Nocturne is an original work for three or five octaves of handbells (and three octaves of handchimes). I composed it as an entry in a composition contest, with the conditions being that it had to be Level 2 or 3, and be less than 4’30” in duration. I think you’ll like – or maybe love! …
Tag: handbell choir
A handbell choir is an ensemble of handbell musicians, each of whom usually has a specific subset of the entire set of bells assigned to them. The group members play the entire score by their combined efforts via a unique type of teamwork where expression and musicality are dependent on the ensemble members fusing their efforts to form a greater whole.
The sets of handbells played by handbell choirs vary in size, usually stated as an integral number of octaves. For instance, a three-octave bell choir uses notes from C4 to C7, while a seven-octave choir plays C2-C9.
Handbell choirs also use additional instruments, the most notable being handchimes. Handchimes bring a different sound to the mix, and are used for effect and contrast. Other ancillary instruments include, flute, trumpet, clarinet, and percussion; of the percussion family, the cajón is perhaps one of the more popular recent additions.
Aug 05
A new video for “Meditation”!
Meditation, an original composition, has been in our catalog for some time. In case you haven’t gotten familiar with it, we have versions for 2-3 octaves and 3-5 octaves of handbells. Tintabulations Handbell Ensemble of Nevada made the handbell video which we have on our site. Carla wanted to know how Meditation would sound on …
Aug 01
Greet the Morning (Handbells, 3-5 octaves, plus handchimes, 1 octave, Level 3-)
Greet the Morning, an original work for three to five octaves of handbells, draws a picture of waiting for the sun to rise. The night vanishes gradually as the light of dawn overcomes the darkness. It increases in brightness until all of a sudden, the sun peeks over the horizon and starts the day. This …
Greet the Morning (Handbells, 3-5 octaves, plus handchimes, 1 octave, Level 3-)
Greet the Morning, an original work for three to five octaves of handbells, draws a picture of waiting for the sun to rise. The night vanishes gradually as the light of dawn overcomes the darkness. It increases in brightness until all of a sudden, the sun peeks over the horizon and starts the day. This …
Jul 25
Walking Home (Handbells, 3-5 octaves, plus handchimes, 2 octaves, Level 3-)
Walking Home, an original work for three to five octaves of handbells, brings to mind that feeling you have when the time to leave work or school has arrived. The special feeling of knowing that you’re headed back to your safest place goes with you and inspires your walk – and the melody in your …
Walking Home (Handbells, 3-5 octaves, plus handchimes, 2 octaves, Level 3-)
Walking Home, an original work for three to five octaves of handbells, brings to mind that feeling you have when the time to leave work or school has arrived. The special feeling of knowing that you’re headed back to your safest place goes with you and inspires your walk – and the melody in your …
Jul 06
We have one book!
We have one book in our e-store, the Bass Ringer’s Notebook. It covers many topics withing the first of ringing bass handbells, and Handbell Musicians of America recognizes it as a useful reference on the subject. You may ask what need there would be for such a volume. After all, “a handbell is a handbell …
Jun 28
Premiere performance video of “Smiles”!
We premiered our arrangement of Smiles by Lee S. Roberts and J. Will Callahan at the 2023 Bay View Week of Handbells. Smiles came into being in 1917 or 1918 at Mr. Callahan’s Bay View cottage; the bit of Michigan woodland next to the cottage that Callahan formerly owned commemorates the occasion with a sign. …
Jun 24
A Sparrow on Christmas Morning (Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, plus handchimes, 3 octaves, Level 3+)
Otto Kotilainen’s Finnish carol A Sparrow on Christmas Morning tells the story of a sparrow that has exhausted his summer food supply. In danger of starving in the winter cold, he visits a young girl who offers him a seed to eat. The sparrow gratefully accepts the offer, and then reveals that he, her deceased …
A Sparrow on Christmas Morning (Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, plus handchimes, 3 octaves, Level 3+)
Otto Kotilainen’s Finnish carol A Sparrow on Christmas Morning tells the story of a sparrow that has exhausted his summer food supply. In danger of starving in the winter cold, he visits a young girl who offers him a seed to eat. The sparrow gratefully accepts the offer, and then reveals that he, her deceased …
