Jan 01

Merry Eighth Day of Christmas!

The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came is a mysterious tune that’s just on the border between Advent and Christmas. We first arranged it for eight bells, and then during my recovery from shoulder surgery for six bells and piano. Here’s the video or the six-bell version!

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.

Dec 31

Merry Seventh Day of Christmas!

We’ve had a great time writing music for small handbell ensembles, and were so very pleased to note that a number of ringers were using our six-, eight-, and twelve-bell scores and sharing their videos with us (well, and the world!). We’ve been writing music for sixteen handbells as well; these arrangements are perfect for a four-in-hand quartet.

Here’s our sixteen-bell arrangement of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (VENI EMMANUEL)!

Purchasing this 16-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight 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.

Dec 30

Merry Sixth Day of Christmas!

We went to a Holland Symphony Christmas concert a few years back, and enjoyed it very much. On the program was the Swedish carol Jul, Jul Strålande Jul (Christmas, Glorious Christmas), performed by soprano voice and orchestra. It was truly charming, and thoughtful, and just plain wintry, and so we worked out how to play it with eight bells!

Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score, if part of the purchase) – 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.

Dec 29

Merry Fifth Day of Christmas!

When we figured out how to make demo videos of pieces using more than eight bells, it made sense to create sixteen-bell arrangements. That way, four-in-hand quartets were available; they also were a nice bridge between twelve-bell and two-octave handbell music.

On the fifth day of Christmas, here’s our sixteen-bell arrangement of Wexford Carol.

Good people all, this Christmas time / Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done / In sending His beloved Son.

Purchasing this 16-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight 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.

Dec 28

Merry Fourth Day of Christmas!

We’ve had a wonderful time arranging Christmas carols. That’s not just the ones that we usually sing, but also going on the hunt for ones that are unfamiliar (to us).

One day on Facebook, we saw that someone was asking about the Italian carol From Starry Skies Descending, we looked into it, and soon had arrangements for eight handbells and twelve handbells. The video link below is for the twelve-bell version.

From starry skies descending,
Thou comest, glorious King,
A manger low Thy bed,
In winter’s icy sting;

God’s own and true Word,
Yet here no robe, no fire
For Thee, Divine Lord.

Purchasing this 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score, if part of the purchase) – 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.

Dec 27

Merry Third Day of Christmas!

I had shoulder surgery a in May of 2020. Lest you worry that bass ringing was the cause, the orthopedist assured me that it was all due to “normal wear and tear”. It meant postoperative pain pills (the powerful kind), and half a year of rebuilding. It’s quite a regimen, as those of you who have shared this experience know!

How does this relate to handbells? Well, Carla suggested writing music for six accompanied handbells so that we could keep writing and playing new music. It led to the debut of my “concert sling”, among other things.

One of the wilder six-bell arrangements is Sing We Now of Christmas (aka Now the Green Blade Riseth). And although it’s after Christmas Day, you might still like to play it for Easter!

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.

Dec 26

Merry Second Day of Christmas!

You’ve probably seen social media reminders that the twelve days of Christmas start on December 25th and continue through January 6th. Today, the second day of Christmas, is known as Boxing Day, from an era when the practice was for the more affluent to give gifts to those less fortunate, such as their house staff.

Today we share our eight-bell video of I Saw Three Ships, an English carol. Celebrate!

Dec 25

Merry First Day of Christmas!

Today is Christmas Day, and so we’re starting the twelve-day celebration with Gaudete, an English piece from the Renaissance (or earlier). Joyous Christmas to you!

Dec 24

Merry Christmas!

As I write this from our home in Michigan, the storms pummeling most of the country have brought us lots of white, fluffy snow. It’s been accumulating all over our neighborhood, and has been constantly falling because of the “lake effect”. We love it here in winter!

We hope you’ve had a good year, wherever you are. Thank you for playing our music, and for giving us the opportunity to see the videos you’ve made of yourselves in performance. It’s heartwarming to have the privilege of enhancing the music in your lives.

We’ll be looking forward to bringing more music in 2023. Blessings and joy in the new year ahead!

Larry & Carla
Lego Larry & Carla

Nov 29

We Wish You a Merry Christmas – for eight handbells

If you’ve been around for even a short while, this English Christmas carol will be familiar to you. Do you remember going out in the cold (and if you’re in the right area, the snow), and then finishing your visit to each house by singing this song?

Here’s our new arrangement of this carol for eight bells!

We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year

Oh, bring us some figgy pudding and bring it right here
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year

We won’t go until we get some, so bring it right here
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year

We all like our figgy pudding with all its good cheers
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year

We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year

Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score, if part of the purchase) – 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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