Category Archives: Classical Music

Our Handbell Concert in Midland, Michigan

We were pleased to be invited to present a handbell duet concert as part of Midland First United Methodist Church’s Next Generation concert series. The concert took place in the Chapel of this impressive church that was designed by Alden B. Dow in 1947.

We enjoyed a tour of some of the church when we arrived. The church has a thriving handbell program, and the handbell choirs have their own dedicated rehearsal and storage room. We enjoyed seeing some of their bells, and meeting a couple of the ringers at the concert. If you ever get the opportunity to visit this place, it’s well worth it. It’s the kind of building that’s easy to get lost inside, because it takes up a whole city block! The church building opened in 1950, and the Chapel was added in 1952, with this beautiful window that looks out over the reflecting pool. The Chapel seats 120. The space and acoustics there are ideal for a handbell duet performance.

Midland First UMC Chapel stained glass windows and reflecting pool
Stained glass windows at the Chapel, with the reflecting pool outside

Handbells in the Chapel at Midland First UMC
Our handbells, all ready for the concert in the Chapel

A whole concert of just 8-bell music

We didn’t have a pianist or any other collaborative musicians with us for this concert, so the whole repertoire had to be played on handbells, unaccompanied. For a bit of variety, we decided to play one piece on handchimes, and another using bells an octave lower than we’d usually play. We used three tables for the performance; our “main table” (the one we usually use for our duet performances), plus two additional smaller tables, which we used to put bells and chimes on while they weren’t being used, as well as the music scores after we’d finished playing them. Here’s how it all looked, before the start of the concert:

Handbells and handchimes at Midland First United Methodist Church

Concert repertoire

Most of our repertoire for this concert was sacred, with just a few classical and secular pieces. Here’s the list of music we played:

Holy Manna (19th-century American folk hymn)
Wedding Bells (traditional bell peals)
He Leadeth Me (William Bradbury)
Lucerna Laudoniae (David Evans)
Bells of St. Mary’s (A. Emmett Adams)
Allegro, from the Concerto in A Minor, first movement (Antonio Vivaldi)
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (Ludwig von Beethoven)
Calliope House (David Richardson)
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (John Wyeth)
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (traditional Welsh)
What Child Is This? / Greensleeves (traditional English)
It Is Well With my Soul (Philip Bliss)
Ma Navu (traditional Hebrew melody)
I Vow to Thee, My Country (Gustav Holst)
O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus (traditional)
Shenandoah (traditional American)
Amazing Grace (John Newton)
To God Be the Glory (William H. Doane)

All of these 8-bell pieces are arranged by Larry Sue. With the exception of Shenandoah, which is still unpublished (coming soon!), they are available for purchase and download from Choraegus. Note that the Wedding Bells score is available to download free of charge.

Thanks to all at Midland First United Methodist Church!

Our thanks go to Gabrielle Cook-McIlvenna, Director of Music Ministries, for the warm welcome to Midland First UMC. We enjoyed the tour of the building, and the opportunity to share our music with a small but friendly audience, in such a beautiful performance space. Thank you to everyone who came to our concert!

Michigan handbell duo Larry and Carla outside Midland First UMC

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

Asturias (Leyenda) – for solo handbells

Asturias (Leyenda) was written by Spanish composer and pianist Isaac Albéniz in 1892. At the time it was written, it was simply called Prelude, as the first movement of a three-movement suite Chants d-Espagne. It was written for piano, but became one of the most important works in the classical guitar repertoire, and we recommend listening to Andrés Segovia’s transcription, if you haven’t already!

Asturias is full of drama, with intricate melodies and sudden dynamic changes. It presents an exciting challenge for the solo handbell ringer!

The first performance of this arrangement of Asturias (Leyenda) was by internationally acclaimed handbell soloist Emily Li, at the 2025 Handbell Musicians of America Pinnacle event in Wichita, Kansas. We’re looking forward to receiving a video of Emily’s performance to share here, but in the meantime, here’s an mp3 to give you an idea:

Some of the challenges involved in this arrangement

This handbell solo arrangement is a challenging one! The tempo is 132, so there’s the raw speed to consider. You could slow it down slightly, of course, and it would still be an impressive piece. Combined techniques are needed, played simultaneously at high tempo. Emily played double mallets with one hand, and switched between one pair of bells and another, in the other hand, at the same time:

Asturias - for solo handbells, arranged by Larry Sue

There are extensive legato passages requiring traveling four-in-hand:

Asturia - handbell solo arranged by Larry Sue

The piano accompaniment is a challenge too! Lois Leong played beautifully for Emily Li’s solo concert, but (in case you don’t have a Lois of your own) an mp3 piano accompaniment track is available. This can be used for rehearsal or as a backing track for a performance.

We’ve included two versions of the arrangement in the score package. One is the original version, as performed by Emily Li at Pinnacle. The other is a slightly modified version that’s had a few of the challenges removed and is perhaps slightly easier to play. It still has plenty of challenges for the advanced soloist, though!

The bells needed for this arrangement are: A4-G7 for the original version, and A4-D7 for the slightly modified version.

If you’d like to play Asturias…

The score for Asturias (Leyenda) is available to download from Choraegus.

If you have questions…

If there’s anything more you’d like to know about this handbell solo, you’re welcome to contact us. Larry will be happy to answer your questions!

Asturias (arr. Larry Sue), performed by Emily Li at Pinnacle 2025
Emily Li performing Asturias at Pinnacle 2025 (you’ll have to trust us, as there’s no audio here)

Nocturne – for Handbells

Nocturne is an original Larry Sue composition, for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells and 3 octaves of handchimes. It’s an accessible Level 2+ piece with a thoughtful, introspective mood. It’s suitable for secular or sacred settings.

More information about Nocturne

Nocturne 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.

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.

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.

Nocturne, handbells

Mahler Swing – for Handbells

Mahler Swing is a Level 5 original composition for 5-8 octaves of handbells. We had a lot of fun recording this demonstration video!

The story behind Mahler Swing

Here’s Larry’s account of the story behind the piece, from Choraegus:

“I fell in love with Mahler’s symphonies a long time ago. They’re gigantic works which stretch the limits (so far…) of how musical expression can be built. As of the twentieth century, they represent the pinnacle of orchestral composing.

Mahler’s first symphony is about an hour in length (around three times the length of Mozart’s symphonies, and nearly twice as long as Beethoven’s). Arranging the entire work would result in a very, very large score. The use of thematic material, however, allows a bit of “compression”.

Several decades after Mahler’s time came the Swing Era, with luminaries such as Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Count Basie (and by no means is this an exhaustive list!). This was some of the popular music of the 1930s and 1940s, and the hits from that time endure to the present.

So… the thought crossed my mind: What about melding Mahler and the Swing Era for handbells? The result is the Mahler Swing, which takes elements of the first movement of Mahler’s first symphony and makes them swing. The result is a piece that’s a marvelous earworm!“.

More information about Mahler Swing

Mahler Swing 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 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!

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.

Mahler Swing - handbells

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.



The Heavens Declare Your Glory – 8-Bell Music

The Heavens Declare Your Glory is J.S. Bach’s hymn tune FAITHFUL. It’s a versatile hymn for use in worship year-round! Here’s our new 8-bell arrangement:

More information about this arrangement

Our 8-bell arrangement of The Heavens Declare Your Glory is suitable for 2-4 ringers. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand duet, but there’s no requirement to use 4-in-hand. There’s no bell-sharing, and no accidentals to pick up mid-piece, so if you have a small ensemble, this piece can be played with no need for tables or foam pads. Perfect for social distancing!

How to purchase the sheet music

Sheet Music for The Heavens Declare Your Glory (8-bell version) is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print up to four copies for your handbell group – so don’t pay for more copies than you need! 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 title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials. We appreciate your help in spreading the word about Choraegus handbell music!

Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a PDF file, which you’ll need to download. 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.

Looking for full-choir music?

If you’re looking for music for 3-5 octaves, you might enjoy our full-choir arrangement of The Heavens Declare Your Glory. This version is also available to purchase and download from Choraegus.

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.

The Heavens Declare Your Glory 8-bell

Gesu Bambino – for Handbells and Piano

Gesù Bambino is an Italian Christmas carol, written by Pietro Yon in 1917. Frederick H. Martens translated it into English for his carol When Blossoms Flowered ‘mid the Snow.

“When blossoms flowered ‘mid the snows
Upon a winter night,
Was born the Child, the Christmas Rose,
The King of Love and Light.“

We’re pleased to bring you our demonstration video of this new arrangement from Choraegus.

More information about Gesu Bambino

This arrangement is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, with piano accompaniment. It’s a Level 3 arrangement, with a lilting mood – perfect for Christmas worship. There are no shared accidentals, so if your handbell choir is still observing social distancing, the ringers could play from spaced-apart tables. If you’d like to play our arrangement of Gesu Bambino, you can purchase and download the sheet music from Choraegus.

Buying Choraegus handbell music

When you buy handbell music from Choraegus, the music 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. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (for the full-choir copy) entitles you to print up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information about this. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this to take you through the process in a (we hope) stress-free way!

Purchasing this arrangement gives you no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. Please take some time to read about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus handbell music. In these times of live-streaming and online worship services, it’s particularly important that we all understand and follow the laws concerning performance licensing and copyright.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing Choraegus handbell music, please look at our Frequently-Asked Questions. Just about any question anyone has ever asked us is there – with answers. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Gesu Bambino handbells

Somebody Loves Me – Handbells, 5-7 Octaves


Somebody Loves Me is a George Gershwin classic, with lyrics by Ballard McDonald and Buddy DeSylva. It was published in time for the 1924 edition of The George White Scandals, a series of revues that ran from 1919 to 1936.

There are some handbell arrangements that are absolutely perfect for sight-reading! We discovered this is not one of them. It’s a Level 5 piece, with lots of chromatic stuff and interesting challenges. After we’d played it, we thought of several ways we could have made our job easier – perhaps with a couple of duplicate bells, layout changes etc. Still, we had fun, and it came out not-too-badly for an unrehearsed piece. Our original plan had been to record it for Valentine’s Day or an anniversary, but once we’d looked at it, we didn’t want to wait any longer – so here it is!

More information about Somebody Loves Me

This arrangement is for 5-7 octaves of handbells. If you’d like to play it, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus. It’s available as an individual score, or as a full-choir score.

Buying Choraegus handbell music

When you purchase handbell music from Choraegus, the music 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. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (for the full-choir copy) entitles you to print up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information about this. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this to take you through the process in a (we hope) stress-free way!

Purchasing this arrangement gives you no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. Please take some time to read about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus handbell music. In these times of live-streaming and online worship services, it’s particularly important that we all understand and follow the laws concerning performance licensing and copyright.

Any questions?

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

Somebody Loves Me handbells

Dance of the Sugar Plum Sumo Fairy – for Bass Handbell Trio

The Dance of the Sugar Plum Sumo Fairy takes Tchaikovsky’s ballet music to a whole new low! If you’re into bass handbell ringing, this arrangement could be an entertaining addition to your holiday repertoire. We had fun performing it for the Kalamazoo Ringers’ online Home for Christmas concert last year!

More information about Dance of the Sugar Plum Sumo Fairy

This arrangement is for bells from C#2 to G5. If you’d like to play it, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

Buying Choraegus handbell music

When you purchase Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Choraegus site, the music 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. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment entitles you to print sufficient copies for your group. For your convenience, the score package for this arrangement comes with a complete three-staff score, plus separate parts for each ringer. If you need more than three people to play it, that’s okay; you don’t need to pay for extra copies.

Please read our licensing agreement for full information about this. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this to take you through the process in a (we hope) stress-free way!

Purchasing this arrangement gives you no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. Please take some time to read about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus handbell music. In these times of live-streaming and online concerts, it’s particularly important that we all understand and follow the laws concerning performance licensing and copyright.

Any questions?

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

Sugar Plum Sumo Fairy