Category Archives: Music for Funeral and Memorial Services

All Glory, Laud and Honor – 12-Bell Music from Choraegus

All Glory, Laud and Honor is our newest 12-bell arrangement. It’s a traditional Palm Sunday hymn, so we’re a little late for this year. Looking on the bright side, though, there’s plenty of rehearsal time before Palm Sunday 2022! It can also be a useful hymn for general use, especially when a lively tune is needed.

No need for tables or foam!

As with all Choraegus 12-bell arrangements, this piece has no bell-sharing, and there are no accidentals to pick up mid-piece. As there are no techniques requiring tables or foam, this arrangement can be played from music stands. In recent months, many handbell choirs have been observing social distancing, and 12-bell music can work well for this. It can also be great for handbell choirs during the summer months when the full group isn’t available.

The music is suitable for 3-6 ringers, and two versions are available – either using bells C5-G6 (as in our demo video), or using F5-C7.

Where to get the sheet music

If you’d like to play All Glory, Laud and Honor, the sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, please note that it’s 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 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 such as concert programs.

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!

Kelvingrove – 2-3 Octave Handbell Music

Kelvingrove is a traditional Scottish melody, dating back to the early 18th century. The following lyrics were written by Thomas Lyle, and appeared in Collected Poems and Songs in 1837:

“Let us haste to Kelvin Grove, bonnie lassie, O
Thro’ its mazes let us rove, bonnie lassie, O
Where the roses in their pride
Deck the bonnie dingle side
Where the midnight fairies glide, bonnie lassie, O.

Let us wander by the mill, bonnie lassie, O
To the cove beside the rill, bonnie lassie, O
Where the glens rebound the call
Of the roaring waters’ fall
Thro’ the mountain’s rocky hall, bonnie lassie, O.”

In more recent years, the melody has been adapted for use as the hymn The Summons (Will You Come and Follow Me) with lyrics by John L. Bell – so if you’re familiar with the tune from hearing it in a worship service, that’s why!

Would you like to play Kelvingrove?

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

When you buy handbell music from Choraegus, please remember that the music score 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. 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, which we designed to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

Purchasing this 2-3 octave arrangement gives you no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing, as part of a performance or worship service. 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 the Frequently-Asked Questions first, in case the answer is there. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Kelvingrove - handbells

Rock of Ages – for Handbells, 3 Octaves

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress; helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown, see Thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.“

Rock of Ages is a popular hymn, written by the Reverend August Toplady and first published in 1775. This is our arrangement for 3 octaves of handbells.

More information about Rock of Ages

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

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, which we designed to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

Purchasing this 3-5 octave arrangement gives you no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing, as part of a performance or worship service. 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 the Frequently-Asked Questions first, in case the answer is there. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Rock of Ages - handbells

It Is Well With My Soul – for 16 Handbells

“When peace like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul”

Our latest “cloned” recording project is It Is Well With My Soul; a hymn first published in 1876. The tune was composed by Philip Bliss, with lyrics by Horatio Spafford. We recommend our 16-bell arrangement to any handbell ensemble looking for something interesting and challenging to play, without needing a lot of bells or ringers!

Suitable for socially-distant handbell ensembles

If your handbell ensemble is observing social distancing, our 16-bell arrangements could be useful. It Is Well With My Soul contains no bell changes, and needs no bell-sharing. It’s suitable for up to 8 ringers to play, and doesn’t need any tables or foam. If your handbell ensemble is playing from music stands, with physical distancing, this would work!

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

More information 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 title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

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. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help!

It Is Well With My Soul

I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art – for 8 Handbells

“I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art,
My only trust and Savior of my heart,
Who pain didst undergo for my poor sake;
I pray Thee from our hearts all cares to take.”

It’s been a while since we published any new 8-bell music! We have several new arrangements that will be available from Choraegus soon… but first, here’s one that we’ve had for a while. It’s a hymn that dates from the 16th century, with the tune TOULON. Our video is another that we recorded early last year, when Larry was waiting to have shoulder surgery.

As with our other 8-bell pieces, this arrangement has no bell-sharing, no picking-up of accidentals during the piece, and no need for tables. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand duet, but there are no special techniques written into the score, so it could also be suitable for a trio or quartet to play.

How to purchase the sheet music

If you’d like to play I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art, the sheet music 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 you only need to pay once. 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.

Please also note that our music is designed as downloadable 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, 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. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll be happy to help.

I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art - handbells

Kingsfold – for Handbells, 3-5 Octaves

Kingsfold is a folk tune that’s thought to date back to the Middle Ages. It’s a tune used for a variety of texts, both sacred and secular. As a folk song, you might know it as Dives and Lazarus or The Star of the County Down. In worship, it’s sung as the popular hymn I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say, and also as When Jesus Walked Upon This Earth. For Christmas, it’s the setting for O Sing a Song of Bethlehem. Our arrangement of Kingsfold for handbells and optional handchimes is a very versatile piece!

We enjoyed putting this video together. Playing 3-5 octave music has been a good way to keep up our ringing skills during a time when duet performances haven’t really been happening. The urge to rehearse for events that aren’t taking place… well, it just isn’t there. So these “full choir” videos have been a fun alternative for us!

More information about Kingsfold

Kingsfold is for 3-5 octaves of handbells, with optional 2-octave handchimes. If you’d like to play it, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, 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 up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide, which we designed to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

Other versions of this piece

An unaccompanied arrangement for 8 handbells

An arrangement for 6 handbells and piano

Any questions?

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

Kingsfold for handbells

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

“God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.”

God Be With You Till We Meet Again is our latest arrangement for 16 handbells. We were reminded of this hymn recently, when we drove up north to Bay View and walked in the Memorial Gardens there. Bay View (near Petoskey) is where the annual Week of Handbells takes place, and where we spend a week each year gathering with friends old and new, to rehearse and perform handbell music in a beautiful lakeside setting. Our recent visit was a particularly poignant one, as we’d just heard about the passing of Maestro Carl Wiltse, who directed the Bay View Week of Handbells for many years.

Last year’s Week of Handbells was cancelled because of the pandemic — and, sadly, the 2021 event has been cancelled too. We now have to wait until 2022 to see many of our Bay View friends again. Given the amount of preparation time that goes into this annual event, it was the wisest decision, but we’re looking forward to a joyful reunion next year.

God Be With You Till We Meet Again was written by Jeremiah Rankin in 1882. He composed it so his church choir could have something to sing as they said their goodbyes each week. It has become a popular hymn to sing at gatherings, and it’s traditionally sung at the final Sunday Vespers at Bay View every August, as the music season draws to a close and visitors bid their farewells until the next year.

Suitable for socially-distant handbell ensembles

If your handbell ensemble is observing social distancing, our 16-bell arrangements could be useful. God Be With You Till We Meet Again has no bell changes, and needs no bell-sharing. It’s suitable for up to 8 ringers to play, and doesn’t require any techniques that need tables or foam.

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

More information 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! Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details. In addition, please 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 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. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help!

God Be With You Till We Meet Again - handbells

Sandmännchen – New 8-Bell Music from Choraegus

Sandmännchen, also known as Die Blümelein sie schlafen, was written by Johannes Brahms. Its title translates as The Little Sandman.

Our demonstration video is another one that we recorded early last year. Larry was due to have his shoulder surgery, so we spent some time recording as many of our new 8-bell pieces as we could. This was one of the last recordings we made before Larry’s arm went into a sling and he started writing music for just 6 bells!

This arrangement has no bell-sharing, no picking-up of accidentals during the piece, and no need for tables. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand duet, but there are no special techniques written into the score, so it could also be suitable for a trio or quartet to play.

How to purchase the sheet music

If you’d like to play Sandmännchen, the sheet music 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 you only need to pay once. 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.

Please also note that our music is designed as downloadable 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, 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. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll be happy to help.

Sandmännchen - handbells

New from Choraegus – Handbell Music Practice Tracks

Larry’s been busy in recent weeks! Well, we know he’s been busy driving to and from Ann Arbor for radiation treatment, but he’s also been busy with a new project for Choraegus – practice tracks!

This idea was suggested to us by a friend, who also happens to be a customer! We now have practice tracks available for most of our unaccompanied small-ensemble handbell scores (up to 16 bells).

What exactly are the practice tracks, and why might they be helpful?

For a small cost, you get a piano+click track audio version of the score. So you’ll hear the tune, along with a guiding metronome sound. Each click track starts two bars before the first full bar of music (like counting in!) Then beat 1 of each bar is accented slightly, to help you to play along with the score.

These practice tracks could be helpful if you want to rehearse your part of an arrangement on your own, without the rest of the ensemble. For example, if you’re playing an 8-bell duet, you’ll be able to play your part, and hear the whole piece as you play, even if your duet partner isn’t with you. If you’re directing a 12- or 16-bell ensemble and you won’t have much time to rehearse together as a group, your ringers can each rehearse separately along with the practice track.

If you need the tracks at a slower tempo as you start rehearsing, you can download a playback app such as AudiPo or the Amazing Slow Downer, and change the speed of the track to meet your needs.

Make sure you buy the right track!

For our “dual-range” scores, there are separate practice tracks for the G5-based and F5-based scores in the package. We suggest purchasing the music first (the “Score Package). Next, decide whether you’re going to play the G5-based version or the F5-based version. Then come back later and get the practice track to match!

Here are the options, as shown on the screen for an 8-bell arrangement:

practice tracks for handbell music

Here are the options for an 8-bell arrangement that has a standard and a surprisingly-easy version. Choose carefully!

practice tracks - Choraegus

Any questions/problems?

If you have any questions about these practice tracks, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help. This is a very new project, so if you buy a practice track and it doesn’t work as expected, please let us know, and we’ll fix it for you!

16-Bell Music – Holy, Holy, Holy – Played as a Duet

16-bell music has been a fairly recent recording project for us. It’s been an exciting challenge to put together some new demonstration videos.

Holy, Holy, Holy is our latest arrangement for sixteen handbells. We enjoyed recording this piece as a duet project, and we love how pretty the snow looks in the background!

This arrangement is straightforward to play, and contains no bell changes and no accidentals to pick up mid-piece. There are no techniques that require tables, so it’s suitable for a socially-distanced group to play from music stands.

If you’d like to play Holy, Holy, Holy, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Other 16-bell music is also available. If you don’t see the title you’re looking for, please let us know, and we’ll see what we can do!

More information (the small print)

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! Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details. In addition, please 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 sheet 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.

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 do what we can to help!