We love the sound of handbells, but sometimes it’s fun to combine handbells with other instruments, such as organ, piano or flute. Our list of “collaborations” is growing all the time!
Music for Handbells with Piano or Organ
Handbell Solos
As expected, most of our arrangements for handbell solo have piano accompaniments. There are solos for bass and treble bells, available to download from Choraegus – with more coming soon!
Handbell Duets
Most of the handbell duets we play are selected from our 8-bell repertoire. However, we do have one accompanied “table duet”, with more coming soon!
This delightful French tune is an unusual setting for the Christmas carol Away in a Manger. For handbells and piano.
6-Bell Music
All of our 6-bell arrangements are for handbells and piano. The piano scores are designed to be interesting for the pianist; there are no boring accompaniments! Choraegus 6-bell music can be played by either 2 or 3 ringers, without requiring any special techniques, and with no need for tables or foam pads.
Titles include Advent and Christmas carols, hymns for year-round worship, and traditional melodies – all available to download from Choraegus.
8-Bell Music
Much of our 8-bell music is designed to stand alone, without accompaniment. However, we do have a selection of arrangements for eight bells with piano or organ accompaniments. Again, they’re designed to be fun and interesting to play!
All Things Bright and Beautiful
This cheery arrangement of the traditional hymn will bring joy to your worship service! For handbells and piano.
A traditional Irish hymn, also sung with the title Lord of All Hopefulness. For handbells and piano.
Celebrate God’s love with this traditional hymn! For handbells and piano.
The lively MADRID hymn tune is a joyous addition to your worship service. Our friend T. Paul Rosas from California wrote the accompaniment for this arrangement. For handbells and organ.
Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
This hymn is a traditional celebration of harvest and Thanksgiving! For handbells and piano.
This exciting Christmas carol arrangement will liven up any Christmas worship service or concert! It’s arranged for handbells with keyboard accompaniment (organ accompaniment by T. Paul Rosas), and also has an optional part for flute! For handbells and piano, or handbells and organ, with optional flute.
A hymn that’s perfect for All Saints Day or times of remembrance. For handbells and piano.
Hills of the North, Rejoice
This joyous English carol is perfect for Advent or Christmas. Our demonstration video was recorded inside our Victorian cottage in northern Michigan. For handbells and piano.
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day is a pre-Civil War song that sets a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to the tune WALTHAM by John Baptiste Calkin. The score for our piano-accompanied 8-bell arrangement comes as a package containing versions in D major (D5-D6) and G major (G5-G6). The D major version is in the key to which the song is most often sung; the G major version uses a more easily-managed set of bells, especially if you’re playing four-in-hand (but is not in a comfortable range for most vocalists). For handbells and piano.
One of the most reflective and well-loved Christmas carols, this arrangement has an organ accompaniment written by T. Paul Rosas. For handbells and organ.
This touching and comforting hymn has been recorded by many artists in its 150 year history, including Dolly Parton. For handbells and piano.
Everybody knows this Christmas song – and it’s fun to play! For handbells and piano.
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy – with a touch of extra fun! This 8-bell arrangement is available as a score for bells alone, or with the organ accompaniment written by T. Paul Rosas. For handbells and organ.
This hymn will be a welcome addition to your Easter worship service! For handbells and piano.
This gentle traditional carol is straightforward to play. For handbells and piano.
This spirited arrangement is fun for ringers and pianist alike! For handbells and piano.
Praise God, Ye Servants of the Lord
The lively hymn tune ANDRE shows praise and rejoicing! For handbells and piano.
You’ll enjoy playing this arrangement of this much-loved hymn. For handbells and piano.
Made famous in recent years as the theme tune from Outlander, this traditional Scottish song is straightforward to play, and popular with audiences! For handbells and piano.
12-Bell Music
We bring you a fresh and unusual arrangement of the beloved Christmas song Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. The irregular meters will keep your ringers on their toes, and will give your congregation a different look at rejoicing during Christmas season. There’s also an optional flute part, which definitely adds to the excitement! For handbells, piano and flute.
We recorded our demonstration video in England, when we visited a few years ago! For handbells and piano.
Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Available in two bell ranges, this accompanied hymn is perfect for Good Shepherd Sunday and general worship. For handbells and piano.
This gentle Austrian carol is perfect for your Christmas Eve worship service. For handbells and piano.
Full Choir Music
This arrangement was included in the Michigan AGO’s gift to their conference participants in July 2019. For 3-5 octaves of handbells and organ.
This Level 3 arrangement is for either 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, with piano accompaniment. It’s perfect for Christmas worship services, and fun to play!
Here’s a super-exciting, Level 5 arrangement, full of mixed-meter festivity! The optional flute part adds to the sparkle! For handbells, piano and flute.
Music for Handbells with Flute
8-Bell Music
This exciting Christmas carol arrangement will liven up any Christmas worship service or concert! It’s arranged for handbells with keyboard accompaniment (organ accompaniment by T. Paul Rosas), and also has an optional part for flute! For handbells and piano, or handbells and organ, with optional flute.
This original composition for 8 handbells and flute came about when we traveled to Pennsylvania for a shared concert with Philadelphia Bronze. Martha Matthews joined us to perform this piece for the first time there! For handbells and flute.
Full Choir Music
Here’s a super-exciting, Level 5 arrangement, full of mixed-meter festivity – with an optional flute part to add to the sparkle! For handbells and flute.
Music for Handbells with Other Instruments (flute, harp, percussion… kazoo!)
Dancing in the Highlands is the picture for this unusual trio (… a quartet if you add bodhran!), Heather’s Dance, originally scored for handbells, harp, and bowed psaltery. Bells scored are D5, E5, F#5, G5, A5, B5, C6, D6, E6, F#6, G6, A6, B6, C6, D6, and E6, with D6-E7 on bell tree).
Keyboard may be substituted for the harp, and other transpositions have been included for C/Bb/Eb/F instrument.
A Minor Crash
This original composition is full of interesting (and interacting!) rhythms. Separately, they’re fairly easy to learn; together; combined, they’re an exciting mix. A set of somewhat simplified pages is provided in case you need to be less adventurous than the as-originally-written middle section. For 5-8 octaves of handbells plus optional handchimes, with a percussion part written by Alex Guebert. Level 4.
We’re excited to have permission to arrange the Gene Raskin song Those Were the Days which was recorded by Mary Hopkin in 1968. It’s based on the Russian song “Дорогой длинною” (Dorogoi dlinnoyu, literally “by the long road”). In today’s popular music framework, it’s about youth and celebrating great times. For handbells (five to seven octaves), with optional mandolin, tambourine, flute, wood block, and kazoo. Level 3+
Send Us Your Suggestions!
We hope you enjoy playing some of our music for handbells with other instruments. What other instruments would you like to hear with handbells? Let us know if you have any ideas for us!
