February 2017 | Larry and Carla

Our latest 8-bell arrangement is the hymn tune Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed. It’s interesting to note that the tune (MARTYRDOM) is an eighteenth-century Scottish folk melody, originally used for the ballad “Helen of Kirkconnel”, which is now more commonly sung to a completely different tune.

“Alas, and did my Savior bleed,
and did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head
for sinners such as I?”

Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed is particularly suitable for worship services during Lent and Holy Week. This arrangement is straightforward to play, and could also work well as a quartet piece.

Where to find the sheet music

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

When you buy music from Choraegus, it will come to you as a PDF file. This 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 for your handbell group. Don’t pay for more copies than you need!

If you haven’t bought music from Choraegus before, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this 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 find our Frequently-Asked Questions useful. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed - handbells

We recently unearthed some long-forgotten rehearsal videos from the summer of 2016, when we were still in California. Our latest 8-bell piece is an Irish Jig Nead Na Lachan. It’s most often referred to in English as The Foxhunter’s Jig.

We haven’t (yet) managed to play this one with 100% accuracy. In fact, Larry has declared it to be “not the most cooperative of pieces”. But one of us still thinks it’s fun to play! You could make it ~~less exhausting~~ shorter by cutting out some of the repeated sections. We performed it a few times during our street performing sessions here in Holland, Michigan last summer. It was very popular with our audience, as most Irish jigs seem to be.

Feeling insane enough to play this piece?

Honestly, Larry’s really not a fan of The Foxhunter’s Jig. He arranged it, so he only has himself to blame, of course. If you’d like to give it a try, the music is available to download from Choraegus.

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

If you haven’t bought music from Choraegus before, we recommend our step-by-step guide. It will take you through the process, with pictures!

Any questions?

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