Handbell folks find it’s never too early to start thinking about what we’re going to play for the Christmas (technically, Advent + Christmas + Epiphany) season. The world around us associated handbells with Christmas, so we have to be ready to play in church, at Christmas parties, and even outdoor events such as parades. Today …
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.
Jun 04
Our first US duet performance
Many of you know that Carla and I (Larry) were in a long-distance relationship between California and England for several years. After getting engaged in 2011, we worked on getting her a fiancée visa; it was approved in time for August 2012 to be the Month of One-Way Plane Tickets. I flew from California to …
Sleigh Ride (Mozart, Drei Deutsche Tänze, No. 3) – Sixteen handbells
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the exceptional musical geniuses of all time, started composing music when he was just four years old, and has had a lasting influence ever since then. He composed Drei Deutsche Tänze (“Three German Dances”) in 1791; the third dance in this suite bears the nickname “Sleigh Ride” (not to be …
May 31
New freebie: “Daisy Bell” for eight handbells!
Daisy Bell, also known as A Bicycle Built for Two, was written in the late nineteenth century by Harry Dacre. If you’re movie buff, you’ll probably remember that it was sung by Hal, the computer from 2001, A Space Odyssey. I remember learning it from my mom and grandmother. Most people I know sing only …
Daisy Bell (Eight handbells)
Daisy Bell, also known as A Bicycle Built for Two, was written in the late nineteenth century by Harry Dacre. If you’re movie buff, you’ll probably remember that it was aung by Hal, the computer from 2001, A Space Odyssey. I remember learning it from my mom and grandmother. Most people I know sing only …
May 23
Why is handbell music notated an octave lower?
In case you didn’t already know, handbell music is notated an octave lower than the bells actually sound. For instance, the “middle C” that handbell ringers read really is the C that’s on the third space (counting upward) of the treble staff. The convention in place, however, is to name a particular note by its …
May 20
It’s small ensemble time!
Small (handbell) ensembles are much more the order of the day after mid-May, at least in the Northern hemisphere. Pretty much everyone in the United States syncs their calendar to the end of the school year, and so family vacations and summer programs ramp up, resulting in a local population decrease as people get out …
May 15
Here’s the “Surprisingly Easy”™ eight-bell “O Worship the King” (LYONS)!
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 …
May 12
ENGELBERG (Handbells, 2 octaves, Level 2+)
We’ve published a new arrangement of the hymn tune ENGELBERG today. In case you’re happier with hymn titles, ENGELBERG has been paired with several texts: All Praise to Thee, for Thou, O King Divine When in Our Music God is Glorified We Know that Christ is Raised This arrangement is for two octaves of handbells, …
May 02
What’s our easiest handbell choir piece?
Sometimes we’re asked which of our pieces for handbell choir is the easiest. Hands down, it’s Celebration. This piece is AGEHR Level 1; for those of you not familiar with what that means, the score has nothing smaller than a quarter note. The piece itself is composed of big block chords; if you’re ringing it, …
