Monthly Archives: April 2016

New Music for Handbells – Finlandia (Be Still, My Soul)

Finlandia is our latest arrangement for 8 handbells.

Some of the history of Finlandia

The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius wrote Finlandia in 1889. It was originally the Finlandia Hymn; part of a symphonic poem. Sibelius then reworked it as a standalone piece, as part of his Masonic Ritual Music. The Finnish poet Veikko Antero Koskenniemi wrote words for it in 1941, and it became popular as a national song for Finland, although not the official national anthem.

In 1752, Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel had written a hymn in German: Stille meine Wille, dein Jesus hilft siegen. In 1855, Jane Laurie Borthwick translated it into English as Be Still, My Soul.

“Be still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He, faithful, will remain.
Be still, my soul, thy best, thy heavenly friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.”

Another popular hymn sung to the Finlandia tune is We Rest on Thee, written in England by Edith G. Cherry in 1895. This Is My Song is another hymn that uses the same tune, with words written in 1934 by Lloyd Stone. It’s also the tune used for Gweddi dros Gymru (A Prayer for Wales), which is widely considered to be the second Welsh national anthem.

With thanks to Los Altos United Methodist Church for allowing us to rehearse and record this piece in their beautiful sanctuary.

Would you like to play Finlandia?

If you’d like to play this arrangement the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus.

When you buy music from Choraegus, please remember that it will come to you as a digital file (PDF). You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Your purchase of this 8-bell arrangement will entitle you to print up to 4 copies for your handbell group. Please see our licensing agreement for full details.

If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, you might find our step-by-step guide helpful!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help!

An Organ Accompaniment to Come Christians, Join to Sing

On Easter Sunday we had the opportunity to be part of the celebrations at Los Altos United Methodist Church. We played a couple of our new hymn accompaniments (coming to our website soon!) as well as specially-arranged handbell parts for two choir anthems.

Organ accompaniment to Come Christians Join to Sing
Easter Sunday at Los Altos United Methodist Church

We also enjoyed collaborating with LAUMC’s talented Senior Organist, T. Paul Rosas. Paul recently wrote an organ accompaniment to Come Christians, Join to Sing. We played the 8-bell arrangement with organ and handbells at the three morning services on Easter Sunday. It was a lot of fun! Here’s a recording from one of the services:

Our thanks go to Los Altos United Methodist Church for making this recording available to us.

Would you like to play this piece?

If you’d like to play this piece, the music is available for purchase and download from our music site.

When you buy music from Choraegus, please remember that the music will come to you as a PDF file. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. See our printing guides for more information about this!

If you’re new to buying Choraegus music, you might find it helpful to look at our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide to take you through the process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, you might like to look at the Frequently-Asked Questions. It’s possible that someone else has already asked the same question and received an answer! If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

A Reunion for Inspiration International, and New Handbell Music!

During our trip to England in February, we enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with a few of our friends from the world of handbells. We’ve already posted about our rehearsal with Pizzazz Handbell Trio and Quartet. We also had the chance to visit our friend Meg from Inspiration International. This is a Berkshire-based handbell project that’s very important to us.

More about Inspiration International

Inspiration International is a project which grew from the community work of Inspiration – an initiative of Finchampstead Handbell Ringers in Berkshire, England. The group’s mission is to enrich the lives of the young and elderly in the Berkshire community. We take handbell music into the lives and homes of those who sometimes feel forgotten by society. Pioneered by Meg, the leader of Finchampstead Handbell Ringers, the group has visited and entertained the residents of many care homes in the area. They have volunteered to share their handbell music with social groups and at community events.

Carla first worked with Meg and Sally from Inspiration when she needed to take a trio of handbell musicians to perform at Heathrow Airport in 2011. The group entertained airport travellers during the busy Christmas rush. Meg and Sally were happy to be involved, and they had a great time sharing their music at the airport.

Inspiration International - handbells
The trio at Heathrow Airport, Christmas 2011

After that, Carla joined Meg and Sally in taking their handbell music to people in the Berkshire community. They visited many care homes and community groups. Space is often limited in care homes, so it was a huge advantage to be able to perform as a small group playing 4-in-hand. The group was honoured to be nominated for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2012.

When Sally decided to focus on other projects for a while, Meg and Carla started playing duets. That’s when Larry started arranging music for eight bells!

Inspiration handbells - All the Bells in Wokingham, 2012
Meg and Carla at the “All the Bells” event in Wokingham, 2012

Carla’s move to California, and Meg’s continued work in the community

When Carla moved to California in August 2012, it was a challenge to see how we could continue the “Inspiration” project across the miles. We really wanted to find a way! So, using the powers of modern technology, we’ve been working together to prepare and record music that Meg can use for performances. From the original Inspiration grew the new Inspiration International. Meg continues to visit care homes and community groups in Berkshire. She adds her live handbell-playing to pre-recorded tracks made more than 5,000 miles away in California.

A happy reunion in England

It’s a rare treat for us to be able to get together and rehearse as a group! Of course, we were determined to find some time to catch up with Meg during our visit to England in February. We enjoyed a lovely home-cooked meal, and caught up on some of the news and chit-chat. Then we dropped Meg right in at the deep end with some brand-new and unpublished 12-bell music!

Here’s a video of one of the pieces we tried; it’s the traditional Scottish melody Flow Gently, Sweet Afton. It’s not a note-perfect demonstration, but it should give you an idea of how the piece could sound, with a little more rehearsal time!

Would you like to play this piece?

If you’d like to play this arrangement, the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus. Please see our step-by-step guide and licensing agreement for full information about buying our music online.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Inspiration International, please check out the group’s Facebook page!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about Inspiration International, or about buying or playing Choraegus handbell music, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help!

New Music for Handbells – He Keeps Me Singing

Here’s our latest 8-bell arrangement; it’s the popular hymn He Keeps Me Singing.

We know this hymn as a lively and joyful melody. However, we recently read about the circumstances that led Luther Burgess Bridgers to write it – and they were far from happy. He was a pastor and evangelist who wrote the hymn after his wife and three sons had died in a house fire while he was away preaching.

“There’s within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,
In all of life’s ebb and flow.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Sweetest Name I know,
Fills my every longing,
Keeps me singing as I go.”

Our thanks to Los Altos United Methodist Church for allowing us to rehearse in their beautiful sanctuary. It’s the place where we had our wedding ceremony in September 2012.

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’d like to play this piece, the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus.

When you buy music from Choraegus, it will come to you as a digital download; a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Your purchase of this 8-bell arrangement will entitle you to print up to 4 copies for your group. Please see our licensing agreement for full details.

If you haven’t bought music from Choraegus before, we recommend our step-by-step guide! We designed this in an attempt to take you through the process in a stress-free way.

Any questions for us?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, you might like to check our Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

He Keeps Me Singing - handbells

New Music for handbells – For the Beauty of the Earth

As we say hello to the month of April, here’s a new 8-bell arrangement – the hymn For the Beauty of the Earth.

The useful thing about this tune is that it also doubles as the Christmas carol As With Gladness, Men of Old. Two titles for the price of one!

Would you like to play For the Beauty of the Earth?

If you’d like to play this piece, it’s available from Choraegus.

When you buy handbell music from Choraegus, it will come to you as a digital (PDF) file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Your purchase will entitle you to print up to 4 copies of this 8-bell arrangement for your handbell group. Please see our licensing agreement for full details.

If you haven’t previously purchased music from Choraegus, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide. We designed this to make the process as stress-free as possible!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please check our Frequently-Asked Questions, in case the answer is there! If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.