The familiar African-American spiritual does indeed fit into eight bells!
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when He rose up from the grave?
Were you there when He rose up from the grave?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when He rose up from the grave?
Church Calendar: Holy Week, Good Friday, Easter
Hymn tune: WERE YOU THERE?
Find metrically-matched hymn texts
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Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment/instrumental score(s), 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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Lovely piece. I think your arrangements where the bells are not contiguous (also Holy Manna) have extra sparkle. More, please!
Author
Hi Dawn!
Thanks for the comment… we’ll keep that idea in mind, because we also really like the way it works.
By the way, our arrangement of the jib “The Blarney Pilgrim” uses a D5. You can find it at https://www.choraegus.com/wordpress/ring/eight-bell-music/eight-bell-dances/eight-bell-jigs/the-blarney-pilgrim/
Happy ringing!
What bells are used in the C major version?
Author
Hi Alan,
The bells used in our eight-bell arrangement of “Were You There?” are D5, G5, A5, B5, C6, D6, E6, G6, with the key of the score being G major.
To tranpose to C major, you’d have to move everything up a perfect fourth, or down a perfect fifth. The bells for the upward transposition, then, would be G5, C6, D6, E6, F6, G6, A6, and C6. The downward transposition would be an octave lower.
We have learned from experience and from hearing of friend’s adventures with our music that a transposition sometimes is useful to keep the sizes of the bells manageable for the ringers!
Larry