Asturias(Leyenda) was written by Spanish composer and pianist Isaac Albéniz in 1892. At the time it was written, it was simply called Prelude, as the first movement of a three-movement suite Chants d-Espagne. It was written for piano, but became one of the most important works in the classical guitar repertoire, and we recommend listening to Andrés Segovia’s transcription, if you haven’t already!
Asturias is full of drama, with intricate melodies and sudden dynamic changes. It presents an exciting challenge for the solo handbell ringer!
The first performance of this arrangement of Asturias (Leyenda) was by internationally acclaimed handbell soloist Emily Li, at the 2025 Handbell Musicians of America Pinnacle event in Wichita, Kansas. We’re looking forward to receiving a video of Emily’s performance to share here, but in the meantime, here’s an mp3 to give you an idea:
Some of the challenges involved in this arrangement
This handbell solo arrangement is a challenging one! The tempo is 132, so there’s the raw speed to consider. You could slow it down slightly, of course, and it would still be an impressive piece. Combined techniques are needed, played simultaneously at high tempo. Emily played double mallets with one hand, and switched between one pair of bells and another, in the other hand, at the same time:
There are extensive legato passages requiring traveling four-in-hand:
The piano accompaniment is a challenge too! Lois Leong played beautifully for Emily Li’s solo concert, but (in case you don’t have a Lois of your own) an mp3 piano accompaniment track is available. This can be used for rehearsal or as a backing track for a performance.
We’ve included two versions of the arrangement in the score package. One is the original version, as performed by Emily Li at Pinnacle. The other is a slightly modified version that’s had a few of the challenges removed and is perhaps slightly easier to play. It still has plenty of challenges for the advanced soloist, though!
The bells needed for this arrangement are: A4-G7 for the original version, and A4-D7 for the slightly modified version.
If you’d like to play Asturias…
The score for Asturias (Leyenda) is available to download from Choraegus.
If you have questions…
If there’s anything more you’d like to know about this handbell solo, you’re welcome to contact us. Larry will be happy to answer your questions!
Emily Li performing Asturias at Pinnacle 2025 (you’ll have to trust us, as there’s no audio here)
“All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”.
Our new arrangement of the popular hymn I Surrender All uses just 8 handbells, and can be played by 2-4 ringers. The tune is SURRENDER, a 19th-century melody composed by Winfield S. Weeden.
More information about this 8-bell arrangement
Sheet music for I Surrender All is available to purchase and download from Choraegus.
Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group. Please don’t pay for more copies than you need to! Purchase also gives you permission to use this piece in online and live-streamed worship services. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title (I Surrender All) and arranger of the piece (Larry Sue) on video-sharing sites and social media.
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. We designed this with pictures, to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a 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!
Beloved Friend was written in memory of Bernie Foulk, who was a member of Kalamazoo Ringers from 2022 to 2025. We all loved Bernie, and his love for the earth, people, all of nature, music, and (of course) his wife Jackie, who joined Kalamazoo Ringers with him. We’d all hoped to have many more years of ringing with Bernie, but that was not to be. After a short illness, Bernie headed for the next life, and we started missing the kindness, personality and humor that he brought to rehearsals.
Larry wrote this original composition in memory of Bernie, and every note has a special meaning that he explains in the introduction to the score. This original composition came together in time for the Kalamazoo Ringers to play it for the first time in their 2025 spring concerts. The group only had a couple of rehearsals to read through it, but it turned out to be a very special (if emotional) tribute to Bernie.
In Bernie’s memory, all proceeds from sales of this work will be donated to the Kalamazoo Ringers.
More information about Beloved Friend
Beloved Friend is for 3-7 octaves of handbells. It’s a Level 3 arrangement, and the score is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. You can either purchase an individual copy (useful for massed ringing events, or for preview), or purchase the full choir license. Please note that Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a downloadable PDF file. 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, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.
Your purchase of the full-choir license allows you to perform, broadcast and live-stream this piece as part of a concert or worship service. There’s no need for any additional license or fee. We askthat youcredit the composer (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). Please see our licensing agreement for full details.
We appreciate your help in spreading the word about Choraegus handbell music. If you record a video of your group playing any of our pieces, we’d love to see it. You’re welcome to share it with us by email or on our Facebook page!
Any questions?
If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. If someone has asked us a question even once, it will be there, along with the answer. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help.
American composer Steve Reich wrote Clapping Music in 1972. It’s a minimalist piece that uses no instruments, and is performed entirely by clapping. We’d never heard of this piece until a couple of weeks ago, when we received an email from a friend, asking if we’d learn it to play at her late husband’s memorial service in Kalamazoo. He was also our friend, of course, and we were honored to be asked to do this.
We found videos of various people and groups performing this piece, and our first thought was: “Wait. We play handbells, not percussion. Can we even do this?”. We downloaded the score, and decided to have a go, but told our friend not to put it into the order of service quite yet, just in case! We really wanted to be able to do it, though, knowing how much her husband loved the piece.
How Clapping Music is constructed
Clapping Music starts with both performers clapping a basic rhythm (a variation on an African bell pattern) in unison. One performer continues clapping that rhythm all through the piece. After a certain number of measures (twelve, in the original score), the other performer claps the same rhythm pattern, but shifts ahead by one eighth note, skipping one note or rest in the rhythm and adding it to the end, in a continuous rotating of the pattern. The “skipping ahead/rotation” process continues, until eventually the pattern has come full circle. At that point, if all has gone to plan, the two performers are clapping in unison again.
This piece proved to be an interesting challenge for us. The first decision to make was which of us would play the continuous pattern, and who would play the “skipping ahead” rhythm. We opted to have Larry keep to the original pattern, and Carla to do the changing one. Both parts have their challenges. It may seem easy for the one person who keeps the steady rhythm throughout, but there’s the potential to be distracted by the other person. It takes concentration and focus, to keep playing the same thing, emphasising only the first beat of each measure, and not to be led astray by anything else you hear!
For the second person, the challenge is in making the quick changes, especially as some measures require clapping on the first beat, and others have a sneaky rest there. The tempo must be constant, of course. If anyone speeds up or slows down, the whole thing falls apart very quickly. Yes, we’re talking from experience! We started at a slightly slower tempo than indicated on the score, and had a lot of “oops” moments as we gradually started to understand more about how to make this piece work.
Stepping (well, clapping) out of our comfort zone!
We were surprised how much physical and mental effort it takes to play this piece. The original score calls for twelve repeats of every measure, but (after checking that we wouldn’t be the first to do it) we cut that down to four repeats, and that helped a lot. We read that the performers should try to match their sound as far as possible. We probably did a better job of that at the service than in the video we made afterwards. Having worried about sweaty palms on a hot day in church, they actually seemed to help, somehow. Unfortunately, we couldn’t replicate that when we clapped the piece again in our northern Michigan cottage!
We usually play handbell duets, so this felt like something that was far outside our comfort zone. We enjoyed the challenge, though, and plan to keep working on it! It might even be an interesting addition to our concert repertoire. If you book us for a handbell duet performance and you’d like to hear it, please let us know!
Clapping Music was very well received at our friend’s memorial service. We thought we’d make a recording to share, if only to prove that we did it. We encourage you to try it too!
Every Time I Feel the Spirit is an African-American spiritual that was first published in 1907. It’s believed to have been sung several decades earlier than that, and many of these traditional songs were sung and passed down through generations long before being written down.
“O, ev’ry time I feel the Spirit moving in my heart, I will pray. Yes, ev’ry time I feel the Spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.”
Here’s our demonstration video:
More information about Every Time I Feel the Spirit
As with all Choraegus 12-bell pieces, Every Time I Feel the Spirit can be played by 3-6 ringers. Sheet music for this arrangement is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. Each arrangement is available for three different ranges of handbells, so you can choose which you prefer. Refer to the bells-used charts on the Choraegus webpage to make sure you have all the bells you need, and make sure you purchase the right version!
Things to know about Choraegus handbell music
Choraegus handbell music scores are designed to be downloaded as PDF files. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing a 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so please don’t pay for more copies than you need! A practice track is also available separately – useful if your ringers need to practise their parts without the full group being available.
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 arranger (Larry Sue) and the publisher of the piece(Choraegus) on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs. We appreciate your help in getting the word out about Choraegus handbell music – and if you make a video of your handbell choir playing any of our pieces, we’d love to see it!
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!
Brother James’ Air is the latest 12-bell arrangement from Choraegus. The hymn was written by James Leith Macbeth Bain, and published in 1915 with the text from Psalm 23:
“The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by. He leadeth me, He leadeth me, the quiet waters by.”
In more recent times, this melody has also been used as the tune for Carl P. Daw, Jr.’s hymn How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place, O Lord of Hosts, to Me. Here’s our demonstration video:
More information about Brother James’ Air
As with all Choraegus 12-bell pieces, Brother James’ Air is suitable for 3-6 ringers. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. Each arrangement is available for three different ranges of handbells, so you can choose which you prefer. Refer to the bells-used charts on the Choraegus webpage to make sure you have all the bells you need, and make sure you purchase the right version!
Things to know about Choraegus handbell music
Choraegus handbell music scores are designed to be downloaded as PDF files. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing a 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so please don’t pay for more copies than you need! A practice track is also available separately – useful if your ringers need to practise their parts without the full group being available.
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 arranger (Larry Sue) and the publisher of the piece(Choraegus) on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs. We appreciate your help in getting the word out about Choraegus handbell music – and if you make a video of your handbell choir playing any of our pieces, we’d love to see it!
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!
Silver Bells is a wonderfully nostalgic Christmas song from the 1950s. It was written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston, and was used in the 1951 movie The Lemon Drop Kid. It was first sung by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards, and has since been recorded by many others, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, Michael Bublé and The Temptations. We recently had fun arranging and recording a brand-new arrangement of Silver Bells for handbells!
Silver Bells is a Level 4 arrangement for 3-7 octaves of handbells and 3 octaves of handchimes. If you don’t have handchimes, you could still play it without them, but the chimes definitely add an interesting texture. We have some borrowed Silver Melody Bells, so we used those instead of the handchimes at the beginning and end of the piece, so that’s another option if you have “alternate” bells, like Petit and Fritsens or Whitechapels. You could even use malleted bells on a bell tree. You get to decide how creative you want to be!
The score for Silver Bells is available to download from Sheet Music Plus/Sheet Music Direct, either as a single copy (for massed ringing events, or as a preview) and as a full-choir version. If you’d like to find out more about purchase options, please visit our Choraegus website!
Other recent Christmas titles from Choraegus
Winter Wonderland
Larry’s recent 5-octave arrangement of Winter Wonderland is an exciting challenge for advanced handbell choirs! This piece is available from Sheet Music Plus, in either a single-copy version, or a full-choir score. Find out more on our music site!
Ukrainian Carol of the Bells
This 5-7 octave, Level 4 arrangement makes the perfect concert-closer or encore piece for a holiday concert! Sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.
There are lots more Christmas and holiday arrangements available from Choraegus, so please feel welcome to browse our music site! If there are any Christmas carols or songs you’d like to see an arrangement for, you’re always welcome to contact us to suggest it. As always, if you have any questions, please let us know!
We’re excited to add some new 2-octave hymn arrangements to the Choraegus website! We enjoyed making demonstration videos of all these new titles, which are accessible arrangements that range from Level 2- to Level 3+. Even though only two octaves of handbells are needed for these pieces, they have a full sound, and enough challenge to keep life interesting, without being overwhelming. If you’re already making plans for Christmas worship services, you might also like to take a look at our recent Christmas arrangements for 2 octaves.
Here are the newest arrangements, with links to the relevant pages on our music site, and demonstration videos:
All Things Bright and Beautiful
This is a Level 2 arrangement of the ROYAL OAK hymn tune. It’s a lively arrangement, with thumb-damping to add to the joyous mood. Watch our demonstration video below, and find more information on the Choraegus website.
For the Beauty of the Earth
The hymn tune DIX has always been an interesting one to us, as a US/UK couple. Here in the USA, it’s used here as a year-round hymn, but in the UK it’s more often used with the text As With Gladness, Men of Old, and sung as an Epiphany carol. Whichever version you decide to use, this is an accessible Level 2- arrangement, and you can find it on the Choraegus website. Here’s our demonstration video:
It Is Well With My Soul
This is a popular hymn by Horatio Spafford and Philip Bliss. The tune is VILLE DU HAVRE, and this arrangement is Level 2+. Our demonstration video is below, and you can find the music available to download from the Choraegus website.
My Shepherd Will Supply My Need is sung to the hymn tune RESIGNATION, and the lyrics are based on Psalm 23. It’s a popular hymn for Good Shepherd Sunday. Our 2-octave Level 2 arrangement is available to download from Choraegus.
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High
This is a hymn that dates all the way back to a 15th-century Latin text by an unknown author. The tune is DEO GRACIAS, also sometimes known as AGINCOURT. This new 2-octave arrangement is Level 3-, and you can find it on the Choraegus website.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
LOBE DEN HERREN is a 17th-century German hymn. This new 2-octave Level 3 arrangement is available from Choraegus. You can watch our demonstration video below:
That Easter Day With Joy Was Bright
That Easter Day uses the 15th-century hymn tune PUER NOBIS. Interestingly, this tune is also used for the Advent hymn On Jordan’s Bank, the Baptist’s Cry, so this arrangement can easily be used for both those occasions in the church year! It’s a lively Level 2+ arrangement, available to download from Choraegus. Here’s our demonstration video:
Music scores for our 2-octave arrangements are available to purchase and download from Choraegus. You can either purchase an individual copy (useful for massed ringing events, or for preview), or purchase the full choir license. Purchase of the full choir license gives you permission to print up to 15 copies for your group.
Please note that Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a downloadable PDF file. 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, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.
Your purchase of the full-choir license also allows you to perform, broadcast and live-stream the piece as part of a concert or worship service. There’s no need for any additional license or fee. We ask that youcredit the arranger (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). Please see our licensing agreement for full details.
We appreciate your help in spreading the word about Choraegus handbell music. If you record a video of your group playing any of our pieces, we’d love to see it. You’re welcome to share it with us by email or on our Facebook page!
Any questions?
If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. If someone has asked us a question even once, it will be there, along with the answer. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help.
At the end of the 2024-25 holiday season, it’s time to look back at our December handbell performances!
The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is usually our busiest time of year, as far as handbell performances go. However, this year we didn’t have as many duet bookings as usual. That turned out not to be such a bad thing; we found out at the start of the holiday season that a family member in England was in hospital, and we really needed to go over there as soon as possible. Panic set in for while, because making an emergency trip overseas in December is not an easy thing to do. We’ve never cancelled a holiday handbell performance yet, and didn’t wat to start!
We looked at our calendar, and decided that we should continue as planned with our Christmas bookings, then fly to England as soon as they were all finished. We booked flights for December 21st, and a room in a hotel not far from the hospital. Then we took a few deep breaths, and continued with our December as planned.
Two chilly performances at the Kerstmarkt-Holland
Our 2024 holiday season started in the way that’s become a tradition for us in recent years. We always love to begin our Christmas ringing at the Kerstmarkt! This is a European-style Christmas market in downtown Holland. We even met Santa there this year! It was cold on both evenings we played, and we also had snow on one evening. We always wrap up warmly, though, so we’re well prepared. We go to this event feeling extremely wide, with several layers of extra clothing on! Thanks to the Kerstmarkt organizers, particularly Osman Flowers and Firs, and Shady Side Farm, for inviting us to take part in this festive annual event.
Another outdoor performance, at Otsego Hometown Christmas
We were excited to be asked to perform at Otsego Hometown Christmas again this year. This is another chilly outdoor event (we get a lot of practice with those!), but we enjoyed sharing our music there again. There’s always a lot happening at this community event. There are trailer rides, a live Nativity, and a parade, and it’s a fun way to celebrate the holiday season. Thanks to Otsego District Library for sponsoring our performance again this year.
Back to the Gary Byker Memorial Library of Hudsonville!
We were pleased to be invited back for this annual celebration with the Friends of the Library. If we’re remembering correctly, this was our sixth year at this event! We always enjoy the opportunity to play carols and talk about our bells with an attentive and enthusiastic audience. This year, we included a couple of accompanied duets in our program. We have lots of 6- and 8-bell accompanied pieces, and we really wanted to play some of them. We decided to try using an mp3 backing track instead of an actual pianist, and it worked well.
As you can see from the photo, it was a bit of a stormy day! We were scheduled to present a handbell duet program at Paw Paw District Library that evening too. Sadly (but wisely), that event had to be postponed. The snowflakes make for a fun photo, but driving conditions were definitely less than ideal! We’ll now be performing at the library on the evening of Thursday, January 23rd instead. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for no winter storm that day!
Finally, some indoor performances!
We were happy to be able to add our handbell music to another Christmas concert by the Zeeland Community Band. This festive community event has been a highlight of our holiday season for several years now. Here’s a rare photo of us in action!
We enjoyed a couple of performances for private events, including a luncheon for seniors in Wright Township. As December went by, we decided that we had enough time to fit in a couple of fundraising sessions at the Salvation Army Red Kettle too. We hadn’t done that in a few years! We were encouraged by how pleased people were to hear something different at our local D&W Fresh Market. It also helped that we were able to choose a location indoors. After the first few performances in December, we felt that we’d already done our fair share of outdoor ringing!
A quick trip to England
Our pre-Christmas performances in Michigan were all finished on December 20th. On the 21st, we flew to England, to meet with family in Berkshire. We took some of our handbells with us, packed in a carry-on case. We’ve travelled overseas with handbells before, but never risk putting them in our checked luggage. We spent Christmas Day at the hospital, and played carols for patients as they had their Christmas lunch. It was heartwarming to see how the hospital staff worked hard to make Christmas Day festive for patients there. In our “down time”, we enjoyed acting like tourists in the town of Reading, and admiring the old buildings there. We shared some of the photos from our trip on our Facebook page. Our week in England was over far too quickly, and it really didn’t feel like a vacation at all. There were friends and family that we didn’t have the opportunity to see, but we hope it won’t be too long before we can start planning another trip there.
Back to Michigan, for the last days of Christmas
We arrived back in Michigan, tired and a little overwhelmed from our trip. We’d been looking forward to playing at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ on Epiphany Sunday, though. We actually couldn’t remember the last time we’d played handbell duets in an Epiphany Sunday service! We were thankful for one more opportunity to play carols such as Silent Night, The First Nowell, What Child is This and We Three Kings. It was our first visit to this friendly church, but hopefully not our last!
Thank you!
Thank you so much to everyone who supported and encouraged us through our 2024-25 holiday season! If you booked us for a performance, came to one of our handbell concerts, bought music from Choraegus, communicated with us on our Facebook page, or did anything at all to lift our spirits during quite a stressful month – thank you. We’re looking forward to sharing more handbell music with you in the coming year!
“Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm does bind the restless wave, Who bids the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep; O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea.“
William Whiting wrote Eternal Father, Strong to Save in England, in 1860, and English clergyman John Bacchus Dykes wrote the tune MELITA to accompany the lyrics. The hymn was first published in Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1861. The hymn has been adopted in various forms and adaptations by the Royal Navy, the United States Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and other maritime services. For this reason, it’s also known as The Navy Hymn, as well as sometimes being referred to as For Those in Peril on the Sea.
Larry was recently asked to write a 2-octave arrangement of this hymn. Here’s our demonstration video of this Level 3 piece:
More information about this 2-octave handbell music
Sheet music for Eternal Father, Strong to Save is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. You can either purchase an individual copy (useful for massed ringing events, or for preview), or purchase the full choir license. Purchase of the full choir license gives you our no-fuss permission to print up to 15 copies for your group.
Your purchase of the full-choir license allows you to perform, broadcast and live-stream this piece as part of a concert or worship service. There’s no need for any additional license or fee. We ask that youcredit the arranger (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). Please see our licensing agreement for full details.
We appreciate your help in spreading the word about Choraegus handbell music. If you record a video of your group playing any of our pieces, we’d love to see it. You’re welcome to share it with us by email or on our Facebook page!
Please note that Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a downloadable PDF file. 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, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide 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 someone has asked us a question even once, it will be there, along with the answer. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help.
