The hymn tune VICTORY by Palestrina dates back to the seventeenth century. About a century later, Francis Pott translated the Latin text from the Symphonia Sirenum to English, giving us the hymn The Strife is O’er, the Battle Done. The strife is o’er, the battle done; the victory of life is won; The song of …
Tag: 6-bell
Starting in 2012, we (Larry and Carla Sue) developed a large repertoire of music for eight handbells which we perform as four-in-hand duets. These pieces ranged from fairly simple to maniacally difficult, and eventually led to the creation of their "Surprisingly Easy"™ eight-bell arrangements so that there would be more options for the ringing world at large.
Larry had shoulder surgery in early 2020, and Carla suggested creating a new lie of music for six accompanied handbells. The "accompaniment" part came about, of course, because six bells result in sacrificing at least one scale tone to satisfy the numeric constraint. Surprisingly, six-bell pieces have turned out to be a rich field for exploration.
As eight-bell repertoire works well with a two-in-hand quartet (two bells each) or a four-in-hand duo, six-bell repertoire works nicely with a two-in-hand trio or a "four-in-hand sesquisoloist" (one-and-a-half four-in-hand players).
Mar 21
The Strife is O’er (VICTORY) – for six handbells and piano
The hymn tune VICTORY by Palestrina dates back to the seventeenth century. About a century later, Francis Pott translated the Latin text from the Symphonia Sirenum to English, giving us the hymn The Strife is O’er, the Battle Done. Now Choraegus has a new arrangement for six accompanied handbells! The strife is o’er, the battle …
Oct 21
Away in a Manger (CRADLE SONG) for six handbells and piano
The Christ Child has been born, and sleeps in the manger. This gentle arrangement for six handbells and piano tells the Christmas story with a quiet elegance. 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, …
Sep 23
The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came (GABRIELS MESSAGE) – for six handbells and piano
Our Christmas carols come from many places and times. This one originated in the Basque country between Spain and France, and has a lovely, mysterious feel. Take a look at our arrangement for six handbells and piano! The Angel Gabriel from heaven came, his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame; ‘All hail,’ said …
The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came (GABRIELS MESSAGE) – Six handbells and piano
Our Christmas carols come from many places and times. The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came originated in the Basque country between Spain and France, and has a lovely, mysterious feel. The Angel Gabriel from heaven came, his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame; ‘All hail,’ said he, ‘thou lowly maiden Mary, most highly …
Away in a Manger (CRADLE SONG) – Six handbells and piano
Away in a Manger is sung to several different tunes. One of these melodies is CRADLE SONG written by William Kirkpatrick at the end of the nineteenth century. This is the tune which is most commonly used in the United Kingdom. Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid …
About Our Practice Tracks
We have practice tracks for many of our unaccompanied ensemble works (eight, twelve, or sixteen handbells) so that if you happen to have a group of ringers who need or want to work independently, they can use these MP3s to get a sense of how everything sounds together. They, of course, will also be just …
Feb 08
Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise (LLANFAIR) – for six handbells and piano
Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise (hymn tune: LLANFAIR) is a hymn of rejoicing over the resurrection of Christ and how our eternity relies on Him. Our new arrangement for six handbells and piano will add a special, glorious touch to your Easter service! Hail the day that sees him rise, Alleluia! to His …
Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise (LLANFAIR) – Six handbells and piano
Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise is a hymn of rejoicing over the resurrection of Christ and how our eternity relies on Him. The tune was composed by Robert Williams, a Welshman who demonstrated remarkable musical abilities despite being blind. It’s said that he could write out a tune after just one hearing! Hail …
Feb 05
We have practice tracks!
We have practice tracks for most of our unaccompanied small-ensemble handbell scores (up to sixteen bells). For a small cost, you get a piano-plus-click-track audio version of the score. This provides a way for your group to hear what they’re playing with a guiding metronome. For our “dual-range” scores, there are separate practice tracks for …
