Here’s a list of 12-bell traditional music, including folk songs and international pieces, available from Choraegus. Click on a title, and you’ll be taken to our music site. There, you’ll find more details about each piece, demonstration videos or audio files, and information about how to purchase music from us!
Titles available from Choraegus
Annie Laurie
The Scottish song Annie Laurie (also known as Maxwelton Braes), is about a young woman, a soldier, and their romance. Although her father opposed their marriage, the story of their love still remains today.
Country Gardens
“How many kinds of sweet flowers grow in an English country garden?
We’ll tell you now of some that we know; those we miss you’ll surely pardon
Daffodils, heart’s ease and flox, meadowsweet and lady smocks
Gentain, lupine and tall hollyhocks, roses, foxgloves, snowdrops,
Blue forget-me-nots in an English country garden.”
The Dreidel Song
We were asked to arrange some Hanukkah music for 12 handbells. The Dreidel Song is one of them!
Flow Gently, Sweet Afton
There’s written poetry, and there’s musical poetry. In Flow Gently, Sweet Afton, verse by Robert Burns weds a tune by Jonathan Spilman to become this arrangement. It also is known as the hymn As Rain from the Clouds.
Greensleeves
There are many stories about this tune. Some historical references say that Henry VIII wrote it… but it had to be someone else because it was written after he’d died. However, it was “on the charts” by Shakespeare’s time, so it’s been around for quite a while, and often appears during Christmas in the form of What Child is This?
Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah
Hanukkah is the Jewish “Festival of Lights”. We were asked to arrange some 12-bell pieces for this celebration, and this is one of them!
Ma’oz Tzur
Ma’oz Tzur translates into English as “Rock of Ages”. This is another arrangement for Hanukkah.
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
Here’s our 12-bell arrangement of the popular Scottish folk song!
Sevivon Sov Sov Sov
Sevivon Sov Sov Sov is known as “the other dreidel song”, and this is another of our Hanukkah arrangements.
She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain When She Comes
This is a fun-to-play arrangement of a popular American song. It’s available in two versions, so you get to decide if you want the “aye aye yippee” chorus or not!
Shenandoah
This American folk tune, also known as Across the Wide Missouri, speaks of journeying through the American Midwest. It’s idyllic tune has inspired many settings – and here’s the twelve-bell one!
The Skye Boat Song
This 19th-century Scottish song is also the setting for the hymn Spirit of God, Unseen as the Wind, by Margaret Old. It’s recently been used as the theme tune for the TV series Outlander!
The Star-Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key wrote the words for “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814 after seeing the American flag raised over Fort McHenry in celebration of victory. Our straightforward 12-bell arrangement is suitable for all your patriotic events!
