Sep 14

Jul, Jul Strålande Jul (Christmas, Glorious Christmas) – for eight handbells

The Swedish carol Jul, Jul Strålande Jul draws a picture of Christmas with gentle snowfall outdoors, and happy families indoors. We heard this thoughtful Swedish carol at a local orchestral concert, and thought you’d like to play our arrangement for eight handbells.

Jul, jul, strålande jul, glans över vita skogar
Himmelens kronor med gnistrande ljus
Glimmande bågar i alla Guds hus
Psalm som är sjungen från tid till tid
Eviga längtan till ljus och frid!
Jul, jul, strålande jul, glans över vita skogar

Kom, kom, signade jul, sänk dina vita vingar
över stridernas blod och larm
över all suckan ur människobarm
över de släkten som gå till ro
över de ungas dagande bo
Kom, kom, signade jul, sänk dina vita vingar

 Christmas, Christmas, shining Christmas
Luster over white forests
Heaven’s crowns with sparkling lights
Glimmering arcs in all God’s houses
Psalm that is sung from time to time
Eternal longing for light and peace
Christmas, Christmas, shining Christmas
Luster over white forests

Come, come, blessed Christmas
Lower your white wings
Over the battles’ blood and alarm
Over all sighing out from human chest(s)
Over those families who go to rest
Over the young ones’ dawning nest
Come, come, blessed Christmas
Lower your white wings

Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four 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.

Sep 09

All Creatures of Our God and King (LASST UNS ERFREUEN) – for sixteen handbells

The Church has worshipped the Creator with this hymn for centuries. Here’s our arrangement for sixteen handbells, suitable for four to eight ringers. We’ve also made it available in two versions: C5-A6 (three octaves) and G4-E6 (two octaves).

All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing,
alleluia, alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam, thou silver moon with softer gleam,
O sing ye, O sing ye, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong, ye clouds that sail in heav’n along,
alleluia, alleluia!
Thou rising morn in praise rejoice, ye lights of evening, find a voice,
O sing ye, O sing ye, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou flowing water, pure and clear, make music for thy God to hear,
alleluia, alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright, that givest all both warmth and light,
O sing ye, O sing ye, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless, and worship God in humbleness,
alleluia, alleluia!
Oh, praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise the Spirit, Three in One!
O sing ye, O sing ye, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

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.

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Sep 03

Away in a Manger (NORMANDY) – accompanied handbell duet

Our handbell duet Away in a Manger is an arrangement of the slightly less familiar NORMANDY tune. It still is lovely and thoughtful… just in a different way. This duet score is relatively easy, but expressive in the spirit of the melody.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;
the stars in the heavens looked down where He lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

If you don’t happen to have an accompanist available, we also have an accompaniment MP3 available for purchase.

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.

Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!

Aug 30

Somebody Loves Me (Handbells, 5-7 octaves, Level 5)

This joyous song by Buddy DeSylva, Ballard MacDonald, and George Gershwin entered the public domain in 2020. It’s our pleasure to bring our handbell arrangement of it to you!

Somebody loves me, I wonder who,
I wonder who she can be,
Somebody needs me, I wish that I knew
Who she can be worries me.

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.

Aug 24

Hooray! We have a new video of Sing We Now of Christmas

We have a new clone video of our three-to-five-octave arrangement of Sing We Now of Christmas (aka Now the Green Blade Riseth)!

This arrangement was written for the Carillon Choir of the Third Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan.

Aug 16

Wexford Carol – for sixteen handbells

Wexford Carol is a traditional Irish Christmas song from long ago (historians put its origin in the 15th or 16th century). It’s unusual in that the melody has some wonderful accidentals. This arrangement for sixteen handbells sets the melody line in mysterious, mildly (and pleasantly!) dissonant chords reflective of a lone singer wandering on the moorlands.

Our arrangement of Wexford Carol for sixteen handbells comes in two versions, D5-Bb6 (playable with three octaves of handbells) and G4-Eb6 (playable with two octaves of handbells).

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.

With Mary holy we should pray / To God with love this Christmas day
In Bethlehem upon that morn / There was a blessed Messiah born.

Aug 12

The Lord is My Shepherd (POLAND) for handbell choir

Caroline Harnly, a longtime friend and director of the San Francisco State University Handbell Choir, commissioned this arrangement of the POLAND hymn tune in honor of her mother.

It’s for four to five octaves of handbells plus two octaves of handchimes, and is Level 3.

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.

Aug 09

Dance of the Sugar Plum Sumo Fairy – for bass handbell trio

Tchaikovsky created one of the all-time holiday season favorites when he wrote the Nutcracker Suite in 1892. There’s a good chance you’ve seen more than just a small part of it at a December ballet presentation. The Dance of the Candy Fairy (or Sugar Plum Fairy) was a sensation at its premiere, because Tchaikovsky chose the celesta (also called a “bell piano”) as the solo instrument. At the time, the celesta was unknown in Russia; the composer had one secretly delivered from Europe and kept it hidden until the first performance. Wikipedia notes that the celesta is a “transposing instrument” – it plays notes an octave higher than its written score.

In the Low Ding Zone tradition, we poke a little fun at Tchaikovsky’s world-famous work by transposing the notes downward one octave, recasting the piece as a bass handbell trio. For your convenience, the score package for this arrangement comes with a complete three-staff score, plus separate parts for each ringer. It may be played an octave higher than written if you have nothing but “gurlie bells”.

Interpretive dancer not included. 😀

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.

Aug 05

A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth (AN WASSERFLÜSSEN BABYLON) (Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves plus handchimes, 3 octaves, Level 3-)

The hymn tune AN WASSERFLÜSSEN BABYLON dates from the sixteenth century. It’s from the Strassburger Kirchenant of 1525. We’ve found it to be a bit of an earworm, probably because of its harmonies. We hope you enjoy playing our Level 3- arrangement for three or five octaves of handbells.

A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth,
The guilt of all men bearing;
‘Tis laden with the sin of earth,
None else the burden sharing;
It goes its way, grows weak and faint,
To slaughter led without complaint,
Its spotless life to offer;
Bears shame, and stripes, and wounds, and death,
Anguish and mockery, and saith,
“Willing all this I suffer.”

Lord, all my life to you I’ll cling,
This love forever holding.
You ever, as you ever me,
With loving arms enfolding.
Lord, you will be my beacon-light,
Guiding me safe through death’s dark night,
Cheering my heart in sorrow.
Therefore my self, and all that’s mine,
To you, my Savior, I consign,
From whom all things I borrow.

Purchasing this handbell choir arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble – 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.

Aug 03

Praise the Lord Together – for SATB choir

Praise the Lord Together, the seventy-fifth of the Living Water songs, tells of the rejoicing that’s part (all?) of the Christian life.

Special bonus for those of you looking to start an interstellar ministry: In addition to a score in English, we also have a translation to Klingon!

We hope you take a moment to listen to our new audio recording!


(Just a note: This MP3 is a men’s chorus voicing of the original SATB score – because those were the voices I could record…)

Purchasing this score gives you permission to print and maintain the number of copies needed by your ensemble – 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.