November 29, 2021

Jesus Paid it All – for 8 Handbells

Jesus Paid it All was written in 1855 by Elvina M. Hall, with music by John T. Grape. The tune ALL TO CHRIST is also used for the hymns Fullness in Christ, I Hear the Saviour Say, and All to Christ I Owe.

More information about this arrangement

Our 8-bell arrangement of Jesus Paid it All is suitable for 2-4 ringers. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand duet, but there’s no requirement to use 4-in-hand. There’s no bell-sharing, and no accidentals to pick up mid-piece, so if you have a small ensemble, this piece can be played with no need for tables or foam pads. Perfect for social distancing!

How to purchase the sheet music

Sheet music for Jesus Paid it All is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchase of this arrangement gives you permission to print up to four copies for your handbell group – so don’t pay for more copies than you need! Your 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. We appreciate your help in spreading the word about Choraegus handbell music. If you record a video of your group playing any of our pieces, we’d love to see it. You’re welcome to share it with us on our Facebook page!

Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a PDF file, which you’ll need to download. 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, we recommend 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?

November 10, 2021

Need a Handbell Performance for Christmas? Book Soon!

If you need a handbell performance for Christmas 2021, it might be a good idea to book soon! After last year’s very quiet holiday season, it’s encouraging to see Christmas events and worship services being planned. Our calendar is filling up fast!

Our holiday performance season will start on November 26, at the Kerstmarkt in Downtown Holland. We always look forward to this festive outdoor event, where we’ll be braving the chilly weather to play Christmas carols outdoors. It’s a great way to start the holiday season, and a wonderful place to shop for locally-made gifts, crafts and food.

Handbell performance for Christmas - Kerstmarkt

Handbells are perfect for the holidays!

We’ll be back at the Kerstmarkt on December 10th. This year we’re also looking forward to performing with the Zeeland Community Band at their Christmas concert, as well as giving another handbell duet program at Hudsonville Library, and some private events throughout December. We’ll share more details about our public performances soon.

Handbell music can bring a magical and festive atmosphere to any Christmas or holiday event. We can give a seasonal performance of carols and holiday music. We can provide background music to add that special welcoming touch to your corporate event, community group celebration, winter wedding, or holiday gathering. Nothing says Christmas quite as well as the traditional sound of English handbells. Our duet performances can bring the sounds of the season to community events, hotel lobbies, department stores, airports, shopping boutiques, social groups and private house parties alike.

Thinking of booking a handbell performance for Christmas?

As a handbell duo, we take up far less room than a traditional bell choir would. That makes us ideal for venues where space is limited, or where social distancing is still being observed. We still have a few dates available for 2021 (including some Sundays during Advent), so if you need handbells for your Christmas event or worship service, you’re welcome to get in touch with us. If we can fit your event into our schedule, we will.

Contact us with some details about your event, and we’ll check our availability and provide a quote for you. Handbells are the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season!

Handbell performance for Christmas - Larry and Carla

November 7, 2021

The Lord Bless You and Keep You – Benediction – for 16 Handbells

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord lift His countenance upon you,
and give you peace;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious unto you.
Amen.”

Over the weekend, we closed up our summer cottage at Bay View, northern Michigan, and drove home to Holland. It’s a bittersweet time for us; the weather’s been getting colder, and there’s a limit to how long it’s comfortable to stay in a mostly-uninsulated Victorian cottage. But on the other hand, the autumn colours are still beautiful, and our summer cottage has been a peaceful retreat for us in recent months. We’ve spent a lot of time there this year, and we really didn’t want to leave!

Bay View is a beautiful place in every season. Here’s our video showing some of the views we’ve enjoyed this year. There are two 16-bell arrangements used in the video – God Be with You Till We Meet Again, and our new arrangement of The Lord Bless You and Keep You, which starts 1:28 into the video.

More information about The Lord Bless You and Keep You

This is the BENEDICTION hymn tune, written by Peter C. Lutkin. We sing this at the end of our annual concert at the Bay View Week of Handbells – and our arrangement is suitable as an accompaniment to choral singing. The arrangement is suitable for 4-8 ringers, and contains no bell changes. If your handbell ensemble is playing from music stands, or observing social distancing, this could work!

If you’d like to play either this arrangement, or God Be With You Till We Meet Again, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus.

More about Choraegus handbell music

Purchasing either of these arrangements gives you permission to print and maintain up to 8 copies for your handbell group. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing for non-commercial purposes such as worship services. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please be sure to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials.

Please note that our sheet 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.

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. You’ll find just about every question anyone has ever asked us, along with answers! However, if you don’t find the information you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help!

A dusting of snow at Bay View in November 2021, signalling that it’s time to close the cottage for the winter!

November 5, 2021

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken – for 8 Handbells

Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken is our most recent 8-bell arrangement. It’s an 18th-century English hymn, written by John Newton, who also wrote Amazing Grace. The tune used for this arrangement is Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, written by Joseph Haydn – most often referred to in hymnals as AUSTRIA.

More information about this arrangement

Our 8-bell arrangement of Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken is suitable for 2-4 ringers. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand duet, but there’s no requirement to use 4-in-hand. There’s no bell-sharing, and no accidentals to pick up mid-piece, so if you have a small ensemble, this piece can be played with no need for tables or foam pads. Perfect for social distancing!

How to purchase the sheet music

Sheet Music for Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken (standard version) is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. There’s also a Surprisingly Easy™ arrangement of this hymn – so you have a choice! Purchasing either of these arrangements gives you permission to print up to four copies for your handbell group – so don’t pay for more copies than you need! Your 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. We appreciate your help in spreading the word about Choraegus handbell music!

Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a PDF file, which you’ll need to download. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. If someone has asked us a question even once, it will be there, along with the answer. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help.

PS If you missed the outtake video of Still, Still, Still that we shared on our Facebook page, now might be a good time to watch it! We apologise for the advertising on our YouTube videos. We didn’t ask for it, and don’t make any money from it. It’s one of the reasons for our gradual switch to Vimeo!