Category Archives: Church Music

Handbells and Musical Saw – an Interesting Collaboration!

Today we took an exciting look back at one of our adventures from last summer. We had an opportunity to collaborate with internationally acclaimed Natalia Paruz. the Saw Lady! Natalia is New York City musician who specialises in playing the musical saw. She’s well-known for her NY subway performances!

We were all in New York City to participate in a concert given by Campanelli Handbell Ensemble, who were visiting the USA on tour from their home country of Estonia. Natalia was playing her musical saw for the solo part in Susan T. Nelson’s beautiful “Elegy”. We were playing the handbell duet part in a brand new composition “Mu Süda Ärka Üles“. After rehearsing with Campanelli and their director Inna Lai, we still had some time before the concert. We decided to read through our eight-bell arrangement of “Amazing Grace” together. This is the result:

Somewhere in our archives, we have recordings of a couple more pieces we played that afternoon, and we’ll share those soon! We very much enjoyed our musical collaboration with Natalia, and hope that someday we’ll have the opportunity to do it again!

Musical saw and handbells!
With composer Susan T. Nelson and Natalia "Saw Lady" Paruz in NYC – July 2017

New Music for 12 Handbells – How Great Thou Art

Here’s our latest 12-bell piece – an arrangement of the popular hymn How Great Thou Art. Thanks to J.C, who came to visit us for a few days last month and was happy to play through some new stuff with us.

This piece proved to be fun to play, and came together surprisingly quickly. As with all our 12-bell pieces, we’ve made it available in two versions – one for the traditional twelve-bell range C5-G6, and one for F5-C7, so you can pick the one that suits your group.

How to get the sheet music

If you’d like to play How Great Thou Art, it’s available for purchase and download from Choraegus.

When you buy music from Choraegus, you’ll receive instructions to download the file as a PDF. That means you’ll be responsible for printing the music at home, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Please read our licensing agreement for all the details. If you haven’t bought music from us before, you might like to read our step-by-step guide. We designed this to help make the purchase process stress-free!

Your payment gives you permission to print out up to 6 copies of this arrangement for your group. Don’t pay for more copies than you need!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying and playing our music, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to help!

How Great Thou Art - 12-bell

Linda Strouf’s Organ Recital

Yesterday we enjoyed taking part in Linda Strouf’s organ recital Around the Liturgical Year in Chorale Preludes. The recital took place at Grace Episcopal Church here in Holland, Michigan.

Linda has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at Hope College since 1988. She is also the Minister of Music at Third Reformed Church, where she plays the organ and piano, and directs the two adult singing choirs and the adult handbell choir. Linda is a champion of newly composed, contemporary organ music. We were very excited to be part of this recital!

Linda Strouf's organ recital - with handbells
With Linda Strouf after the recital

Linda Strouf’s organ recital was an interesting and entertaining journey through the church year. The audience clearly enjoyed the music!

The three pieces we performed with Linda were: In the Bleak Midwinter, Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee and Calliope House. We first performed these pieces in California, with organist and composer T. Paul Rosas, who wrote the organ accompaniments. Handbells and organ blend well together!

In the Bleak Midwinter and Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee are available for purchase and download from Choraegus We haven’t yet published Calliope House, but watch this space!

Many thanks to Linda for inviting us to be part of this recital, and to everyone who attended!

New Music – Five – for 5 Octaves of Handbells

It’s hard to believe that more than five years have passed since our handbell-music-filled wedding in California. What better way to celebrate a wedding anniversary… than with a new piece of music – for 5 octaves of handbells?

Larry wrote Five as a surprise for Carla, and used secret mysterious powers to compose the whole thing without her even noticing.

Our thanks go to the Carillon Choir at Third Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan and their director Linda Strouf for playing this new piece in the Sunday morning services on our anniversary weekend.

More about Five

Five is an original composition; AGEHR level 2+ . It’s for 5 octaves of handbells and (optional) 2 octaves of handchimes. Quite surprisingly, the time signature is not 5/4 or 5/8. However, there are other “fives” hidden throughout the score.

If you’d like to play this piece, the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus.

Information about buying music from Choraegus

Choraegus handbell music is designed to be downloaded and printed at home. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Your purchase entitles you to print up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full details. If you’re new to buying Choraegus music, we recommend our step-by-step guide!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, you might like to look at our Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the answers you’re looking for, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to help.

5 octaves of handbells - Five, by Larry Sue
Wedding bells!

New Music for Handbells – Linstead Market

Linstead Market is our latest 8-bell piece. We first played this at Los Altos Lutheran Church, a couple of weeks before we left California in the summer of 2016. We didn’t manage to get a recording at that time, but brought the piece out again for our recent concert in Warner Robins, Georgia. Linstead Market is a Jamaican folk song. It’s also used as the tune to the hymn Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ. Here’s a recent rehearsal video, recorded in our home here in Holland, Michigan.

Where to get the sheet music for Linstead Market

If you’d like to play this arrangement, the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus.

Choraegus music comes to you as a digital file to download. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, so you won’t need to wait for anything to arrive in the mail! Your purchase of this 8-bell piece will entitle you to print up to 4 copies for your handbell group.

If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this to make the purchase process stress-free! Please also read our licensing agreement.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, you might like to look at some of the Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

New Music for Handbells – Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us is our newest 8-bell title. The piece received its first “performance” at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lapeer, Michigan. We played duets during the two morning services, in celebration of Bell Choir Sunday. We were thankful for the warm welcome we received, and enjoyed the opportunity to listen to the Sine Nomine Handbell Choir too!

Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us
At St. Paul Lutheran Church, with the Sine Nomine Handbell Choir

Here’s a video of us rehearsing Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us in our home in Holland, Michigan.

Would you like to play this piece?

If you’d like to play this new arrangement, the music is available from Choraegus.

Please note that when you buy Choraegus handbell music, it comes to you in digital (PDF) format. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Your purchase will entitle you to print up to 4 copies for your handbell group.

If you haven’t bought music from us before, we highly recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed the guide with pictures, to take you through the process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Ask us questions if you need to!

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, you might like to look at our Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the answers you seek, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

New Music for Handbells – Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed

Our latest 8-bell arrangement is the hymn tune Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed. It’s interesting to note that the tune (MARTYRDOM) is an eighteenth-century Scottish folk melody, originally used for the ballad “Helen of Kirkconnel”, which is now more commonly sung to a completely different tune.

“Alas, and did my Savior bleed,
and did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head
for sinners such as I?”

Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed is particularly suitable for worship services during Lent and Holy Week. This arrangement is straightforward to play, and could also work well as a quartet piece.

Where to find the sheet music

If you’d like to play this arrangement, the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus.

When you buy music from Choraegus, it will come to you as a PDF file. This means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Your purchase will entitle you to print up to 4 copies for your handbell group. Don’t pay for more copies than you need!

If you haven’t bought music from Choraegus before, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this to take you through the process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, you might find our Frequently-Asked Questions useful. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed - handbells

The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended – New 8-Bell Music

“The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended
The darkness falls at thy behest;
To thee our morning hymns ascended
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank thee that thy Church unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.”

One of Carla’s all-time favorites, The Day Thou Gavest, is an English hymn. A Cheshire vicar, John Ellerton, wrote it in 1870. The hymn tune is ST CLEMENT. has remained popular in the UK since then.

Here’s our 8-bell arrangement, recorded in Los Altos, California in May 2016, before we moved to Holland, Michigan:

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’d like to play The Day Thou Gavest, the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus.

When you purchase music from Choraegus, please note that it will come to you as a PDF file. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Your purchase entitles you to print up to 4 copies for your handbell group. Please see our licensing agreement for full details.

If you haven’t bought Choraegus handbell music before, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed the guide to take you through the process and make it stress-free!

Any questions?

If you have any questions, you might like to look at our Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the answers you seek, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

The Day Thou Gavest - handbells

New Music for Handbells – O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright

We’re starting 2017 with a new arrangement for eight handbells. This is the German hymn O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright.

“O Morning Star, how fair and bright
thou beamest forth in truth and light,
O Sovereign meek and lowly!
Thou Root of Jesse, David’s Son,
my Lord and Master, thou hast won
my heart to serve thee solely!
Thou art holy,
fair and glorious,
rich in blessing,
rule and might o’er all possessing.”

Over the years, this hymn has been popular for weddings and funerals in Germany. However, in the USA it’s now more often sang at Epiphany.

More information about this arrangement

This arrangement isn’t too challenging to play, and would be also be very suitable as a quartet piece. If you’d like to play it, the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus.

When you purchase music from Choraegus, it 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. Your purchase of this 8-bell arrangement entitles you to print up to 4 copies for your handbell choir.

If you haven’t bought music from Choraegus before, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide. We designed the guide to take you through the purchase process in a stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, you might like to look at our Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the answers you seek, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

O Morning Star
Christmas handbells!

New Music for Handbells – Crown Him with Many Crowns

Our latest 8-bell piece is the hymn tune Diademata, written in 1868 by English organist and composer George J Elvey. It’s most often sung as Crown Him with Many Crowns.

We recorded this piece several months ago in Los Altos, California. We brought it out into the open again (quite literally) when we played duets on 8th Street here in Holland last Sunday. It prompted a surprise sing-along from a group of shoppers passing by. It’s always fun when people recognise a tune, especially when it’s one we haven’t played for a while!

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’d like to play Crown Him with Many Crowns, the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus.

Please note that Choraegus handbell music comes to you as a digital score to download and print. You’ll be responsible for printing the correct number of copies of the sheet music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Your purchase of this 8-bell arrangement entitles you to print up to 4 copies for your handbell group. Please see our licensing agreement for full details.

If you haven’t bought music from Choraegus before, you might like to read our step-by-step guide. We designed this to take some of the stress away from the online purchasing process!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing Choraegus music, please let us know, and we’ll be happy to help!

Crown Him with Many Crowns - handbells