legal!) discussion between forces outside our control, the courts declared some years ago that Happy Birthday, the famous tune by the Hill sisters, was indeed in the public domain. …

Continue reading

Happy Birthday (Handbells, 3-7 octaves)

Here’s our arrangement of the universal party favorite, Happy Birthday, for three to seven octaves of handbells (add handchimes if you wish!). After much history and (legal!) discussion between forces outside our control, the courts declared some years ago that Happy Birthday, the famous tune by the Hill sisters, was indeed in the public domain. …

Continue reading

Flower Drum Song (凤阳花鼓) (for handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, Level 4)

Flower Drum Song Feng Yang Hua Gu (凤阳花鼓) may have been composed as far back as the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.). It comes from Fengyang County in Anhui Province, and is said to have been sung by people affected by floods in that region as part of asking for donations to recover their living. Here’s …

Continue reading

Flower Drum Song (凤阳花鼓) (handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, Level 4)

Flower Drum Song Feng Yang Hua Gu (凤阳花鼓) may have been composed as far back as the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.). It comes from Fengyang County in Anhui Province, and is said to have been sung by people affected by floods in that region as part of asking for donations to recover their living. 左手锣右手鼓手拿着锣鼓 …

Continue reading