Classical music for handbell choirs is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. Click on a title to see the arrangement on our music site, where you’ll find more details about each piece. You’ll see preview pages, audio files, and information about how to purchase music from us!

Here’s what’s currently available:

Cavatina
3 or 5 octaves of handbells, Level 3

Cavatina was written for guitar by Stanley Myers in 1970, performed by John Williams, and used as the theme tune for “The Deer Hunter”. Even though it’s a relatively recent work, it has already become a standard in the classical guitar repertoire. Your ringers and audience will enjoy the way it sounds on handbells.

Islamey
5 octaves of handbells and 5 octaves of handchimes, Level 7

Mily Balakirev spent some time exploring the Caucasus region in southern Russia. He came across the “islamey”, a cultural dance that featured lots of rapid movement. In this vein, he wrote the piece that many regard as the most difficult in all of the piano literature. Nikolai Rubinstein premiered the piece just two months after completing it, in 1869. It has been said that the musical world has never been the same since. Here it is for handbells! Disclaimer: this piece is estimated to be a Level 7 arrangement. It was completed mainly as an engraving exercise for Larry, and is a piece that he loves. We suspect that it would be unplayable on handbells, so we’ve made it available as an individual copy only. Purchase at your own risk!

Rhapsody in Blue
5-8 octaves of handbells and 5 octaves of handchimes, Level 6+

Rhapsody in Blue, the iconic work by George Gershwin, entered the public domain as of 2020. While none of the sections of this arrangement are of an AGEHR Level higher than 5, playing this arrangement in its entirety would be a tremendous challenge. For that reason, the overall work has a Level 6+ rating. It would be the experience of a lifetime to play this, but please be aware that the piece takes over 15 minutes to play, at tempo, and would need considerable work and stamina to perform!

The Seasons – Tchaikovsky
2 octaves of handbells, Level 3-5+

Nikolay Bernard, the editor of the music magazine Nouvellist, commissioned Tchaikovsky to write a suite of twelve piano solos. They were released, in turn, each month of 1876. When adapted to two octaves of handbells, they become an exciting collection that will challenge the artistic skills of practically any handbell ensemble. Here’s June, which is one of the more straightforward pieces. We recommend not starting with August!

Handbell pieces that were inspired by classical music

Occasionally, Larry will write a piece that was inspired by classical music. These pieces really don’t count as classical music, of course. However, since we don’t have many classical pieces to offer, we’ll include them here. Click on the titles to find out more, and read about how they came into existence!

Mahler Swing
5-8 octaves of handbells and 2 octaves of handchimes, Level 5

Mahler Swing is a handbell composition that melds Mahler and the Swing Era. The piece takes elements of the first movement of Mahler’s first symphony and makes them swing. The result is a piece that’s a marvelous earworm!

Nocturne
3 or 5 octaves of handbells and 2 octaves of handchimes, Level 2+

Nocturne is an original work that Larry composed for a composition contest. It’s not exactly inspired by classical music, but it’s well described as being “in a classical mood”. If you appreciate classical music, you’ll probably enjoy the calm feeling of this piece.

Tigress Rag
5-7 octaves of handbells, Level 5

Tigress Rag, written in the style of Scott Joplin, was the Second Place Winner of the 2011 Bells of the Sound “All That Jazz” composition contest. There’s also a version for solo piano!

More classical pieces will be coming soon!

If you have an idea for a classical piece you’d like to hear on handbells, let us know and we’ll see what’s possible!