This somewhat twisted Chopin arrangement/tango/twelve-bar blues came to life as part of the final Low Ding Zone concert series. We’re pleased to offer our seriously boiled-down eight-bell arrangement of this work. Red rose is optional, of course.
Tag: handbell ensemble
This composition is for handbell ensemble. The pitch range depends on the whim of the composer; there are pieces of this type for all ranges of handbells. The number of ringers can also vary quite a bit, but the general rule is that this number is smaller than that of a full-sized handbell choir.
Oct 26
Hills of the North, Rejoice – for eight handbells and piano
Hills of the North, Rejoice is usually sung in the United Kingdom as an Advent song. Here’s our arrangement for eight handbells and piano. Hills of the North, rejoice, river and mountain-spring, hark to the advent voice; valley and lowland, sing. Christ comes in righteousness and love, He brings salvation from above. Isles of the …
Oct 22
Now the Green Blade Riseth/Sing We Now of Christmas (NOEL NOUVELET) – for six handbells and piano
Here’s a brand new earworm for you – it’s the French tune NOEL NOUVELET in 7/8 meter. There are two hymn titles associated with the melody (Sing We Now of Christmas and Now the Green Blade Riseth), so you can play this two times each year! Now the green blade rises from the buried grain, …
Oct 19
For All the Saints (SINE NOMINE) – for eight handbells and piano
Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote the music for this hymn in 1906. Strangely (or not!), the hymn tune is SINE NOMINE, which is Latin for “without name”. Whether or not it actually has a name, therefore, is for the philosophers to sort out… but the hymn is probably most often used on All Saints’ Day when …
Oct 15
Now Thank We All Our God (NUN DANKET) – for eight handbells
In the U.S., Now Thank We All Our God is one of the hymns that makes an annual appearance in November (because of the national Thanksgiving holiday, of course)… but it really can (should?) be played all year round! Here’s a new eight-handbell arrangement for you to play!
Oct 12
Sussex Carol/On This Night All Christians Sing (SUSSEX CAROL) – for six handbells and piano
The Christmas song Sussex Carol is also known by its first lyric line “On this night all Christians sing”. It’s a joyous melody, and we have a wonderful time playing our arrangement of this Christmas carol for six handbells and piano! On Christmas night all Christians sing to hear the news the angels bring; on …
Oct 08
Good Christian Men, Rejoice (IN DULCI JUBILO) – for six handbells and piano
Rejoice! Rejoice! The melody in our six-bell-plus-piano arrangement weaves around the accompaniment, creating a joyous setting for the English carol. Good Christian friends, rejoice with heart and soul and voice; give ye heed to what we say: Jesus Christ was born today. Ox and ass before him bow, and he is in the manger now. …
Oct 07
“Dual-Range”™ Eight-Bell Music!
We’ve been hearing about how some ringers out there have wondered why our eight-bell music was written in the range G5-G6. The main issue that came up was that playing those pieces as a quartet would result in “nontraditional” ringing assignments (say, G5/A5 rather than A5/B5). Why not, say, write using F5-F6? The reason is …
Oct 05
Come, Ye Thankful People, Come (ST. GEORGE’S WINDSOR) – for eight handbells and piano
Come, Ye Thankful People, Come is most often sung in the United States at Thanksgiving. It’s a harvest-is-over song that uses bringing the crop from the fields as an illustration of God bringing His saints home after they’ve completed their earthly responsibilities. Here’s our arrangement of this hymn for eight handbells and piano. Come, ye …
Oct 01
Chopsticks – for eight handbells
There’s a famous story about how a little boy found his way onto the great Ignacy Paderewski’s piano bench before a concert, and, oblivious to the audience, began playing Euphemia Allen’s world-famous 1877 hit Chopsticks. The ticket-holders in the seats were shocked, and angrily wanted the child removed. Paderewski, however, walked up behind the bench …
