Monthly Archives: October 2020

Handbell Music for Halloween – the 8-Bell Funeral Tango

From time to time, people ask us if we have any handbell music for Halloween. It’s that spooky time of year again, so here’s something new. It’s our 8-bell arrangement of Funeral Tango.

This piece originally began life as one of the Low Ding Zone arrangements for bass handbell ensemble. A short while ago, we decided we wanted to be able to play it as an 8-bell duet. We have absolutely no idea if it will ever be a performance piece – and 2020 is clearly not going to be an appropriate year for that. Still, it’s fun to play, and Halloween is probably the only suitable time for us to introduce this arrangement. Ready? Here it is!

Feeling spooky enough to play this piece?

If you’d like to play Funeral Tango, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell ensemble – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

For more Halloween music, we also have an arrangement of The Spider Song (Incy Wincy Spider or Itsy Bitsy Spider, depending on your preference). Sheet music is available to download free of charge, from Choraegus.

Please note that our music is designed to be downloaded as PDFs, so you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide, designed to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions for us?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you’re looking for, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Handbell music for Halloween - Funeral Tango

New Advent Music for 8 Handbells and Piano – Hills of the North, Rejoice


We’re pleased to introduce some new Advent music for handbells and piano. This Advent hymn from England was written by Charles Edward Oakley. The words are most often set to the tune Little Cornard, written by Martin Shaw. Hills of the North, Rejoice is our latest 8-bell arrangement for handbells with piano accompaniment. We recorded our demonstration video at our Victorian summer cottage in Bay View, Petoskey. If you listen carefully, you might hear the heavy rain falling outside!

“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.”

As with all our 8-bell arrangements, there are no bell changes, no picking-up of accidentals, and no shared bells. There are no stopped-sound techniques, and no need for tables or foam pads. This makes it particularly suitable for a socially-distanced handbell duo, trio or quartet, playing from music stands.

If you’d like to play Hills of the North, Rejoice, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. An mp3 accompaniment track is also available to purchase separately. This can be useful if you don’t have an available accompanist, or for rehearsal purposes.

Important information about buying Choraegus handbell music

Please note that our music is designed to be downloaded as PDFs, so you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing an 8-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score). Purchase also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and sharing on video-sharing sites, church websites and social media. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites and social media, and in any printed materials.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Advent music for handbells

Now the Green Blade Riseth / Sing We Now of Christmas – for 6 Handbells and Piano

Now the Green Blade Riseth is our latest 6-bell arrangement. We’ve been arranging and publishing small-group music since 2012 – i.e. before it was cool! One of our goals has always been to write music that’s challenging and interesting enough for skilled handbell musicians to want to play, even when only a very limited range of bells is used. When Larry had shoulder surgery and we started arranging music for just six bells, we wanted to continue this goal. Our latest 6-bell arrangement turned out to be one of the more-challenging pieces in that range. If you’re looking for something different and fun for Christmas or Easter, this piece might work for your group! After all, who doesn’t appreciate a 7/8 time signature? Wait. Don’t answer that.

A versatile arrangement – for Easter and Christmas!

The arrangement was originally written as Now the Green Blade Riseth, but we recorded it with a batch of Christmas music, with a red poinsettia on the music stand. Thus, it became Sing We Now of Christmas as well. One arrangement for two occasions!

As with all our 6-, 8-, 12- and 16-bell arrangements, there are no bell changes and no shared bells. There are no techniques that require tables or foam pads, so any of these arrangements could work for a socially-distant handbell ensemble. They’re also useful for performances where space is limited. Four-in-hand technique is not required; this 6-bell arrangement could also be played as a trio, with each ringer holding two bells.

If you’d like to play this piece, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. An mp3 accompaniment track is also available to purchase separately, for anyone who doesn’t have a pianist available, or wants to practise at home.

If you’d looking for an arrangement of this carol that doesn’t need piano accompaniment, we also have standard and “surprisingly easy” 8-bell arrangements available from Choraegus, and a 3-5 octave, level 3- arrangement for full handbell choir.

More information about Choraegus handbell music

Please note that sheet music from Choraegus is designed to be downloaded as PDFs. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchase of a 6-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to three copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score), and also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and sharing on video-sharing sites, church websites and social media. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites and social media, and in any printed materials.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Now the Green Blade Riseth - Handbells

New Music for 8 Handbells and Piano – For All the Saints

“For all the saints who from their labors rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!”

By special request, here’s an accompanied 8-bell arrangement of For All the Saints. With the much-loved hymn tune Sine Nomine, written by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906, this is a popular choice for All Saints’ Day on November 1st. Our demonstration video was recorded at our Victorian summer cottage at Bay View, Petoskey, on a chilly October Sunday, with rain pelting down outside.

As with all our 8-bell arrangements, this piece involves no bell changes, no picking-up of accidentals, and no shared bells. There’s no need for tables, making it suitable for a socially-distanced handbell group, playing from music stands.

Information about downloadable music from Choraegus

If you’d like to play For All the Saints, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. We also have an mp3 file available to purchase separately; useful if you don’t have an available accompanist, or for rehearsal purposes.

Please note that our music is designed to be downloaded as PDFs. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing an 8-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score). Purchase also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and sharing on video-sharing sites, church websites and social media. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites and social media, and in any printed materials such as church service bulletins.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide, designed to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. Please contact us if you don’t find the answer you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

The Bay View Memorial Garden, near Petoskey, Michigan

New 8-Bell Music for Thanksgiving – Now Thank We All Our God

We have to admit it; we’re at the time of year when we’re already starting to think about Christmas music. First, though… we need to stay focused on fall/autumn, and all the lovely hymns for this time of year.

Our latest hymn arrangement is an eight-bell arrangement of Now Thank We All Our God. We’ve had this arrangement since 2014, but, for some unknown reason, we never managed to record a demo video or make the music available on the website. The sheet music came to light just recently, and we thought it would be a good idea to put it onto the website without any further delay! We recorded the video at our summer cottage near Petoskey.

Would you like to play this piece?

If you’d like to play Now Thank We All Our God, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Please note that our music is designed to be downloaded as PDFs, so you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide, designed to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

New 6-Bell Christmas Music – Sussex Carol

“On Christmas night all Christians sing
To hear the news the angels bring.
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our merciful King’s birth.”

Our latest handbell arrangement needs just six bells and a piano. It’s the popular English Sussex Carol, sometimes known by its first line “On Christmas Night All Christians Sing”. As with all our 6- and 8-bell arrangements, there are no bell changes and no shared bells. There are no techniques that require tables or foam pads, so any of these arrangements could work for a socially-distant handbell ensemble, or in places where space is limited.

We started writing and playing 6-bell music after Larry had shoulder surgery, but the sling is not a requirement (obviously!), and neither is 4-in-hand ringing. Three people could play this arrangement, holding only two bells each.

If you’d like to play Sussex Carol, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. An mp3 accompaniment track is also available to purchase separately, for anyone who doesn’t have a pianist available, or wants to practise at home.

If you’d looking for an arrangement of this carol that doesn’t need piano accompaniment, we also have standard and “surprisingly easy” 8-bell arrangements available from Choraegus, and a 3-5 octave, level 4 arrangement for full handbell choir.

More information about downloadable handbell music from Choraegus

Please note that sheet music from Choraegus is designed to be downloaded as PDFs. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchase of a 6-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to three copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score), and also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and sharing on video-sharing sites, church websites and social media. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites and social media, and in any printed materials such as church service bulletins.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide. We designed this to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you’re looking for, and we’ll do what we can to help!

A Sussex town (Petworth) at Christmas

New 6-Bell Music for Christmas – Good Christian Men, Rejoice

Are you looking for Christmas music that only needs six bells and a piano? If so, here’s a lively arrangement of Good Christian Men, Rejoice. Larry had shoulder surgery in May and doesn’t need to wear his sling any more… but he put it back on for our demonstration video. He did it for the sake of tradition, and also because Carla doesn’t want to give up any of the four bells she’s playing.

As with all our 6- and 8-bell arrangements, there are no bell changes and no shared bells. No tables are required, so this music could work well for socially-distant duo or trio.

Would you like to play this piece?

If you’d like to play Good Christian Men, Rejoice, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. An mp3 accompaniment track is also available to purchase separately. This can be helpful for anyone who doesn’t have a pianist available, or wants to practise at home.

If you’d looking for an arrangement of this carol that doesn’t need piano accompaniment, we also have standard and “surprisingly easy” 8-bell arrangements available from Choraegus.

Please note that sheet music from Choraegus is designed to be downloaded as PDFs. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchase of a 6-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to three copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score). Purchase also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and sharing on video-sharing sites, church websites and social media. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites and social media, and in any printed materials.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide. We designed this to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help!

Good Christian Men Rejoice - handbells and piano

New 8-Bell Music – Come, Ye Thankful People, Come – for Handbells and Piano

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come… to Michigan! We love this time of year, when the leaves turn to all shades of red, orange, yellow and brown, and the weather starts to feel colder. Pumpkin spice is in the air (well, all over Facebook, anyway). Our thoughts turn to harvest festivals and Halloween, and Thanksgiving is fast approaching.

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come is our latest arrangement for eight bells and piano. We recorded the video at our Victorian summer cottage at Bay View, Petoskey, where we’ve been spending a lot of time in recent months. If you listen closely, you’ll hear the sound of cars going past on US-31 – and that’s why we don’t usually record our demo videos while we’re there!

As with all our 8-bell arrangements, this piece involves no bell changes, no picking-up of accidentals mid-piece, and no shared bells. It can be played from just music stands, which makes it suitable even for socially-distanced handbell groups.

If you’d like to play Come, Ye Thankful People, Come, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. An mp3 accompaniment track is also available to purchase separately. This is useful if you don’t have a willing accompanist, or if you want to rehearse at home.

More information about Choraegus handbell music

Please note that our music is designed to be downloaded as PDFs. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing an 8-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score). Purchase also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on when sharing online, and in any printed materials.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide. We designed this to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll be happy to help!