We started writing “Surprisingly Easy”™ variants of many of our eight-bell arrangements years and years ago. That was to provide a faster-to-worship learning time, especially for duets, trios, and quartets who are newer to four-in-hand and ensemble ringing. If you aren’t already familiar with our easier eight-bell scores, they’re generally equivalent to a Level 2 …
Tag: 8-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.
As eight-bell repertoire works well with a two-in-hand quartet (two bells each) or a four-in-hand duo, or with a trio where the bells are divided 4-2-2 or 3-3-2. We've even seen one instance of playing eight-bell music with eight ringers with one bell apiece, a la Sacred Harp.
Apr 29
Free sheet music is fun!
We love to give people a chance to see what we do at Choraegus. Like everyone else, we provide contact information so that you can ask questions or make suggestions. That’s all normal; you’re supposed to be available to deal with what happens. However, we also want you to be able to try out a …
Mar 01
Update to “Dona Nobis Pacem”!
We’ve learned that there are some folks might not be able to play our G5- and F5-based scores of Dona Nobis Pacem. For instance, there are sets in England that have white keys C5-G6, and maybe F#s and Bbs, and therefore won’t have all the needed notes. To help work with this, we’ve added C5- …
Nov 27
Ding Dong, Merrily on High – for eight handbells
The sixteenth-century English tune Ding Dong, Merrily on High is quite popular at Christmas. It reflects the joy of the season, and invites us to share in the joy of heaven at the birth of the Son of God. Here’s our eight-bell arrangement – enjoy! Ding dong merrily on high, In heav’n the bells are …
Nov 13
And now, a second eight-bell version of “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”!
We’ve had an eight-bell version of It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (hymn tune CAROL – the one most frequently heard in the USA) for over ten years. It’s one of my personal favorites; however, it does provide a bit of a challenge to the ringers. So… we’ve just published a second, somewhat less difficult, …
Nov 08
O Come, O Come Emmanuel for eight handbells – now in E minor!
Our eight-bell arrangements are generally written for the note ranges G5-G6 and F5-F6 and sold as “Dual-Range” score packages. However, these don’t always work smoothly if you want to sing with them, because the melody notes might fall out of a comfortable congregational range. This is true of our eight-bell O Come, O Come Emmanuel, …
Nov 01
O Come, All Ye Faithful – eight handbells, and free!
The celebration of Christmas centers on the promise that God is always working toward His ultimate triumph. O Come, All Ye Faithful draws us not just to the manger, but to the everlasting future of Christ’s kingdom. There are three transpositions included in this free score package: G5-based, F5-based, and a D5-based version that matches …
O Come, All Ye Faithful
The celebration of Christmas centers on the promise that God is always working toward His ultimate triumph. O Come, All Ye Faithful draws us not just to the manger, but to the everlasting future of Christ’s kingdom. There are three transpositions included in this free score package: G5-based, F5-based, and a D5-based version that matches …
Oct 09
New, second arrangement of Good King Wenceslas for eight bells!
We’ve had an eight-bell arrangement of Good King Wenceslas for eight handbells for quite a while, and decided it was time to create a new one that was a bit easier to play. They’re both on the same web page so that you can compare them as you make a decision about which one you …
Mar 22
Come Down, O Love Divine (DOWN AMPNEY) – for eight handbells and piano
Ralph Vaughan Williams’ compositions are highly regarded across the world. Come Down, O Love Divine (tune: DOWN AMPNEY) is a fine example of his work! Our arrangement for eight accompanied handbells presents this hymn thoughtfully. Come down, O Love divine; seek out this soul of mine, and visit it with Your own ardor glowing. O …
