O Zion, Haste is our latest 8-bell hymn arrangement, for handbells and piano. The tune, TIDINGS, was written by English composer James Walch in 1876. The words to the hymn were written by Mary A. Thomson:

“O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling,
To tell to all the world that God is light.
That he who made all nations is not willing
One soul should perish, lost in shades of night.
Publish glad tidings, tidings of peace;
Tidings of Jesus, redemption and release.“

Here’s our arrangement for 8 handbells with piano accompaniment:

More information about O Zion, Haste

O Zion, Haste is for 8 handbells between G5 and G6. We demonstrate this arrangement as a 4-in-hand duet, but it’s suitable for 2-4 ringers to play. There’s no bell-sharing, and no need for tables or foam, which makes it suitable for a socially-distant ensemble if necessary.

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 to use as a backing track if you need to rehearse or perform without an accompanist.

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 an 8-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score). Purchase also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and sharing on video-sharing sites 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 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!