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 askthat youcredit 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.
Greet the Morning is an original Larry Sue composition, for 3-5 octaves of handbells and 1 octave of handchimes. It’s a Level 3- piece, with the opportunity to use the singing bell technique and to have fun playing handbells and handchimes at the same time!
From Choraegus, Larry describes this as: “a picture of waiting for the sun to rise. The night vanishes gradually as the light of dawn overcomes the darkness. It increases in brightness until all of a sudden, the sun peeks over the horizon and starts the day.
This piece starts with a technique called “singing bell”, borrowed from the Tibetan monastic use of singing bowls. In the latter, the practitioner runs a metal rod around the rim of a circular metal bowl; for handbells, the ringer similarly applies a “singing stick” (a plain or coated wooden dowel) to the rim of the casting. The lowest two bells being “sung”, A3 and E4, produce a “difference tone” of A2 with a frequency equal to the difference of the two pitches.“
Here’s our demonstration video:
More information about Greet the Morning
Greet the Morning 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 askthat youcredit 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.
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.
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.
Walking Home is an original Larry Sue composition, for 3-5 octaves of handbells and 2 octaves of handchimes. It’s an upbeat piece, with opportunities to use a variety of handbell techniques, such as malletting, ring-touch, and thumb-damping. The arrangement is Level 3-, and we enjoyed recording our demonstration video.
More information about Walking Home
Walking Home 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 askthat youcredit 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 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 youcredit 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.
Escape from No-Note Island is a Level 5 original composition for 5-7 octaves of handbells. Larry actually wrote the piece in 2018, but we’ve only just recently managed to record a demo video for it. It’s the perfect piece for the Position 11 diva in your handbell choir!
The story behind Escape from No-Note Island
Here’s Larry’s account of the story behind the piece, from Choraegus:
“Handbell compositions are usually written for note ranges that constitute complete octaves of bells. Having this agreed-on convention between manufacturers, composers, publishers, and performers makes it easier to maintain consistency within the ringing art. For instance, “five octaves” refers to the range C3-C8. Because of this, we start with a common knowledge about the music to be written and the bells needed to play it.
Although this is an excellent way of doing things, the resulting music tends to prefer the middle of its designated note range. This often results in the lowest and largest bells seeing less action. Bass ringers can often accept this situation because it means they can get a short break between spates of heavy lifting.
It’s a different matter for the upper treble ringers. Treble ringers generally prefer being active and occupied, and so there are some who have an aversion to being sent to the far right end of the table, which to them is a desolate place known as “Position 11”. This aversion has led some to label Position 11 with epithets such as “no-note island”.
This piece is dedicated to those of you who feel marooned and forsaken when you’re sent to the topmost position. I hope you’ll feel better about being there when you play this work.
Escape from No-Note Island is dedicated to our friend Caleb Onstead, who is also a published handbell composer. Caleb’s use of the phrase “no-note island” to describe the Position 11 assignment was the inspiration behind this piece. During the recent Bay View Week of Handbells event, Larry had the opportunity to present Caleb with a copy of the score.
More information about Escape from No-Note Island
Escape from No-Note Island 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 youcredit 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.
Last weekend’s Handbell Weekend in Madison, WI was a lot of fun! The event was organised by two churches — Westminster Presbyterian and Covenant Presbyterian — who invited us to visit Madison and lead workshop classes on various handbell topics. We appreciated the opportunity to talk about handbells for an entire morning, with around 40 workshop participants from churches and community groups in the area. We taught five classes between us, and shared a lot of information during that time.
Larry’s Bass Handbell Class
Larry’s class for bass ringers aimed to answer questions submitted by workshop participants before the event. He covered topics such as: how to lift bass handbells safely, how to assign parts when short-handed, bell placement on the table to avoid weaving, and how to use mallets effectively. The session also included an photo opportunity with bass shelleys; a chance for all the class participants to demonstrate their ability to hold two bass bells at the same time!
Notes for class participants: If you were at Larry’s class on Bass Ringing, and you’d like to learn more, you can find out everything you need to know and more by reading his very own book, The Bass Ringer’s Notebook. This book is available for purchase from Choraegus. If you were at the workshop and you regret not buying the Notebook at the special discount price, get in touch with us, and we’ll arrange to make that possible (although you’ll still need to pay for shipping). Alternatively, use the coupon code given out at the event to save 20% on Choraegus purchases.
Carla’s Treble Ringing Class
Carla’s treble ringing class focused on some of the challenges treble ringers face, including topics such as how to make quick bell changes, how to play stopped sounds, and how to make martellato easier.
Adventures in 8-Bell Music
We enjoyed sharing some of our 8-bell music with workshop participants. We talked about the reasons for playing 8-bell (or small group) music, handbell assignment, space requirements, and the challenges and considerations to bear in mind. Then we all enjoyed playing some 8- and 12-bell music together as a group. We were able to add higher and lower bells to fill out the sound, and it all sounded great!
Note for class participants: If you enjoyed our 8-bell music class on Saturday morning, you can find lots of small-group music available for purchase from Choraegus. Don’t forget to use the coupon from the event to save 20% on every purchase!
British-Style 4-in-Hand Ringing
This is not actually an accurate representation of how it’s done, but Carla always enjoys the opportunity to teach other ringers how to play 4-in-hand in the traditional British way. Some of the class participants were trying 4-in-hand for the first time, while others were proficient in the ring-and-knock style most often used here in the USA. Either way, learning a new technique is a challenge, but everyone rose to the occasion and eventually succeeded in making it work!
Note for class participants: If you went to the class, and your hands forgot everything the minute you left the room, you can find more information (with extra pictures) in this detailed article on our site. If you’re wondering where you can find some free music to practise your new skills without spending any money, you can find it here!
Choraegus “Speed Reading” Session
This was a top-speed sight-read though some of the full-choir music available from Choraegus. Some pieces were more challenging than others, but we kept the session low-stress, and just enjoyed making music together as a group.
The following pieces were included in the session. Click on each title to find out more!
3-5 octaves, plus optional 1-octave handchimes, Level 3+. For groups looking for some extra challenge, this is a recent arrangement of the hymn Tell Out My Soul.
3 or 5 octaves and handchimes (3 octaves), Level 4. A fun, mixed-meter challenge for advanced handbell choirs at Christmas, this arrangement has options for suspended mallets, handchimes, and “unusual” bells. There’s also an additional cajón part, available for purchase separately.
All the “thank you”s
We’re thankful to everyone who worked so hard to make the Handbell Weekend a success. Thanks to Joe and Melissa, from Westminster Presbyterian Church and Covenant Presbyterian church for being such wonderful and welcoming hosts. Thanks also to the Madison Area Concert Handbells, who helped so much with the loan of equipment for the event, and to all the participants who came to the workshop and shared in the fun. We hope to be back in Madison to do it all again someday!
A popular saying here in Michigan (and probably in other places too) is “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes!” It often seems that the weather can go through several seasons in a single day. We wake up to clouds, the sun comes out and we dress for spring… then suddenly the weather turns cold, and rain is pouring down!
Here’s an original handbell composition called Wait Five Minutes. Michigan weather was Larry’s inspiration for this piece. Carla took the photos and video; most of them at Bay View, a summer community in northern Michigan. Highlights include footage of a torrential downpour, a foggy day on a Lake Michigan beach, and an unusual-looking squirrel!
More information about Wait Five Minutes
Wait Five Minutes is for 3 octaves of handbells, Level 2+. Sheet music for this original composition 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 also gives permission for you to perform, broadcast and live-stream this piece as part of a concert or worship service without the need for any additional license or fee, although we ask you to credit the composer (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). 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 on our Facebook page too!
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.
More Choraegus handbell music about the weather
People often ask us about handbell music on a particular theme. Here are some other pieces on the theme of “weather”:
Winter Dance – a 5-octave, Level 4 arrangement of Seiichi Kyoda’s wonderful, wintry piece
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.
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.
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.
Home at Last is an original composition with a history! It started life several decades ago as a song for SATB choir; part of Larry’s Living Water Composition Project. You can read more about that project on our Choraegus website, and find the choral scores for all the songs. Home at Last is the 54th composition in that project – and it works really well as a handbell piece too!
Here’s our demonstration video, with thanks to Kalamazoo Ringers for letting us borrow their B2 bass handbell. Keep watching, and you’ll see it!
More information about Home at Last
Home at Last is for 5-8 octaves of handbells, Level 4+. Probably the biggest challenges in the piece are the fast glissando-style runs, but they’re not actually as difficult as they look on paper (as long as you don’t over-think them). Advanced handbell choirs will enjoy this piece!
Sheet music for this original composition 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 also gives permission for you to perform, broadcast and live-stream this piece as part of a concert or worship service without the need for any additional license or fee, although we ask you to credit the composer (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). 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 on our Facebook page too!
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.
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.
Forever was commissioned in 2012 by Dee Allaway and her family, in memory of her father. It was first performed by Emerald City Ringers, a community handbell choir in the Pacific Northwest. It’s fun to watch their video and see the aluminum bass bells in action!
We recently decided that we were in the mood to take on a challenging video project – so we had a go at playing it ourselves, using just 5 octaves. Here is the result:
More information about Forever
Forever is for 5-8 octaves of handbells, plus handchimes (3 octaves, E4-B5) – Level 5. It’s an exciting piece to play, and advanced handbell choirs will enjoy the challenge! Sheet music for this original composition 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 also gives permission for you to perform, broadcast and live-stream this piece as part of a concert or worship service without the need for any additional license or fee, although we ask you to credit the composer (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). 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 on our Facebook page too!
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.
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.
