When we published our arrangement of For the Beauty of the Earth (hymn tune DIX) a while back, we know it would be fun to play. Now that we’ve figured out how to make “clone” videos of larger-scale pieces, we have a new video to show how it really sounds on handbells! This piece is …
Tag: Christmas
Christmas is traditionally celebrated on December 25th as the remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ (Luke 2).
Liturgically, Christmas is twelve days in length (hence the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"), ending on Epiphany (also known as Three Kings' Day).
Churches and celebrants who choose to be less precisely liturgical rejoice with Christmas music (and Epiphany music!) all the way through Advent as well. The important thing is to rejoice, of course.
What Child is This?/Greensleeves – Twelve handbells
There are many stories about Greensleeves. Some historical references say that Henry VIII wrote it… but it had to be someone else because it was written after he’d died. However, it was “on the charts” by Shakespeare’s time, so it’s been around for quite a while, and often appears during Christmas in the form of …
Jingle Bells – for eight handbells plus piano
James Murray wrote Jingle Bells in 1857. We understand that it actually was a Thanksgiving song for a children’s play at his church… but history has made it into a Christmas song. That probably makes sense since December is snowier than November in most areas (well… if you’re far north enough). Dashing through the snow …
Dec 24
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Choraegus
The snow started falling this morning at our place. Millions of tiny bits of ice surround us, and we’re safe and warm inside. Shoveling awaits… It’s the end of 2020, and as we’ve had a fairly wild December, we’ve decided to take a break from our rather manic two-a-week publication pace and get a little …
Jingle Bells – for eight handbells plus piano
James Murray wrote Jingle Bells in 1857. We understand that it actually was a Thanksgiving song for a children’s play at his church… but history has made it into a Christmas song. That probably makes sense since December is snowier than November in most areas (well… if you’re far north enough). Dashing through the snow …
Dec 10
Away in a Manger (MURRAY) – Twelve-Handbell Version
We’ve been having fun recording some of our twelve- and sixteen-handbell arrangements so that you can see and hear them with actual bells. Here’s our twelve-bell arrangement of Away in a Manger (the hymn tune most often heard in the USA, by James Murray). Purchasing this 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain …
Away in a Manger (MURRAY) – Twelve handbells
The melody in this arrangement of Away in a Manger by James Murray is the one most familiar to Americans. Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head, The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep on …
Dec 07
From a Distant Home – with video now!
We’ve been revisiting some of the twelve- and sixteen-bell scores that we didn’t manage to record earlier. One of them is From a Distant Home for sixteen handbells. We had lots of fun putting the video together! Purchasing this 16-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell …
Angels, from the Realms of Glory (REGENT SQUARE) – Twelve-Handbells
Angels came from heaven to celebrate the birth of Christ. It’s amazing to compare how it must have been in God’s glorious presence with the humble stable of Bethlehem. Yet they came, and they marveled! Angels from the realms of glory / Wing your flight o’er all the earth; Ye who sang creation’s story / …
Nov 30
The First Nowell – for sixteen handbells, reissued!
We took a look at our sixteen-bell arrangement of The First Nowell, and decided to revise it. The result of this work is a score that’s more elegant and, we think, “Christmassy” than the old version. This also gave us a chance to reformat it into a “dual-range”™ package as well, with one version in …
