Handbell Music for Just 6 Bells – a Whole New Adventure!

Larry’s recent shoulder surgery means that his right arm is going to be in a sling for a while. How can we continue playing handbell duets? The solution is obvious: with handbell music for just 6 bells!

Our first 6-bell arrangement is the traditional Scottish Gaelic tune BUNESSAN, first published in 1888 as the setting for Mary Macdonald’s Christmas carol Child in the Manger. It’s most often sung as Eleanor Farjeon’s popular hymn Morning Has Broken, and in recent years, the tune has also been used for Baptized in Water with lyrics by Michael Saward.

Of course, there’s no need to have one arm in a sling to be able to play this piece. The music could be played by three people with two bells each, by a duo with three bells each, or by one 4-in-hand ringer with a less-experienced duet partner. Maybe even by an intrepid 6-in-hand ringer? The arrangement has a flowing piano accompaniment, and sheet music for this is included with the handbell score.

Would you like to play this piece?

If you’d like to play this arrangement, 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.

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 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.

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!

handbell music for just 6 bells
Morning has broken – at Bay View, Michigan

New Handbell Music – You’re a Grand Old Flag – for 8 Bells

“You’re a grand old flag
You’re a high-flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You’re the emblem of
The land I love
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev’ry heart beats true
Under red, white and blue
Where there’s never a boast or brag,
But should old acquaintance be forgot
Keep your eye on the grand old flag!”

Thank you to everyone who’s been playing our music in this time of lockdowns and social distancing! Our latest eight-bell arrangement is You’re a Grand Old Flag – a patriotic song written by George M Cohan in 1906. If you’re planning a socially-distant Flag Day or Fourth of July celebration, this arrangement would fun to play! The beginning and end sections are straightforward, with a more-challenging middle section to keep you on your toes.

Download the sheet music from Choraegus!

Sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. 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 four copies for your handbell group. Purchase also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and 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.

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!

You're a Grand Old Flag - patriotic music for handbells

New 8-Bell Music – Zeg Kwezelken, Wilde Gij Dansen

Here in Holland, Michigan, our city’s 91st annual Tulip Time Festival has been cancelled because of coronavirus. But that doesn’t stop us from playing Dutch music on handbells! Our latest 8-bell arrangement is the traditional song Zeg Kwezelken, Wilde Gij Dansen; a melody written in 1848.

Would you like to play this 8-bell piece?

If you’d like to play Zeg Kwezelken, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site.

As always, we recommend that you read the licensing agreement before buying music from us, especially if this is your first time downloading music from Choraegus. Please also 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 gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group. Purchase also gives you permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing.

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

Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan

New Handbell Music – Het Roosje – for 8 Bells

It’s the time of year when the residents of Holland, Michigan traditionally look forward to the start of the city’s annual Tulip Time Festival. The town displays over 5 million tulips. The city celebrates its Dutch heritage – with parades, music performances and Dutch dancing demonstration.

This year’s 91st Tulip Time Festival has been cancelled because of health concerns for the city’s residents and the hundreds of thousands of visitors who usually flock to the festival. Of course, no one told the tulips, so they will still bloom. Carla took the photo below during the 2019 festival, at Windmill Island Gardens.

tulips, windmill

Since moving to Holland in the summer of 2016, we’ve enjoyed finding traditional Dutch music that can be played using just 8 handbells. Our latest arrangement is the song Het Roosje, which translates as The Rose.

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

More information about our downloadable handbell music

As always, we recommend that you read the licensing agreement before buying music from us, especially if this is your first time downloading music from Choraegus. Please also 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 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 mention the title and arranger of the piece in video descriptions and on printed materials.

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

FREE Handbell Music – Alouette – for 8 Bells

While we’ve been under Michigan’s “stay home” order, we’ve enjoyed working on lots of new music to be published on Choraegus. We’ve been disappointed not to be able to give any performances this spring, but thankful that we have bells at home and plenty of music to play! Our most recent piece is a fun little arrangement of the traditional French tune Alouette – for 8 bells.

You can get the sheet music completely free!

We’re pleased to offer Alouette – for 8 bells – for free, as a thank-you to everyone who’s been playing our music during this time of social distancing. You can find it in the Freebies section of our music site, where there’s also free music for Happy Birthday, Auld Lang Syne and Dona Nobis Pacem. If you need them, there are also printable covers for anyone storing their 8-bell music in binders.

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 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! Alouette could be a good piece for practising 4-in-hand as a duet, but could also be played by a (socially-distant?) quartet group.

How to get the music

To get your free sheet music, add it to your cart on the Choraegus site. Next, 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.

As always, we recommend that you read the licensing agreement before buying music from us (or claiming your free music), especially if this is your first time downloading music from Choraegus. You won’t receive anything in the mail, and will be responsible for printing your own music.

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 be happy to help!

Alouette for 8 bells

New Handbell Music – Song of Hope (Canto de Esperanza)

Here’s our latest arrangement for 8 handbells – the popular hymn Song of Hope. The lyrics to this hymn were written by Alvin L. Schutmaat, a Michigan-born missionary to Latin America, and the melody (hymn tune ARGENTINA) is a traditional folk tune.

Song of Hope – recorded when we still had snow on the ground!

¡Dios de la esperanza, danos gozo y paz!
May the God of hope go with us every day,
Al mundo en crisis, habla tu verdad.

Filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
Dios de la justicia, mándanos tu luz,

May the God of justice speed us on our way,
Luz y esperanza en la oscuridad.

Bringing light and hope to every land and race.”

Larry wrote this 8-bell arrangement for the TRC Ringers at Third Reformed Church here in Holland.

Would you like to play this piece?

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

As always, we recommend that you read the licensing agreement before buying music from us, especially if this is your first time downloading music from Choraegus. If you’re new to Choraegus handbell music, we recommend our step-by-step guide!

Please also 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 gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group.

Any questions for us?

If you have any questions about purchasing or playing 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. We hope you’ll enjoy playing our music!

Song of Hope - 8-bell arrangement

New Handbell Music – Gwerzy, for 8 Bells!

Some 8-bell pieces are very easy to play, requiring little rehearsal time. Gwerzy is not one of those pieces. Colm O’Snodaigh and Dee Armstrong, of the Irish band Kíla, kindly gave us permission to arrange Gwerzy for handbells. It’s fun to play, for anyone who enjoys a bit of a challenge.

We first performed this arrangement in California at the 2019 Bay Area Spring Ring. We announced it to the audience as a work-in-progress. To be honest, it will probably always be a work-in-progress for us! We had originally planned to record a 100%-accurate and polished performance of this piece before offering it for purchase. We’ve now decided to let others join in the fun, without waiting for something that might never happen!

Gwerzy – at the 2019 Bay Area Spring Ring in California
handbell sheet music
Gwerzy – excerpt

If you’re feeling insane courageous enough to try this arrangement, you’ll find the sheet music to download from Choraegus.

Things to know about Choraegus handbell music

As always, we strongly recommend that you read the licensing agreement before buying music from us. Please also 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 gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group.

If you’re new to Choraegus, you might appreciate our step-by-step guide. We designed this to help our customers buy and download music in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

We’re happy to answer questions!

If you have any questions about purchasing or playing 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. We hope you’ll enjoy playing our music!

Gwerzy handbells
Together in California, May 2019

New Handbell Music – Come, All You People, Praise Our God

Come, all you people, praise our God
and tell his glorious works abroad,
who holds our souls in life;
he never lets our feet be moved
and, though our faith he often proved,
upholds us in the strife.

Here’s the latest addition to our 8-bell repertoire: Come, All You People, Praise Our God. This hymn tune (ODAWA) – by gospel songwriter Charles H. Gabriel – was first published in 1912.

Sheet music is available from Choraegus

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

As always, we recommend that you read the licensing agreement before buying music from us. If this is your first time purchasing music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide!

Please also 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 gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group.

We’re happy to answer your questions!

If you have any questions about purchasing or playing 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. We hope you’ll enjoy playing our music!

Come All You People Praise Our God

New Handbell Music – At the Cross – for 8 Bells

Here’s our new 8-bell arrangement of the hymn At the Cross. The hymn tune is HUDSON, and this one is particularly suitable for Good Friday as well as throughout the church year.

“Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I?

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nz8wFlZ4DQ

Sheet music is available from Choraegus

If you’d like to play At the Cross, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site.

As always, we recommend that you read the licensing agreement before buying music from us. If you haven’t downloaded music from Choraegus before, we recommend our step-by-step guide!

Please also 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 gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group.

Other titles for Lent, Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter

If you’re looking for the alternative MARTYRDOM hymn tune, we have an eight-bell arrangement of that too. You’ll find it under the title Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed.

If you’re interested in other 8-bell music suitable for Lent, Easter and Holy Week, we have a list of other hymn suggestions. Many of these pieces are also available on Choraegus.

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 be happy to help!

At the Cross - handbells

New Handbell Music – De Drie Koningen

Looking for something a bit unusual for your Christmas handbell performance or worship service? Here’s our latest eight-bell arrangement! It’s a sixteenth-century Flemish carol called De Drie Koningen (The Three Kings). This carol is suitable either for Epiphany or Christmas. We recorded the video last January, before we took down our Christmas tree!

“De Drie Koningen” – recorded in front of our Christmas tree!

Would you like to play this 8-bell piece?

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

If you’re new to buying our music online, we strongly recommend that you read the licensing agreement first. Please note in particular that music from Choraegus is designed to be downloaded and printed by the customer. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail.

If you’re new to Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide! We designed this to help you navigate the purchasing process in a stress-free way.

Any questions?

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

We hope you’ll enjoy playing our music!

De Drie Koningen - handbells