Category Archives: Christmas and Holiday Music

Our 2025 holiday handbell performances

holiday entertainment Michigan handbell duo Larry and Carla

Our 2025 holiday handbell performances are finished! It’s time to thank everyone involved, and to look back at a fun December of duet-ringing!

We had busy holiday performance season this year. We were very fortunate with the weather, and the fact that we didn’t have to travel long distances to get to any of our Christmas gigs. That’s very helpful in Michigan. Our Christmas handbell performances are often booked months in advance, and there’s no way to know what the weather’s going to do! We just hope for the best, and remember to allow extra time for travel. We’ve never been late for any of our holiday handbell performances yet!

Here are some of the highlights from our 2025 holiday season:

Handbells on WOOD TV8

Our holiday performance season began early this year, with a short-notice booking for November 19th! This was for an appearance on the WOOD TV8 Daybreak show. The show was being presented live from the Christkindl Markt in Grand Rapids. Even though we wouldn’t be playing handbells while the market was open, we were invited to go and add to the holiday atmosphere with some Christmas ringing. This involved waking up at 3:30am, and arriving at the market at 5:15am on a very cold day! Still, we had fun, and we met Santa while we were there! Interestingly, the Santa we met there was not the official Christkindl Markt Santa. He was a very good one, though!

handbell ringers with Santa at Christkindl Markt Grand Rapids
Trying not to look too cold, in Grand Rapids early in the morning

Glad to be back indoors for a while!

After that wintry start to our holiday performances, we were thankful to be indoors for a candlelight Advent evening in Marne. This was a nice opportunity to play some of our “it’s not quite Christmas yet” pieces, although we were happy to fulfil a surprise request for Jingle Bells at the end of the evening!

Later in December, we were welcomed back to The Village at the Pines in Grand Haven, where we enjoyed sharing some Advent and Christmas handbell duets with residents. It’s always such a friendly place! Several of the residents (and a staff member) played Jingle Bells on handchimes, and did very well. We have a version that uses words instead of music notation, and that makes it easier, although a couple of the residents had played handbells before, and their experience definitely showed!

For the first time, we shared our handbell music at The Warm Friend (Resthaven) in Holland, and appreciated all the interesting questions we received from the audience. We felt as if we could have stayed all afternoon and talked about handbells with the residents there! We took extra handbells and handchimes with us to this performance, so we added a smaller percussion table to the side of our usual table. This enabled us to demonstrate Savior of the Nations, Come on lower bells than we’d usually use, and to use handchimes for a couple of our pieces too.

Holiday handbell performances - Resthaven The Warm Friend in Holland, Michigan
A larger-than-usual set-up at The Warm Friend

Handbells at the Kerstmarkt-Holland

We enjoyed two evenings ringing at the Kerstmarkt in downtown Holland. We’ve been playing at this European-style Christmas market for some years now, and we always love it there. This year, we were very fortunate with the weather. We had just a few flurries of gently swirling snow, but the temperature on both evenings was mild by Michigan winter standards. We were wearing multiple layers of clothing, which helped a lot too, and we were grateful for the loan of a heater from Shady Side Farm. This holiday market is always such a fun, festive event, and it turns out that Santa and Mrs Claus love handbell music too!

Santa at Kerstmarkt in downtown Holland
So many layers of clothing, and we have a feeling Santa and Mrs Claus had the same idea!

Another cold (but festive) evening at Otsego Hometown Christmas

Thanks to Otsego District Public Library for sponsoring our evening at Otsego Hometown Christmas! This is always a chilly event to play at, but the warmth of the welcome makes up for it, and this year we particularly loved how many children came to listen to our handbell music. They asked interesting questions too, and it was an opportunity for us to educate as well as to entertain. This is a wonderful community event, and we’re always happy to be part of it.

handbell ringers at Otsego Hometown Christmas
Holiday handbell performances outdoors can be cold, but so much fun!

A concert with the Zeeland Community Band

We joined our friends at the Zeeland Community Band for their concert at Freedom Village. This concert included some pieces that were familiar to us, and others that were new. We played a 15-minute prelude, then three of our own pieces in the middle of the concert, and added our handbells to three of the band’s pieces. The concert was very well attended, and was a wonderful way to share the spirit of Christmas with this retirement community in Holland. We also appreciated being able to play our recent arrangement of Ring the Bells, accompanied by the band’s director Rose Wiersma on piano. We didn’t get a video of the performance, but here’s our recording at home, so you’ll get the idea.

Another performance at the Gary Byker Memorial Library of Hudsonville

We were pleased to be invited back to the library in Hudsonville for another holiday handbell performance. This was our seventh year at this Ringing in Christmas event hosted by the Friends of the Library, and after last December’s slightly-too-exciting drive through the snow, we were thankful for much kinder weather this time! The event is always popular, and audience members appreciate homemade treats provided by the Friends, and the opportunity to ask all their burning questions about handbells! Well, we like to think they have burning questions, of course, even though they’ve probably had them all answered by now. Thanks to audience member Steve Snow for this photo of us in action!

Deep in concentration at Hudsonville Libary’s Ringing in Christmas program. (Photo credit: Steve Snow)

Handbells in worship during Advent

We have quite a lot of Advent hymns for just eight bells now, but it’s still rare for us to be invited to play in churches here in Michigan during the run-up to Christmas. This December, we played at three churches; one on the third Sunday of Advent, in Grand Haven, and two on Christmas Eve, in Holland and Kalamazoo.

Handbells at St Paul's UCC Grand Haven, Michigan
Handbell duets at the Advent service at St. Paul’s UCC in Grand Haven, Michigan

Playing in two different places made for a busy Christmas Eve and a very late night/early morning. It was worth it, though, because there’s something so special about welcoming Christmas morning with handbells, especially when candlelight is involved.

holiday handbell performances - Advent with Larry and Carla

Lots of activity on our Facebook page!

Apart from our handbell duet performances, and concerts with Kalamazoo Ringers, we also recorded and shared a lot of handbell duets on our Facebook page during the run-up to Christmas. If you didn’t catch up with us at any of our performances, we encourage you to look at Facebook and watch our videos (now called Reels). We hope you’ll enjoy continuing to celebrate Christmas with us online!

Special thanks to those who made our 2025 holiday handbell performances possible:

WOOD-TV 8
Kerstmarkt-Holland
Shady Side Farm, Holland, MI
St. Mary Catholic Church, Marne, MI
The Village at the Pines, Grand Haven, MI
Zeeland Community Band
Otsego District Public Library, MI
Zeeland Community Band
Resthaven The Warm Friend, Holland, MI
Friends of the Gary Byker Library, Hudsonville, MI
Internet Archive
St. Pauls United Church of Christ, Grand Haven, MI
Providence Church, Holland, MI
First United Methodist Church, Kalamazoo, MI
and others who booked us for private events.

We’d like to thank everyone who helped to make this holiday season bright and busy for us. If you booked us for a performance or Christmas program or wrote a review of a performance – thank you. To those who took the time to say thank you after a performance, offered us coffee, chatted with us, or wished us safe travels – thank you. If you followed our Facebook page, watched or shared any of our Christmas videos, emailed us, downloaded sheet music from our music site, or purchased a copy of The Bass Ringer’s Notebook – we appreciate you too! 

holiday entertainment Michigan handbell duo Larry and Carla


To all who celebrated this holiday season, we hope you had a wonderful time. We wish you all a happy and healthy 2026!

Choraegus handbell music is now on Sheet Music Plus!

This year has seen an exciting development; after years of publishing handbell music only on our Choraegus website, Larry has branched out, just slightly, and now has several pieces available from Sheet Music Plus. The SMP site has been a huge help when arranging titles that are still under copyright, especially when communicating with copyright holders directly proved to be less than successful.

Click here to go straight to Sheet Music Plus

What’s available on Sheet Music Plus?

Winter Wonderland

We’re excited about our recent Christmas arrangements! The first is Larry’s arrangement of Winter Wonderland. Richard Bernhard Smith wrote the lyrics for this song in 1934, and Felix Bernard added the tune. There have now been more than 200 covers of this music!

Sleigh bells ring – are you listenin’?
In the lane snow is glist’nin’,
A beautiful sight,
We’re happy tonight.
Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland!

Our five-octave handbell arrangement is Level 5, which makes it a fun challenge for handbell choirs. We enjoyed making our demonstration video!

Click here to find out more, or purchase Winter Wonderland for your handbell group!

Silver Bells

“Silver bells, silver bells,
It’s Christmas time in the city,
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring,
Soon it will be Christmas Day.“

This 3-7 octave Level 4 arrangement provides an opportunity to feature handchimes or “alternate bells”. We used Silver Melody Bells in our demonstration, but you could use Whitechapel handbells, or Petit and Fritsens if you have them. Maybe even a bell tree! Alternatively, just use chimes, or stick with all bells. You’ll still be transported back to Christmas time in a city long ago!

Click here to find out about purchase options for Silver Bells!

I Wonder as I Wander

Another Christmas arrangement is I Wonder as I Wander. In 1933, John Jacob Niles heard a bit of music from Annie Morgan, a Appalachian girl, and used it as the basis of his song. This medium-difficulty arrangement for just 8 handbells provides ample room to express the interpretation of the carol. Two transpositions, F5-A6 and Eb5-G6, are provided, the latter fitting within the range of a two-octave set of handbells. We enjoyed having a snowy backdrop for our demonstration video, because the snow arrived early in Michigan last winter, and stayed for a while!

I Wonder as I Wander is available from Sheet Music Plus.

Carol of the Drum

Continuing with Christmas music, Carol of the Drum is one of our most popular 8-bell arrangements. Written by Katherine Davis in 1941, the tune is based on a traditional Czech Christmas carol, and most often known as Little Drummer Boy. Our 8-bell arrangement is available in two versions; one more straightforward than the other.

Click here for more information about the standard version of Carol of the Drum

Click here for the “surprisingly easy” version

Ring the Bells

This popular Harry Bollbank song is now available for 8 handbells, with piano accompaniment. Both the handbell part and the piano part are straightforward to play.

Click here to purchase Ring the Bells

Bring Me Sunshine

Moving away from the holiday season, and towards the sunny summer months, Bring Me Sunshine was written by Arthur Kent and Sylvia Dee in 1966. In the UK, it was used for many years as the theme song for the popular comedy show Morecambe & Wise. Larry’s arrangement is for 3 octaves of handbells, and it’s fun to play. If you need a charming, lighthearted selection for your spring program, this Level 3 arrangement fills the bill!

Click here to find Bring Me Sunshine on Sheet Music Plus

Cavatina

The beautiful, haunting classical guitar work Cavatina was written by Stanley Myers. It was based on music originally written for the movie The Walking Stick in 1970. Myers expanded the piece, and it was recorded by guitarist John Williams. It’s now most famous as the theme tune for the 1978 film The Deer Hunter.  Larry’s arrangement of Cavatina is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells.

You’ll find the score for Cavatina on Sheet Music Plus.

Enjoy browsing Sheet Music Plus!

We hope you’ll enjoy browsing our selection of handbell music on Sheet Music Plus. You’ll find more of Larry’s arrangements there soon! If there are any popular songs you’d like to see an arrangement for, you’re always welcome to contact us to suggest it. As always, if you have any questions, please let us know!

Winter Wonderland handbell music Sheet Music Plus

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel – easy handbell music for Advent

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is one of the most popular hymns for the Advent and Christmas season. We were recently asked for a straightforward 2-3 octave arrangement, designed for beginning and improving handbell choirs.

Here’s our demonstration video of this Level 1+ piece.

More information about this 2-3 octave arrangement

Click here to go to the Choraegus website

This arrangement of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is written with beginning/improving handbell choirs in mind. There are lots of chords, and lots of quarter notes; ideal for less-confident ringers. It’s a no-frills arrangement, and you can add as many repeats as you need. This arrangement is also suitable to be played on handchimes if you prefer. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. We offer the full choir license at a bargain price for this “no frills” arrangement. Purchase gives you our no-fuss permission to print up to 15 copies for your group.

Your purchase of the full-choir license allows you to perform, broadcast and live-stream this piece as part of a concert or worship service. There’s no need for any additional license or fee. We ask that you credit the arranger (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). Please see our licensing agreement for full details. 

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 by email or on our Facebook page!

Please note that Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a downloadable PDF file. 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?

If you have any questions about O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, or any of 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.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - easy handbell music from Choraegus

We Gather Together – for 16 Handbells

We Gather Together is a popular hymn for Thanksgiving. The tune KREMSER is based on a 16-century Dutch folk song. Our new arrangement is written for 16 handbells, and is suitable for 4-8 ringers.

More information about We Gather Together

This arrangement is available for purchase and download from Choraegus. A piano accompaniment mp3 is also available, and this can be useful for rehearsals, or if you don’t have a piano or pianist available.

Click here to see We Gather Together on the Choraegus website

More about Choraegus handbell music

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group. Don’t pay for more copies than you need to! Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please be sure to mention the arranger of the piece (Larry Sue) and the publisher (Choraegus) on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs. We appreciate your help in getting the word out about Choraegus, and we’d love to see a video if you record one with your ensemble!

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 what you’re looking for, please ask us!

We Gather Together, handbell hymn arrangement by Larry Sue, played by Larry and Carla. Music from Choraegus.

Deck the Halls – new 12-bell music from Choraegus

Deck the Halls is a traditional carol with a Welsh tune that dates back to the 16th century. The original Nos Galan drinking song was part of the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Wales, and the lyrics had nothing to do with Christmas, and more to do with drinking!

“Deck the hall with boughs of holly,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
‘Tis the season to be jolly:
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
Fill the meadcup, drain the barrel,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
Troul the ancient Christmas carol.
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!”

The English lyrics were written in 1862 by Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant. Over the years, the words have changed even more, with the drinking references gone in the later versions.

In case you’re wondering about the “correctness” of the title, Deck the Hall (singular) was used in the original English version. Our late friend Tim Waugh was always insistent that only one hall should be involved. However, the plural “halls” has been widely used since the late 1800s, so we believe that either version is acceptable. Our 12-bell arrangement only has the melody and not the lyrics, so if you want to change the title and call it Deck the Hall, that’s no problem at all.

Here’s our demonstration video, recorded on a sunny afternoon in July:

More information about Deck the Halls

As with all Choraegus 12-bell pieces, Deck the Halls is suitable for 3-6 ringers. Sheet music for this arrangement is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. Each arrangement is available for three different ranges of handbells, so you can choose which you prefer. Please refer to the bells-used charts on the Choraegus webpage to make sure you have all the bells you need, and make sure you purchase the right version!

Click here to find 12-bell Deck the Halls on the Choraegus website

Other versions of Deck the Halls

We also have an 8-bell arrangement of Deck the Halls, available to download from Choraegus.

Important things to know about Choraegus handbell music

Choraegus handbell music scores are designed to be downloaded as PDF files. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing a 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so please don’t pay for more copies than you need! A practice track is also available separately – useful if your ringers need to practise their parts without the full group being available.

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 arranger (Larry Sue) and the publisher of the piece (Choraegus) on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs. We appreciate your help in getting the word out about Choraegus handbell music – and if you make a video of your handbell group playing any of our pieces, we’d love to see it!

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!

Deck the Halls - Christmas handbell music from Choraegus

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly – new 12-bell music for Christmas

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly is a traditional Polish Christmas carol. The song was originally titled W Żłobie Leży (In the Manger He Lies), and it was translated into English as Infant Holy, Infant Lowly in 1920. It’s thought that the melody could date back to the thirteenth century.

“Infant holy, infant lowly,
For His bed a cattle stall.
Oxen lowing, little knowing,
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Swift are winging, angels singing,
Noels ringing, tidings bringing,
Christ the babe is Lord of all.”

We recorded our demonstration video on a hot day in July. If you use your imagination, you might think that the harsh sunlight on the trees and grass behind us is soft, billowing snow. If not, it can just be a Christmas in July thing. After all, if we waited until December to publish new handbell music, no one would have time to learn it!

More information about Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

As with all Choraegus 12-bell pieces, Infant Holy, Infant Lowly is suitable for 3-6 ringers. Sheet music for this arrangement is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. Each arrangement is available for three different ranges of handbells, so you can choose which you prefer. Please refer to the bells-used charts on the Choraegus webpage to make sure you have all the bells you need, and make sure you purchase the right version!

Click here to find Infant Holy, Infant Lowly on the Choraegus website

Other versions of Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

We have other arrangements of Infant Holy, Infant Lowly, available to download from Choraegus. We have two 8-bell versions; one standard and one Surprisingly Easy™. We also have a Level 2 arrangement for 3 octaves.

Things to know about Choraegus handbell music

Choraegus handbell music scores are designed to be downloaded as PDF files. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing a 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so please don’t pay for more copies than you need! A practice track is also available separately – useful if your ringers need to practise their parts without the full group being available.

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 arranger (Larry Sue) and the publisher of the piece (Choraegus) on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs. We appreciate your help in getting the word out about Choraegus handbell music – and if you make a video of your handbell choir playing any of our pieces, we’d love to see it!

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!

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly - handbell music from Choraegus

Silver Bells – for Handbells – arranged by Larry and Carla Sue

Silver Bells is a wonderfully nostalgic Christmas song from the 1950s. It was written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston, and was used in the 1951 movie The Lemon Drop Kid. It was first sung by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards, and has since been recorded by many others, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, Michael Bublé and The Temptations. We recently had fun arranging and recording a brand-new arrangement of Silver Bells for handbells!

Silver Bells is a Level 4 arrangement for 3-7 octaves of handbells and 3 octaves of handchimes. If you don’t have handchimes, you could still play it without them, but the chimes definitely add an interesting texture. We have some borrowed Silver Melody Bells, so we used those instead of the handchimes at the beginning and end of the piece, so that’s another option if you have “alternate” bells, like Petit and Fritsens or Whitechapels. You could even use malleted bells on a bell tree. You get to decide how creative you want to be!

The score for Silver Bells is available to download from Sheet Music Plus/Sheet Music Direct, either as a single copy (for massed ringing events, or as a preview) and as a full-choir version. If you’d like to find out more about purchase options, please visit our Choraegus website!

Other recent Christmas titles from Choraegus

Winter Wonderland

Larry’s recent 5-octave arrangement of Winter Wonderland is an exciting challenge for advanced handbell choirs! This piece is available from Sheet Music Plus, in either a single-copy version, or a full-choir score. Find out more on our music site!

Ukrainian Carol of the Bells

This 5-7 octave, Level 4 arrangement makes the perfect concert-closer or encore piece for a holiday concert! Sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

There are lots more Christmas and holiday arrangements available from Choraegus, so please feel welcome to browse our music site! If there are any Christmas carols or songs you’d like to see an arrangement for, you’re always welcome to contact us to suggest it. As always, if you have any questions, please let us know!

two handbell ringers with Schulmerich Silver Melody Bells

2-Octave Christmas Music from Choraegus

We’re excited to add five new 2-octave Christmas titles to the Choraegus catalogue!

Still, Still, Still is the first of our new arrangements. This Austrian lullaby was first published in 1865. It describes the baby Jesus sleeping in his mother’s arms. We used handchimes for our demonstration video, because we love the gentle sound, but it’s written for handbells, so if you don’t have chimes, you can play it using bells instead. This arrangement is Level 2.

Watch our demonstration video below, or click the link to find the music for Still, Still, Still on Choraegus.

Sussex Carol is a traditional English carol, also known as On Christmas Night All Christians Sing. This Level 3 arrangement is fun to play, and includes thumb-damping and mallets!

Watch our demonstration video below, or find the music for Sussex Carol on the Choraegus website!

In the United States, we usually sing O Little Town of Bethlehem to the ST. LOUIS tune. However, in the United Kingdom and other countries, the FOREST GREEN tune is used. Our arrangement uses the FOREST GREEN tune, and is Level 2+. Many other hymns now use the same tune, so this is a versatile carol that you could also play at other times in the church year.

Watch our demonstration video below, or click here to find the O Little Town of Bethlehem on the Choraegus website!

In the Bleak Midwinter is one if the most well-loved Christmas carols. If you have handbells and handchimes, you might enjoy this new arrangement. It’s the CRANHAM tune, written by Gustav Holst, and our arrangement is Level 2. If you don’t have handchimes, you can play the whole piece with just bells, of course.

Watch our demonstration video below, or click on this link to find In the Bleak Midwinter on the Choraegus site!

Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day is our final 2-octave Christmas carol for 2024 (so far). This is another English carol, and it dates from as early as the 16th century! This new 2-octave arrangement is a lively Level 3-.

Watch the demonstration video below, or click to find Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day on the Choraegus website.

More information about this 2-octave handbell music for Christmas

Sheet music for these new 2-octave Christmas arrangements is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. You can either purchase an individual copy (useful for massed ringing events, or for preview), or purchase the full choir license. Purchase of the full choir license gives you our no-fuss permission to print up to 15 copies for your group.

Your purchase of the full-choir license allows you to perform, broadcast and live-stream the piece as part of a concert or worship service. There’s no need for any additional license or fee. We ask that you credit the arranger (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). Please see our licensing agreement for full details. 

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 by email or on our Facebook page!

Please note that Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a downloadable PDF file. 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?

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.

2-octave Christmas handbell music from Choraegus

Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow – for Handbells

Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow is a popular spiritual for Advent and Christmas.

“There’s a star in the East on Christmas morn;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow;
It will lead to the place where the Christ was born;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.”

This arrangement of Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow was written by Larry Sue for the Praise Ringers of Portage United Church of Christ. It has interesting rhythms, bass mallets, stopped sounds and shakes, all contributing to an arrangement that’s fun to play and hear!

More information about Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow

Our arrangement of Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells. It’s a Level 3 arrangement, and the score is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. You can either purchase an individual copy (useful for massed ringing events, or for preview), or purchase the full choir license. Please note that Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a downloadable PDF file. 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.

Purchase of the full choir license gives you our no-fuss permission to print up to 15 copies for your group.

If you don’t have enough ringers for 3- or 5-octave handbell music, there’s also a 12-bell arrangement of the same carol, available from Choraegus.

Performance license is included!

Your purchase of the full-choir license allows you to perform, broadcast and live-stream this piece as part of a concert or worship service. There’s no need for any additional license or fee. We ask that you credit the composer (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). Please see our licensing agreement for full details. 

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 by email or on our Facebook page!

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.

Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow, handbells

Hark, the Glad Sound! 12-Bell Music for Advent

Hark, the Glad Sound is the latest 12-bell arrangement from Choraegus. The CHESTERFIELD hymn tune is suitable for Advent or Palm Sunday.

“Hark, the glad sound! The Savior comes,
The Savior promised long!
Let every heart prepare a throne,
And every voice a song.“

More information about Hark, the Glad Sound!

As with all Choraegus 12-bell pieces, Hark, the Glad Sound! is suitable for 3-6 ringers. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. Each arrangement is available for three different ranges of handbells, so you can choose which you prefer. Refer to the bells-used charts on the Choraegus webpage to make sure you have all the bells you need, and make sure you purchase the right version!

Things to know about Choraegus handbell music

Choraegus handbell music scores are designed to be downloaded as PDF files. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing a 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so please don’t pay for more copies than you need! A practice track is also available separately – useful if your ringers need to practise their parts without the full group being available.

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 arranger (Larry Sue) and the publisher of the piece (Choraegus) on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs. We appreciate your help in getting the word out about Choraegus handbell music – and if you make a video of your handbell choir playing any of our pieces, we’d love to see it!

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!

Hark, the Glad Sound - handbells