Feb 17

Barcarolle (for twelve handbells)

Barcarolle is a well-known boating song. To me, it’s reminiscent of a tour of the canals of Venice via gondola. The gondolier propels the boat with a long pole; some of them even sing as you float along. And all the while, the history of the city and its beauty encircles you. Our arrangement for twelve handbells is fairly easy to play, and will be a welcome addition to your repertoire!

Purchasing this 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Feb 08

Jasmine Flower (茉莉花) (handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, plus handchimes, 2 octaves, Level 4-)

The Chinese folk song Mo Li Hua (茉莉花) dates back to the 18th century, and is one of the most popular Chinese tunes of all time. The title translates “jasmine flower”.

Your ensemble will have a great time playing our arrangement of Jasmine Flower. It’s a great selection for concert repertoire, or for a cultural presentation, and will charm your audience.

Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Feb 05

The Bass Ringer’s Notebook

Front Cover
We have one book in the Choraegus store. It’s the Bass Ringer’s Notebook (Second Edition). This work of just over 100 pages contains information that will make your bass ringing more efficient and more effective. It’s recommended reading by the Handbell Musicians of America, and more than a few folks tell us they’ve benefited from having it in their library.

Here’s a sampling of topics:

  • Gloves, tape, and preparation for ringing
  • Lifting bass handbells
  • Ringing bass handbells
  • Bass chimes
  • Assignments for bass handbell teams
  • Ideas for managing table layout

Do take a look!

Feb 01

His Eye is on the Sparrow (for handbell choir)

At the end of this month, the Handbell Musicians of America is holding their annual Distinctly Bronze East in New Bern, North Carolina. It’s an event for advanced handbell musicians, and celebrates our art by preparing and presenting a concert of exciting and techically challenging works for handbells.

We’re honored that for the 2023 event, conductor Fred Gramann has selected our handbell choir arrangement of His Eye is on the Sparrow!

If you’re in the New Bern area on February 26th, the concert will be at the Riverfront Convention Center at 4:00 p.m. And if you can’t be there in person, the program will be livestreamed!

Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Jan 26

Oh, How I Love Jesus – for six handbells and piano

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. Our arrangement for six handbells and piano is fairly easy to play, and emphasizes the simple directness of the hymn.

There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth;
it sounds like music in my ear, the sweetest name on earth.
Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus, because he first loved me!

It tells me of a Savior’s love, who died to set me free;
it tells me of his precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea.
Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus, because he first loved me!

It tells of one whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe;
who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below.
Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus, because he first loved me!

This piano-accompanied six-handbell arrangement provides an opportunity to play as a two-bells-each trio. Another possibility is to play as a duet where one ringer plays four bells and the other (perhaps a younger/newer player!) plays two bells.

The six bells in the score are accompanied by piano; if you don’t happen to have an accompanist available, we also have an accompaniment MP3 available for purchase.

Purchasing this 6-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to three copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score) – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

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Jan 23

Hyfrydol for six accompanied handbells

Our very first arrangement for six handbells and piano was Hyfrydol. True to form, it starts easily enough, but becomes more and more involved. If you like roller coasters, this piece is for you!

Purchasing this 6-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to three copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score) – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Jan 20

It Is Well With My Soul (VILLE DU HAVRE)(Handbells, 3-5 octaves, plus handchimes, 1 octave, Level 3)

Trusting God for everything – and knowing that God can be trusted in every circumstance – is a linchpin of the Christian faith. And because our salvation is guaranteed through faith in Jesus Christ, the storms of life become a training ground to make our faith stronger.

Here is our new arrangement of It Is Well with My Soul, for three to five octaves of handbells plus three octaves of handchimes. It was commissioned by the First United Methodist Church of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania in honor of the music ministry of their handbell director.

Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Jan 17

Dance of the Sugar Plum Sumo Fairy (bass handbell trio)

From 2005 to 2013, I founded and led Low Ding Zone, the World’s First Bass-Only Handbell Ensemble. Well, at any rate we think we had a solid claim to the title, since it was never contested. The name itself sparked a lot of fun; once I had the strange joy of watching a friend explain our group name to someone else… in Finnish. And we were honored to be in Overtones with a cover photo and an article entitled Low Ding Zone: How Low Can You Go?

Our purpose was to create and perform handbell music for bass ringers. I like to think that our actual mission was to create a new kind of strange chaos in the handbell world, especially because we had the not-completely-tongue-in-check motto “impossible is only the beginning”. So that meant that some significant proportion of our scores poked a bit of fun at the establishment, just because it could be done.

One of those pieces came from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcraker Suite”. The ballet dancers do so many agile and delightfully airborne moves; what if we created a bit of satire just by adding one word to the title, and went with the implications? Thus, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Sumo Fairy.

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain the number of copies needed your handbell ensemble (plus the accompaniment score) – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Jan 16

Squirrels

Now and then I’m hit with a flight of whimsy, and often that manifests itself on music paper (or my screen). We have lots of wildlife in our neighborhood, and squirrels are one of the liveliest. They’re completely carefree as well as being random.

So I wrote a piece, Squirrels, for three or five octaves of handbells, which illustrates life as a squirrel. The time signatures vary quite often, and make it fun to play and hear.

Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Jan 15

How Can I Keep from Singing?

It’s Sunday today, and lots of people are headed to church. We sing a lot at church, whether it’s from the hymnal to words on a projection screen. Some of us know all the lyrics by heart, and that’s a great thing for those days when you need the song but don’t have the hardcopy in front of you.

There are days when the urge to sing is irresistible, and that’s when How Can I Keep from Singing? is so incredibly relevant. Here’s our twelve-bell arrangement, shared as one of our “clone” videos. A blessed Sunday to you!

My life flows on in endless song above earth’s lamentation,
I catch the sweet, though far off hymn that hails a new creation.

No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I’m clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
how can I keep from singing?

Purchasing this 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.