November 8, 2022

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen – for 8 Handbells and Piano

“God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember, Christ, our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy!“

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is our latest addition to the Choraegus handbell music catalog. This traditional English Christmas carol has the alternative title Tidings of Comfort and Joy. This lively arrangement will be fun for anyone who enjoys mixed meter! We recorded our demonstration video in our Victorian summer cottage at Bay View in northern Michigan.

More information about this arrangement

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is an accompanied 8-bell arrangement. The meter switches between 12/8 and 5/4 to create a lively feel and provide some extra challenge! We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand duet, but you don’t need any special techniques to play it. This piece is suitable for 2-4 ringers, and sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. The piano score is included with the piece, and there is an mp3 backing track available to purchase separately. This can be useful if you don’t have a pianist available, or for rehearsing.

Buying handbell music from Choraegus

Your Choraegus music score will come to you in a download link, as a PDF file. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. You can order the music, download and print it on the same day, and be ready to rehearse!

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. You can find full details in our licensing agreement, and in our instructions about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus music. 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. If you enjoy playing our music, please share our website link with other handbell musicians, and help us to get the word out!

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. Just about every question anyone’s ever asked us is there, along with answers. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help.

November 3, 2022

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus – for 12 Handbells and Piano

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus is an Advent hymn written by Charles Wesley. The tune, JEFFERSON, is also used for the Pentecost hymn Wake, the Dawn is Now Full Rising, and the hymns Tears of Suffering and God, Our Author and Creator. Our 12-bell arrangement has piano accompaniment.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus is suitable for 3-6 ringers, with no special techniques required. This means you can play the piece without the need for tables or foam. The piano accompaniment score is included with this arrangement and there is an mp3 available to purchase separately; useful if you don’t have a pianist available, or need to practise without an accompanist.

Where to find the music

If you’d like to play Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus the sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, please note that the score will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so don’t pay for more copies than you need!

Other 12-bell music with piano accompaniment

In the Bleak Midwinter

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us

Still, Still, Still

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!

October 20, 2022

Gaudete – for 16 Handbells

Gaudete – for 16 handbells – is the latest arrangement from Choraegus. This arrangement is part of our continuing effort to show that music for small handbell choirs doesn’t have to be boring, and doesn’t necessary have to be easy to play. Our 16-bell music is designed for 2-3 octave groups looking for something interesting and challenging for 4-8 ringers. This new arrangement of this 16th century sacred Christmas carol is one that we’d be tempted to describe as “fiendish”, but in a good way, of course.

More information about Gaudete – for 16 handbells

This arrangement is available from Choraegus in two handbell ranges – C5 to C7 and G4-G6. Please check the bells-used charts on the Choraegus page for this piece. Our video shows the C5-C7 version, because that’s easier for 4-in-hand. If you have more than four ringers, you can pick whichever version you prefer. There are no bell changes, and no techniques that require tables or foam pads.

Click here to find out more, or purchase sheet music (digital download) on our Choraegus site.

There is also an arrangement of Gaudete! for 3-8 octaves of handbells.

More about Choraegus handbell music

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group. – so don’t pay for more copies than you need! 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!

October 6, 2022

A Concert for the Monday Musical Club

The Monday Musical Club is a non-profit organisation dedicated to music education and promotion of creative and performing arts. Based in St. Joseph, Michigan, they hold a wide variety of education events and music performances. We were excited to be asked to present a shared concert with our friends Gary and Martha Matthews!

About Gary and Martha Matthews

Gary and Martha also live in Holland, and they’re a talented couple! Gary studied organ, music education, and sacred music, and holds a doctorate in Worship Studies. He served as Pastor of Worship and the Arts at Highland Park Baptist Church in Southfield, MI, and at Christ Memorial Church in Holland, MI. He’s a published composer, and has been performing for more than forty years, with piano, organ, trumpet and voice.

Martha holds a Bachelors in Music Education and a Masters in Flute Performance. She has played principal flute with Florida Symphonic Pops, Florida Wind Symphony, Gold Coast Opera, Gold Coast Ballet and the Washington Idaho Symphony. Martha directs the Kalamazoo Ringers, and is a sought-after handbell clinician. In concert with Gary, she plays flute, whistles, bell tree, and piano.

A concert with handbells, flute, piano, trumpet, and more!

We held our shared concert at First Congregational Church of St. Joseph. This is a beautiful sanctuary for a music performance! It was a treat for the four of us to be able to perform together. We’d spent most of our summer at our cottage near Petoskey, and Gary and Martha had been in Holland. Planning a concert and rehearsing is a challenge when you’re in different towns! Thanks to the power of email, and our individual rehearsals, we made it work.

Our program included music on a variety of instruments, including handbells (of course!) Gary and Martha opened the concert with a piece for piano and trumpet, and we continued with a couple of our favorite handbell duets. We also enjoyed the opportunity to get together as a quartet to perform some pieces – including Larry’s infamous arrangement of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing that the four of us had previously played for one of the Kalamazoo Ringers’ online Christmas concerts. We all played Blessed Assurance together, with a brand-new flute part that Larry had written specially for this concert. It was fun to find that some of the audience hadn’t seen handbells played in our 4-in-hand style before. We talked to audience members afterwards, and answered questions about our technique and the way we move.

Here’s the full program!

We enjoyed listening to Gary and Martha’s pieces, particularly Brent Olstad’s I Love to Tell the Story. Martha’s flute-played was enthralling to hear, and the audience clearly loved this piece. We finished the concert with an extra surprise – Larry’s lively arrangement of Ding Dong, Merrily on High. This is another arrangement for handbells, piano and flute, and it makes a perfect ending for a concert.

Our thanks go to the Monday Musical Club for inviting us to share our music in concert, and to everyone who came to listen. We hope to have the opportunity to perform in concert with Gary and Martha again someday!

If you’d like to provide an opportunity for us to perform in concert with Gary and Martha again, or you’d like to host a handbell duet performance, please get in touch with us, and we’ll talk more!

September 22, 2022

A Discount Code for Handbell Music!

Today we’re celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary. Here’s a chance to celebrate with us, with a discount code for handbell music from Choraegus! You can save 15% on all your purchases, from today until next Thursday.

Handbell music discount code - Choraegus

It’s a great time to stock up on handbell music!

There’s no limit to how many times you can use the discount code. Now is a great time to stock up on handbell music for fall, and for the holiday season! We’re always adding new pieces to the catalog, and we have a wide range of arrangements and original compositions.

Our music is available to download for your handbell choir; no more waiting for music to arrive by mail! If you’re looking for 5-8 octave arrangements, we have lots, and if your handbell ensemble is down to just a few ringers this season, we have plenty of music for smaller groups too. You’re welcome to browse the site, and if you don’t find what you’re looking for, please ask us, and we’ll do our very best to help you find something suitable.

Don’t forget The Bass Ringer’s Notebook – the must-have guide for anyone who wants to dig deep into the world of playing bass handbells. That’s also available from Choraegus (and you can use the discount code for that too). The only difference is that it’s not available to download. If you order a copy, we’ll lovingly package it up and mail it to you from Michigan.

How to use the coupon code

To use the discount code, simply make your selections from Choraegus in the usual way using the Add to Cart button. In your shopping cart, enter the code ANNIVERSARY in the coupon code box, and your discount should magically appear. If you haven’t purchased music from Choraegus before, and you’d like to test the process, we recommend looking at the Freebies section, where you can download some free handbell music, and see how it all works, without spending any money.

We hope you’ll enjoy playing Choraegus handbell music, and thank you for your interest! If you have any questions, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to help.

August 28, 2022

Away in a Manger – 12-Bell Music for Christmas

Away in a Manger is this week’s new 12-bell piece for Christmas. The tune is CRADLE SONG, written by the American composer William J. Kirkpatrick and most commonly used in the United Kingdom. Don’t be confused if this is an unfamiliar tune; in the USA, the tune used most often is MUELLER, written by James R. Murray. We have arrangements of that tune too; keep reading and you’ll find more information!

More about this 12-bell arrangement

Away in a Manger is suitable for 3-6 ringers. We demonstrate it using 4-in-hand, but if you have six ringers, they’ll only need two bells each. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. The arrangement is available in two versions – in Bb major (C5-G6) and C major (D5-A6), so be sure to refer 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.

Other arrangements of this carol

There are more versions of this carol available from Choraegus:

An accompanied arrangement for 6 handbells and piano (the CRADLE SONG tune)

Arranged for 8 handbells, unaccompanied (the CRADLE SONG tune)

For 8 handbells, unaccompanied (the MUELLER tune) – available in two versions

Another 12-bell arrangement, unaccompanied (the MUELLER tune)

A full-choir arrangement for 3-5 octaves (the MUELLER tune)

An accompanied handbell duet arrangement (the NORMANDY tune)

Did you miss Go, Tell it on the Mountain?

Our 12-bell arrangement of Go, Tell it on the Mountain has been available since last week. This laid-back arrangement is another one suitable for 3-6 ringers. Again, there’s a choice of two handbell ranges, and you can download the sheet music from Choraegus.

Things to know about Choraegus handbell music

Choraegus handbell music scores are designed to be downloaded as a 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 this piece, we’d love to see it!

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!

June 27, 2022

New 12-Bell Music – Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

We’re happy to present some more new 12-bell music – Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing; a popular hymn for worship services and weddings. The NETTLETON hymn tune can also be used as the setting for Come, Ye Sinners Poor and Needy, As We Gather at Your Table, and Praise the God of All Creation, among others.

Here’s our demonstration video!

If you missed last week’s announcement on our Facebook page, we also have a new 12-bell arrangement of the hymn Children of the Heavenly Father. This arrangement is a very straightforward choice for a small handbell choir.

More about these 12-bell arrangements

As with all Choraegus 12-bell pieces, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing and Children of the Heavenly Father are suitable for 3-6 ringers. We demonstrate our 12-bell arrangements using 4-in-hand, but if you have six ringers, they’ll only need two bells each. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. These arrangements are available in two ranges of handbells – one version using C5-G6 and another for D5-A6. There are a couple of accidentals involved, so be sure to refer the bells-used charts on the Choraegus webpage to make sure you have all the bells you need, and be sure to purchase the right version.

Other arrangements of these hymn tunes available from Choraegus

You’ll find both of these hymns also available as arrangements for just eight handbells. There’s a list of all our 8-bell hymn arrangements on the Choraegus website. Please note that our 8-bell arrangements and 12-bell arrangements aren’t designed to be played together. Each piece is a completely different arrangement.

Important things to know about Choraegus handbell music

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!

June 26, 2022

New Handbell Music for Christmas 2022 – from Choraegus

In the handbell world, we get accustomed to thinking ahead when preparing for concerts, worship services and seasonal performances! It’s not the holiday season yet, but we’ve already introduced some new handbell music for Christmas 2022 – available to download from Choraegus. If you’re interested in playing any of these pieces, please click on the title to find out more.

‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime

‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime is the oldest-known Canadian carol, also known as the Huron Carol. Our arrangement is for 3 or 5 octaves, and also uses optional handchimes, giving a slightly mysterious feel to the piece. After playing our 8-bell arrangement of this carol for so many years, we enjoyed putting together this demonstration video!

Of the Father’s Love Begotten

We prepared this video of Of the Father’s Love Begotten for the Kalamazoo Ringers’ online Christmas concert last year, but it was too late for us to make the arrangement available in time for Christmas. So here it is, ready for 2022! It’s arranged for 3 or 5 octaves, with handchimes – and the introduction gives you an (optional) opportunity to use Silver Melody Bells (as we did), or handchimes, or Petit & Fritsen or Whitechapel/Taylor bells – if any of those are available to you. The cajón part adds to the fun, and is available separately.

Gaudete!

Gaudete! is a Christmas song dating back to at least the sixteenth century. This arrangement is for 3-8 octaves of handbells, plus handchimes. It’s a lively Level 4+ piece that’s exciting to play! The optional cajón part is fun too!

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

This exciting new arrangement of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is a wild, mixed-meter ride that advanced handbell choirs will enjoy. The optional (but worthwhile) flute part adds some extra sparkle! Level 5, for 3 or 5 octaves.

If you want to play the same piece with fewer bells, here’s an arrangement of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing that has piano accompaniment – and, again, an optional flute part. We made this video for the Kalamazoo Ringers’ online Christmas concert last year.

In addition to our new handbell music for Christmas 2022, we also have a couple of newish full-choir arrangements that were available last year, but slipped through the cracks a little during the pandemic, when fewer groups were able to give live performances:

Gesu Bambino

Gesu Bambino (“the Christ Child”) is a Nativity song from 1917. Our piano-accompanied arrangement for 3 or 5 octaves is Level 3. The score package includes a full score for the pianist to use, and a separate handbell part for the bell choir.

Away in a Manger

Our handbell choir arrangement of James Murray’s Away in a Manger is written for three octaves of handbells and two octaves of handchimes (you can add doublings for your bells beyond C4-C7, of course). Its gentle feel will add a reflective touch to your Christmas Eve service.

Choraegus handbell music for smaller ensembles

As well as our exciting arrangements for 6- and 8-bell ensembles, we’ve recently added several new Christmas arrangements for 12-bell ensembles. More are on the way!

Any questions? Suggestions? Requests?

If you have any questions about Choraegus handbell music, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help. If you’re looking for a piece of Christmas music that you can’t find on the Choraegus site, you’re always welcome to get in touch and put in a request, particularly if the music is in the public domain (i.e. not under copyright) – and we’ll see if we can add it to our catalog!

June 9, 2022

I Saw Three Ships – a New 12-Bell Arrangement

Continuing our little series of new 12-bell pieces for Christmas, here’s a new arrangement of the English carol I Saw Three Ships – also known as I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In or On Christmas Day in the Morning. This traditional carol has been around since the 17th century!

More about this 12-bell arrangement

I Saw Three Ships is suitable for 3-6 ringers. We demonstrate it using 4-in-hand, but if you have six ringers, they’ll only need two bells each. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. The arrangement is available in two versions – in Bb major (C5-G6) and C major (D5-A6), so be sure to refer 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.

Other arrangements of this carol

This carol is also available for 8 handbells. Two different arrangements are available from Choraegus – a standard version and a “surprisingly easy” version.

Things to know about Choraegus handbell music

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!

June 6, 2022

An Italian Christmas Carol – New 12-bell Music

For anyone looking for something unusual for a small group to play at Christmas – here’s a new 12-bell arrangement of the popular Italian Christmas carol From Starry Skies Descending (original title: Tu Scendi dalle Stelle). Alternative translations are: You Came a Star from Heaven and From Starry Skies Thou Comest. The carol was written in Alphonsus Liguori in 1732.

Here’s our 12-bell version!

More about this 12-bell arrangement

From Starry Skies Descending is suitable for 3-6 ringers. We demonstrate it using 4-in-hand, but if you have six ringers, they’ll only need two bells each. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. The arrangement is available in two versions – in Bb major (C5-G5) and C major (D5-A6), so be sure to use the bells-used charts on the Choraegus webpage to make sure you have all of the bells you need.

If you’re a fan of this unusual Italian Christmas carol… we also have an arrangement that uses just 8 handbells, available to download from Choraegus. This arrangement is available in two versions – one standard and one “surprisingly easy.” Here’s the standard 8-bell version, performed during our 2019 trip to California:

If you haven’t bought music from Choraegus before…

Choraegus handbell music is designed to be downloaded as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing this 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.

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!