Category Archives: Christmas and Holiday Music

New 12-Bell Christmas Music – As With Gladness Men of Old

Here’s a 12-bell Christmas carol arrangement of As With Gladness Men of Old. The hymn tune DIX is also used as one of the settings for For the Beauty of the Earth.

Recording a 12-bell piece with just the two of us

Our demonstration video was our first attempt at recording a 12-bell piece during a time of COVID-19 and social distancing. We didn’t have a third person to join us for a trio, so our best option was to play all the bells ourselves, and put two videos together. It’s not perfect (and we hope to improve as we get used to doing this!), but you’ll get the idea of how the music should sound.

Information about playing this piece

This arrangement is straightforward to play, and has no bell-sharing, no accidentals, and no need for tables. It’s particularly suitable for a small group of socially-distanced musicians, and can be played by 3-6 ringers. Two versions are available – either using bells C5-G6 (as in our demo video), or using F5-C7.

If you’d like to play As With Gladness Men of Old, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six 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!

As With Gladness Men of Old - 12-bell Christmas

New Christmas 6-Bell Music – Once in Royal David’s City

Our latest handbell title for Christmas is this different and fun arrangement of Once in Royal David’s City – because, seriously, who doesn’t need another Christmas carol in 7/8?

As with all our 6-bell arrangements, this piece involves no bell changes, no picking-up of accidentals, and no shared bells. There are no techniques that require tables or foam pads. The arrangement would be suitable for 3 people to play, holding just two bells each.

Interested in playing this piece?

If you’d like to play Once in Royal David’s City, 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 accompanist available, or for rehearsal purposes.

If you’re looking for an arrangement of this carol that doesn’t need piano accompaniment, we also have an 8-bell arrangement, in two different bell ranges.

Important information to note:

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 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. Please see our licensing agreement for full details. 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 answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Once in Royal David's City 6-bell Christmas

New Music for Christmas – How Great Our Joy – for 6 Handbells and Piano

Our latest handbell arrangement for Christmas is the traditional German carol How Great Our Joy, also known by the title While by the Sheep. It’s a fun and cheery arrangement for just 6 handbells that will give your small handbell ensemble a great opportunity to practise dynamics!

“While by the sheep we watched at night,
glad tidings brought an angel bright.
How great our joy!
Great our joy!
Joy, joy, joy!
Joy, joy, joy!
Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!
Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!”

As with all our 6-bell arrangements, this piece involves no bell changes, no picking-up of accidentals, and no shared bells. There are no techniques that require tables or foam pads, and it could also be played by three people without needing to use 4-in-hand.

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’d like to play How Great Our Joy, 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; useful if you don’t have an available accompanist, or for rehearsal purposes.

This carol is also available as a (completely different, unaccompanied) 8-bell arrangement, in two different bell ranges.

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 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 answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

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 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!

New 6-Bell Christmas Music – O Little Town of Bethlehem

Larry is originally from California, and Carla is from England. In the last ten years, it’s been fascinating to discover how we each use different words and phrases. We still occasionally exchange puzzled looks when one of us says something that seems to make no sense. “More bang for your buck”… “Bob’s your uncle” – we’re still finding phrases that cause confusion, even after so many years together! Another fun discovery has been that some of the hymns and Christmas carols that are so familiar here are sung to completely different tunes in the UK. One of these is O Little Town of Bethlehem. Here, we sing it to the tune ST. LOUIS, whereas in the UK this carol is sung to FOREST GREEN. That’s the tune used for our latest arrangement of O Little Town of Bethlehem, for six bells and piano.

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 works well for socially-distant handbell performances.

How to get the sheet music

If you’d like to play O Little Town of Bethlehem, 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 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), 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 all the answers, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Angels We Have Heard on High – New Music for 6 Handbells, and Piano

Larry’s shoulder is making a good recovery since he had extensive surgery on it in May. He doesn’t need to wear a sling any more, and is gradually building up more strength. Since his shoulder surgery, we’ve still been enjoying putting together new music that only needs six bells. Today, we’re pleased to bring you our latest arrangement – Angels We Have Heard on High.

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 works well for socially-distant handbell performances. The GLORIA hymn tune is also used in the UK as the setting for the carol Angels from the Realms of Glory.

If you’d like to play Angels We Have Heard on High, 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.

We have other versions of this piece!

We have several other arrangements of this carol. All are available from Choraegus, and all are suitable for socially-distanced handbell groups:

An 8-bell (unaccompanied) arrangement

A “Surprisingly-Easy” 8-bell arrangement

Another (completely different) version for 8 bells; same tune, different key

A 12-bell arrangement

An SSA a capella arrangement

Please note that sheet music from Choraegus 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. 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, 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, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Christmas bells!