Category Archives: Handbells and Handbell Music

New 8-Bell Music – King of the Fairies

King of the Fairies is a traditional Irish hornpipe that’s one of the arrangements we enjoy playing during street performances. It’s one of those pieces that can be played with the repeated sections or without, depending on how long you want to play for! It’s another one of our pieces that could also work well for a socially-distanced handbell quartet, with no bell-sharing, and no need for tables.

In the last few weeks, we’ve been thinking a lot about street performances – normally a regular part of our summer. With Larry having shoulder surgery a couple of months ago, and the global pandemic, we haven’t yet done any street performances this year. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get out into the streets with our bells at some point before the cold weather arrives!

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’d like to play this arrangement, the sheet music is now available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group. Purchase also allows you to perform the piece, broadcast and/or live-stream it, and share a performance video on social media etc.

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. 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.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

New Accompanied 6-Bell Music for Christmas – Silent Night

Too early for Christmas music? Can we have a Silent Night for handbells this early in the year? We’ve definitely heard of “Christmas in July”! This seems like a good time to introduce our latest arrangement for six bells, a piano and an optional sling!

We recorded this version of Silent Night for handbells and piano several months ago, in a desperate attempt to make a Michigan spring day look like Christmas. We failed, of course. No amount of red clothing or poinsettia music-stand decorations will disguise the sunshine outside! Well, at least we tried, and you’ll get an idea of how the music should sound.

Feeling Christmassy?

If you’d like to play Silent Night, 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.

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. Purchasing this 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.

Looking for a version that doesn’t need piano accompaniment?

If you’re looking for handbell pieces that don’t need accompaniment tracks and can be played by 2 – 4 ringers, we also have an 8-bell version of Silent Night that you might like to try!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Silent Night - handbells and piano

New 8-Bell Music – Al die Willen te Kaap’ren Varen

Last week we published our fun arrangement of Calliope House, with a demonstration video filmed at our “All the Way from Holland” concert in California in May 2019.

This week we’re pleased to bring you another piece that we performed during our trip to California. We played this one at the lunchtime concert at the Bay Area Spring Ring. It’s the traditional Dutch tune Al die Willen te Kaap’ren Varen, usually known to us as the “Dutch pirate song”. It’s another one of the pieces we enjoy playing during street performances.

If you’d like to play Al die Willen te Kaap’ren Varen, the sheet music is now available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group.

How to purchase handbell music from Choraegus

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. 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. Purchase gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. Please remember to mention the title and arranger in any video descriptions and on any printed materials.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Al die Willen te Kaap'ren Varen - 8-bell arrangement

New Accompanied 6-Bell Music – Creator of the Stars of Night

While Larry’s been recovering from shoulder surgery, we’ve enjoyed working on some music that only needs six bells and piano. Our latest 6-bell arrangement is the Advent hymn Creator of the Stars of Night.

This hymn is based on a 7th-century Latin plainchant Conditor alme Siderum. It’s one of the oldest pieces of music in our repertoire! It proved impossible for us to create a December mood for our demonstration recording. However, we can easily imagine this piece being played at an Advent or Christmas Eve service. It would be extra special by candlelight!

Would you like to play this piece?

This arrangement is straightforward to play as a duet, or by a trio of three ringers if you prefer just two bells each. 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’re looking for handbell pieces that don’t need accompaniment tracks and can be played by 2-4 ringers, we also have an 8-bell version of Creator of the Stars of Night that you might also like to try!

Information about Choraegus handbell music

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. Purchasing this 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, 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. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Creator of the Stars of Night - 6-bell music

New 8-Bell Music – Calliope House

Calliope House is a fun addition to our 8-bell repertoire. It’s a jig written by Dave Richardson of the Irish band Boys of the Lough. The piece was originally written in honor of George Balderose, the founder of the Pittsburgh Folk Music Society, who used to host house concerts in his home – Calliope House.

This tune is, oddly, more difficult to play than it looks. We usually save it for street performances. Somewhere on Facebook there’s a video entitled The Perils of Street Performing. The video shows us playing this piece on a ridiculously-windy day in Downtown Holland.

Anyway, we brought the piece out for this slightly jet-lagged performance at our All the Way from Holland concert in the California Bay Area in May 2019. The third page has a tendency to trip us up when we haven’t quite had enough sleep, and this performance was no exception. Still, we always enjoy playing it, and we love a challenge, of course.

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’d like to play Calliope House, the sheet music is now available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video sharing.

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. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Calliope House, 8-bell handbells
In concert in California – May 2019

New Handbell Music for 6 Bells – Beach Spring

Continued thanks to everyone who’s been playing Choraegus handbell music during these unusual times of lockdown and social distancing. We appreciate your support and encouragement, particularly as Larry has been recovering from shoulder surgery in recent weeks. We were surprised at how much we missed being able to pick up our bells and play our usual 8-bell duets. Writing and playing music for just 6 bells has been a great alternative for us as Larry heals from surgery. The most recent arrangement we’d like to share with you is Beach Spring.

This versatile hymn tune is used as the setting for Come and Find the Quiet Center, Lord Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing and Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service, and many others!

This arrangement can be played as a duet, or by a trio of three ringers if you prefer just two bells each. Our 6-bell music can be useful for handbell duos where one ringer is more experienced with 4-in-hand technique than the other. We’re keeping the piano accompaniments interesting too, so that your pianist need never feel bored!

How to get the sheet music for Beach Spring

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. It’s useful if you don’t have a willing accompanist or want to rehearse at home.

Other versions are available!

If you’re looking for handbell pieces that don’t need accompaniment tracks and can be played by 2 – 6 ringers, we have a 12-bell version of Beach Spring and an 8-bell version too!

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 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 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 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 you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Beach Spring - 6-bell handbells

New Handbell Music – To the Hills I Lift Mine Eyes

“To the hills I lift my eyes;
whence shall help for me arise?
From the Lord shall come my aid,
who the heav’n and earth has made.
He will guide through dangers all,
will not suffer thee to fall.
He who safe his people keeps,
slumbers not and never sleeps.”

Here’s another hymn arrangement that uses only eight handbells. It’s the 19th-century tune To the Hills I Lift Mine Eyes, also sung as Holy Spirit, Faithful Guide. This demonstration video was one of the last videos we rushed to record before Larry had his shoulder surgery. We need a little more rehearsal time, but you’ll get the idea.

The beginning and end sections of this arrangement are straightforward to play, with a little more challenge added in the middle section.

Would you like to play this piece?

The sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group. Purchase also gives permission to use this piece in online and live-streamed worship services. 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.

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. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

To the Hills I Lift Mine Eyes, handbells

Another Accompanied 6-Bell Arrangement – O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

As many of you already know, Larry is the proud owner of a sling, having had shoulder surgery a few weeks ago. Wearing this sling inspired him to write some accompanied 6-bell music!

Our latest 6-bell arrangement is the hymn O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus. The Welsh hymn tune EBENEZER was composed by Thomas John Williams, and first published in 1897. The tune has been used as the setting for several other hymns, including Once to Every Man and Nation, Dyma Gariad Fel Y Moroedd” (Here is Love,Vast as the Ocean), and Come, O Spirit, Dwell Among Us.

This arrangement is suitable for 2 or 3 ringers to play. 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 a willing accompanist, or if you want to rehearse at home.

If you’re looking for a handbell piece for 2-4 ringers that doesn’t need an accompaniment track, we have an 8-bell version of O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus too!

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 this 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 online video-sharing. 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 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 for us?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Accompanied 6-bell music - O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
Lake Michigan at Bay View, Petoskey, just because we love it. It’s also deep.

New 8-Bell Music from Choraegus – I Want Jesus to Walk With Me

Thanks to everyone who’s been playing our music during this time of social distancing. Our latest 8-bell arrangement is the hymn I Want Jesus to Walk With Me. We recorded our demo video in March, before Larry had his shoulder surgery… and wow, doesn’t it look cold outside those windows? Now that summer has arrived in Michigan, we’re used to seeing the trees much less bare-looking!

This African-American spiritual is a song of lament, but also an assurance that Jesus walks beside anyone who’s suffering. It’s often heard during Lent and Holy Week, but can be used year-round in worship services.

“I want Jesus to walk with me,
I want Jesus to walk with me,
All along my pilgrim journey,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.

In my trial, Lord, walk with me,
In my trials, Lord, walk with me,
When the shades of life are falling,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.

In my troubles, Lord walk with me,
In my troubles, Lord walk with me,
When my life becomes a burden,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.”

Would you like to play this piece?

This arrangement is straightforward to play, and could also be suitable for a handbell trio or quartet. The sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once – and to use this piece in online and live-streamed worship services. 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.

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. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

I Want Jesus to Walk With Me - 8 handbells

New Accompanied 6-Bell Music – Canto de Esperanza / Song of Hope

Larry’s recovery from shoulder surgery is going well! He’s been seeing a physical therapist, and doing exercises throughout the day. It will still be a while before he can go back to playing our 8-bell duets, or picking up those heavy bass bells. In the meantine, he’s been enjoying the challenge of writing some music that only uses six bells. The sling is optional, of course.

Our latest 6-bell hymn arrangement is the popular traditional folk tune ARGENTINA. It’s the setting for the hymn Song of Hope, or Canto de Esperanza, with lyrics by Alvin Schutmaat. Suitable for any time of year, this lively piece will bring joy and hope to a worship service.

If you’d like to play Canto de Esperanza, 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.

Things to know about Choraegus handbell music

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 this 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. 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.

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. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Canto de Esperanza - Song of Hope - for handbells