Category Archives: Traditional and Folk Music

Twinkle Samba, and FREE 8-Bell music!

We’ve pulled a couple of handbell duet videos out of the archives this week! After a performance some time ago (remember that long-ago time when we used to give regular handbell performances?) an audience member jokingly asked us if we ever played anything “really difficult… like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” At the time, we didn’t have an 8-bell arrangement of that piece… so Twinkle Samba was born. It’s a fun challenge to play, and requires a bit of concentration to keep the rhythm going, and still play the melody!

This video was recorded in the spring of 2020. A lot has happened since then, including Larry’s shoulder surgery and (ongoing) cancer treatment, and the global pandemic that put a stop to most of our handbell duet performances. Until very recently, we forgot that we’d ever recorded this video, so it’s definitely time to make this piece available to anyone else who wants to play it!

Where to find the Twinkle Samba sheet music

If you’d like to play Twinkle Samba, the sheet music is available from Choraegus. Please remember that when you purchase music from Choraegus, the score will come to you as a PDF file for you to download and print yourself. You won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement will entitle you to print up to 4 copies for your handbell group. Purchase also gives no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. If this is your first time buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

But what about the FREE handbell music?

There’s also a free version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, available to download from the Freebies section of our music site. You’ll also find free music for several other children’s songs, and a hymn – and there will be more free music coming soon. There are also printable covers for anyone who’s storing their 8-bell music in binders.

Here’s a demonstration video Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. It’s a lot more straightforward than Twinkle Samba!

To get your free sheet music, add Twinkle, Twinkle to your cart on the Choraegus site, and click on the yellow “Check out with PayPal” button (don’t worry; PayPal won’t ask you to make any payment). Enter your details, and click “Confirm Order” (there’s no need to click on the PayPal button a second time). Then check your email inbox! If the download link doesn’t arrive, check your spam folder, and it might be there. If anything goes wrong, please let us know, and we’ll find another way to get your music to you.

There’s no obligation to make any other purchase from Choraegus to get the free handbell music. Of course, we hope you’ll take a look at the other titles we have to offer, but if you’d rather just grab the free music and go, we don’t mind at all. It’s a good way to try our 8-bell music without having to spend any money, or to test the process of downloading our music if you haven’t tried it before. 8-bell music is a great way for a duo, trio or quartet to play music with no bell changes; completely suitable for social distancing!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing Choraegus handbell music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions, in case the answer is there. If you don’t find the information you seek, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to help!

free 8-bell music
Our handbell music in binders at an 8-bell music class in Omaha, Nebraska – 2018

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

Vårvindar Friska – Handbell Music for 3-5 Octaves

Vårvindar Friska (Fresh Spring Winds) is a traditional Swedish folk song celebrating the coming of spring. The tune is also used for the hymns Breath of the Living God and O Living Breath of God.

We’ve had this arrangement since 2018, but it took a COVID-19 pandemic to give us the idea of recording some of our 3-5 octave pieces with just the two of us! This one has probably been our favorite, so far. It’s light and breezy, and just skips along. We enjoyed playing it so much that we’re already making plans to try the 5-octave version too!

More information about the music

Vårvindar Friska is for 3-5 octaves of handbells. The sheet music is available to download from Choraegus. It’s versatile enough to be played as part of a worship service, or performed in a spring or summer concert.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, please note that it will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment entitles you to print out 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!

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.

Vårvindar Friska - handbells

Day By Day – for Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves

“Day by day and with each passing moment, 
Strength I find to meet my trials here; 
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, 
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. 
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure 
Gives unto each day what he deems best–
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, 
Mingling toil with peace and rest.”

Day By Day is our most recent recording project with just the two of us. It’s been fun to record these videos, and very good practise for our sight-reading skills. We haven’t been rehearsing beforehand; we just pick up the bells and play, and see what happens. Sometimes we’ll get it right on our first attempt, and sometimes not… but it’s never boring! There may be minor inaccuracies, but it’s all part of the fun.

More information about the music

The original hymn BLOTT EN DAG was written in Swedish by Carolina Sandell-Berg in 1865, and the tune was composed in 1872 by Oscar Ahnfelt. This hymn arrangement is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, with optional handchimes. If you’d like to play it, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, please note that it will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music scores, 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!

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.

Day By Day - handbells

Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers – Music for 12 Handbells

Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers is our newest 12-bell arrangement. The tune is the traditional Swedish folk tune HAF TRONES LAMPA FÄRDIG, so this arrangement would work in secular performances, as well as in church.

Today is the last of Larry’s 20 radiation treatments. We’ve been driving from Holland to Ann Arbor every day, Monday to Friday, for the last four weeks. It’s a 3-hour journey there, and a 3-hour journey back, through typical Michigan winter weather. Today feels like a good day to introduce a happy handbell arrangement!

Suitable for social distancing!

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 – spaced as far apart as you need them to be!

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 Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers, 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!

Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers - handbells

His Eye is On the Sparrow – 12-Bell Music from Choraegus

“Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me”

His Eye is On the Sparrow is a gospel hymn from 1905. Charles H. Gabriel wrote the tune, and Civilla D. Martin penned the lyrics, inspired by the Gospel of Matthew. Over the decades, there have been many interpretations – and if you look on YouTube, you’ll find lots of them!

Our 12-bell demonstration is at the lively tempo Larry prefers, but if you wanted to play it at a slower speed, that would be fine too.

Suitable for social distancing!

As with all Choraegus 12-bell arrangements, this piece has no bell-sharing, and there are no accidentals to pick up mid-piece. Also, there are no techniques that need tables or foam, so the arrangement can be played from music stands.

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 His Eye is On the Sparrow, the sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six 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 such as concert programs.

Another thing to note is 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.

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!

His Eye is On the Sparrow - 12-bell

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!

The Skye Boat Song – New 12-Bell Music

The Skye Boat Song is a 19th century Scottish tune. We recently introduced an arrangement for 8 handbells and piano. Here’s a new 12-bell arrangement that’s fun to play too. This one starts very simply, then moves on to a flowing arpeggio section. Even though the piece started life as a secular song, the tune is also used in church as the setting for Spirit of God, Unseen as the Wind, written by Margaret Old. People have also told us that this tune is the theme tune for the TV series Outlander, which we haven’t yet seen!

We enjoyed recording this arrangement with just the two of us:

12-bell music is great for socially-distanced ringing!

As with all Choraegus 12-bell arrangements, this piece has no bell-sharing, and no techniques that need tables or foam. It could be played by 3-6 ringers, playing from music stands. 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 The Skye Boat Song, you’ll find the sheet music on Choraegus, our music site. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six 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 such as concert programs.

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

Skye Boat Song handbells

From a Distant Home – 16-Bell Music Played As a Duet

From a Distant Home is a lively Puerto Rican carol. It was a fun 16-bell recording project for us! This is a versatile arrangement, suitable for Christmas or Epiphany. We played it using our usual 4-in-hand technique, but it could be played by up to eight people.

“From a distant home the Savior we come seeking,
using as our guide the star so brightly beaming.

Lovely eastern star that tells us of God’s morning,
heaven’s wondrous light, O never cease thy shining!
Glory in the highest to the Son of Heaven,
and upon the earth be peace and love to all.“

If you’d like to play From a Distant Home, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. 

Important information (the small print)

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once. 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.

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

From a Distant Home - handbells

New 8-Bell Music for Worship Services – Somos del Señor

Our latest hymn arrangement is an 8-bell arrangement of Somos del Señor – a traditional melody often used nowadays as the setting for a popular hymn Pues si vivimos (When We Are Living).

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 Somos del Señor, 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. 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, 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 answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Somos del Señor 8-bell music for worship
At Los Altos Lutheran Church, CA (Photo: Carl S. Gutekunst)