Monthly Archives: March 2017

A New Handbell Composition: Coronation and Triumphant Exultation

At long last, we can tell our secret, and share some exciting news. Larry’s new original composition for handbells is Coronation and Triumphant Exultation!

Larry received some wonderful news at last year’s Bay View Week of Handbells. He’s the recipient of the Donald E. Allured Original Composition Award! His mission was to write an original piece for the Bay View Week of Handbells in 2017.

What is the Donald E. Allured Award?

The Donald E. Allured Fund was created in 1993. Donald Allured was a composer and director that handbell musicians will always remember for his outstanding contribution to the art. The fund is used to commission original handbell music. Most importantly, each composition must exemplify the standards and quality that Dr. Don Allured would have expected. For that reason, it’s a great honor to receive this award.

Larry dedicated Coronation and Triumphant Exultation (Crùnadh agus Iolach) to Maestro Carl Wiltse, our leader, mentor and friend. This year will be Carl’s 15th and final year as director of the Bay View Week of Handbells. The piece is a musical story about the accession of a Scottish king to his throne. It opens with a bagpipe-like section played on bells. Next comes a reflective middle section. Finally, a majestic closing section as the king takes his throne, and the people rejoice.

Where to hear this new piece!

2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the Bay View Week of Handbells. The Thursday night concert will feature the very first performance of Larry’s original composition. The concert will take place Thursday, August 17, at 8:00pm. As usual, it will be held at the John M. Hall Auditorium, in Petoskey, Michigan. We’ll post more information as the event approaches!

Would you like to play this original composition?

Coronation and Triumphant Exultation is for 5-8 octaves of handbells, with optional 5 octaves of handchimes. It’s published by AGEHR Publishing (AG58002). Best of all, it’s Level 4, so not as challenging as some of Larry’s other compositions have been!

Larry Sue - Allured Composition Award Recipient
Larry with the Allured Composition Award piece: Coronation and Triumphant Exultation.

Any questions?

Finally, if you have any questions you’d like to ask Larry about Coronation and Triumphant Exultation, please contact us. Larry is always happy to talk about his music. Alternatively, if you’d like to commission an original composition for your handbell choir, please ask!

Our Handbell Concert in Warner Robins, Georgia

Larry and Carla - Handbell Concert in Warner Robins, GA

We’re excited to be making our first-ever trip to Georgia soon – to present a concert of handbell duets at Christ United Methodist Church in Warner Robins. We’re already looking for our summer clothes, and anticipating a big change in temperature between Michigan and Georgia!

We’ll be performing some of our favourite 8-bell handbell duets. Our concert will include a selection of hymns, classical pieces, and traditional folk melodies. We’ll be playing Holy Manna, which was one of the very first pieces we ever performed as a duo. We’ll also play the poignant Australia ballad Moreton Bay, and several new and unpublished arrangements. It will be an opportunity to hear our eight-bell arrangements of the beautiful Japanese melody Sakura, and the energetic Gwerzy; a piece originally written by members of the Irish band Kila. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions, and to find out more about our handbells and how we play them.

On Sunday, April 2nd, we’ll play some more of our duets in the 10:00am service at Christ United Methodist Church. Then we’ll return to our home in Holland, Michigan, to get ready for our next performance!

We hope you’ll join us for our handbell concert in Warner Robins!

Thanks to the Zeeland Community Band!

Thanks to the Zeeland Community Band and their director Rose Wiersma! We were happy to be invited to be part of another of their community concerts. We enjoyed performing for residents and guests at Freedom Village, a senior living community here in Holland, Michigan. It’s exciting to find out how much the sound of handbells can add to a band performance! The band had put in many hours of rehearsal for this concert, and their hard work paid off. It was an interesting and varied performance, with many positive comments from the audience afterwards.

The Zeeland Community band is a community ensemble in every sense. Its mission is to encourage adults to pick up their band instruments and make music! Even people who haven’t played in many years can find a place in this welcoming ensemble. The band rehearses on Monday evenings in Zeeland. You can find out more on their website, and get in touch if you have questions.

Zeeland Band Handbells at Freedom Village, Holland
Playing handbells with the Zeeland Community Band

As you can see from the smiling faces, the band members enjoyed this performance too. We look forward to working with this talented group again!

Thanks to the Zeeland Community Band
Larry and Carla with the Zeeland Community Band

New Music for Handbells – The Boys of Bluehill

Here’s another one from the archives – recorded during a rehearsal in California in the summer of 2016, before we moved to Michigan. It’s a traditional hornpipe – The Boys of Bluehill.

This tune has an uncertain history. No one seems to be entirely sure if the music is originally Irish or Scottish. Alternatively, it could even be an old American tune that made its way to Ireland and was claimed by musicians there. Either way, it’s fun to play, and not as challenging as some of our traditional Irish jigs. St. Patrick’s Day is fast approaching, and this could work well!

Would you like to play this hornpipe?

If you’d like to play The Boys of Bluehill, the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus.

When you buy music from Choraegus, please note that you won’t receive anything in the mail. Your music will come to you as a PDF file, and you’ll be responsible for printing it yourself. 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, we highly recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this to take you through the purchase process in a stress-free way.

Any questions for us?

We’re always happy to answer any questions about buying or playing our music. Please get in touch if there’s anything you need help with!