October 20, 2022

Gaudete – for 16 Handbells

Gaudete – for 16 handbells – is the latest arrangement from Choraegus. This arrangement is part of our continuing effort to show that music for small handbell choirs doesn’t have to be boring, and doesn’t necessary have to be easy to play. Our 16-bell music is designed for 2-3 octave groups looking for something interesting and challenging for 4-8 ringers. This new arrangement of this 16th century sacred Christmas carol is one that we’d be tempted to describe as “fiendish”, but in a good way, of course.

More information about Gaudete – for 16 handbells

This arrangement is available from Choraegus in two handbell ranges – C5 to C7 and G4-G6. Please check the bells-used charts on the Choraegus page for this piece. Our video shows the C5-C7 version, because that’s easier for 4-in-hand. If you have more than four ringers, you can pick whichever version you prefer. There are no bell changes, and no techniques that require tables or foam pads.

Click here to find out more, or purchase sheet music (digital download) on our Choraegus site.

There is also an arrangement of Gaudete! for 3-8 octaves of handbells.

More about Choraegus handbell music

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group. – so don’t pay for more copies than you need! Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please be sure to mention the arranger of the piece (Larry Sue) and the publisher (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, and we’d love to see a video if you record one with your ensemble!

Please note that our sheet 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.

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. You’ll find just about every question anyone has ever asked us, along with answers. However, if you don’t find what you’re looking for, please ask us!

October 17, 2022

The WOODLANDS Hymn Tune for Handbells

The WOODLANDS hymn tune was written by the English composer Walter Greatorex in 1916. Since then, it has been used for several hymn texts, the most popular of which is probably Tell Out My Soul, written by Timothy Dudley-Smith in 1961:

“Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of his word –
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.”

This hymn holds special memories for Carla, who sung it regularly as a young child at school in England, with different lyrics, written by Basil J. Mathews:

“Far round the world thy children sing their song,
From east and west their voices sweetly blend,
Praising the Lord, in whom young lives are strong,
Jesus, our guide, our hero, and our friend.”

Here’s our arrangement of the WOODLANDS hymn tune for 3-5 octaves of handbells:

More information about WOODLANDS

WOODLANDS is for 3-5 octaves of handbells, with an optional octave of handchimes, Level 3+. Sheet music for this arrangement 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 also grants permission for you to perform, broadcast and live-stream this piece as part of a concert or worship service without the need for any additional license or fee, although we ask you to credit the arranger (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). 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 PDF file, which you’ll need to download. 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.

October 7, 2022

Psalm 22, for 16 Handbells – New Music from Choraegus

Psalm 22 is a 16-century hymn from the Genevan Psalter. It’s often used with the hymn text When We Are Tempted to Deny Your Son, during Lent.

“When we are tempted to deny Your Son,
Because we fear the anger of the world,
And we are few who bear the insults hurled,
Your will, O God, be done.“

Here’s our arrangement of the Genevan Psalm 22 for 16 handbells:

More information about Psalm 22

This hymn arrangement is available from Choraegus in two handbell ranges – D5 to C7 and G4-F6. Please check the bells-used charts on the Choraegus page for this piece, and make sure you have all the bells you need. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand piece, but it’s suitable for up to 8 ringers. There are no bell changes, and no techniques that require tables or foam pads.

More about Choraegus handbell music

Please note that our sheet 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.

Any questions?

October 6, 2022

A Concert for the Monday Musical Club

The Monday Musical Club is a non-profit organisation dedicated to music education and promotion of creative and performing arts. Based in St. Joseph, Michigan, they hold a wide variety of education events and music performances. We were excited to be asked to present a shared concert with our friends Gary and Martha Matthews!

About Gary and Martha Matthews

Gary and Martha also live in Holland, and they’re a talented couple! Gary studied organ, music education, and sacred music, and holds a doctorate in Worship Studies. He served as Pastor of Worship and the Arts at Highland Park Baptist Church in Southfield, MI, and at Christ Memorial Church in Holland, MI. He’s a published composer, and has been performing for more than forty years, with piano, organ, trumpet and voice.

Martha holds a Bachelors in Music Education and a Masters in Flute Performance. She has played principal flute with Florida Symphonic Pops, Florida Wind Symphony, Gold Coast Opera, Gold Coast Ballet and the Washington Idaho Symphony. Martha directs the Kalamazoo Ringers, and is a sought-after handbell clinician. In concert with Gary, she plays flute, whistles, bell tree, and piano.

A concert with handbells, flute, piano, trumpet, and more!

We held our shared concert at First Congregational Church of St. Joseph. This is a beautiful sanctuary for a music performance! It was a treat for the four of us to be able to perform together. We’d spent most of our summer at our cottage near Petoskey, and Gary and Martha had been in Holland. Planning a concert and rehearsing is a challenge when you’re in different towns! Thanks to the power of email, and our individual rehearsals, we made it work.

Our program included music on a variety of instruments, including handbells (of course!) Gary and Martha opened the concert with a piece for piano and trumpet, and we continued with a couple of our favorite handbell duets. We also enjoyed the opportunity to get together as a quartet to perform some pieces – including Larry’s infamous arrangement of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing that the four of us had previously played for one of the Kalamazoo Ringers’ online Christmas concerts. We all played Blessed Assurance together, with a brand-new flute part that Larry had written specially for this concert. It was fun to find that some of the audience hadn’t seen handbells played in our 4-in-hand style before. We talked to audience members afterwards, and answered questions about our technique and the way we move.

Here’s the full program!

We enjoyed listening to Gary and Martha’s pieces, particularly Brent Olstad’s I Love to Tell the Story. Martha’s flute-played was enthralling to hear, and the audience clearly loved this piece. We finished the concert with an extra surprise – Larry’s lively arrangement of Ding Dong, Merrily on High. This is another arrangement for handbells, piano and flute, and it makes a perfect ending for a concert.

Our thanks go to the Monday Musical Club for inviting us to share our music in concert, and to everyone who came to listen. We hope to have the opportunity to perform in concert with Gary and Martha again someday!

If you’d like to provide an opportunity for us to perform in concert with Gary and Martha again, or you’d like to host a handbell duet performance, please get in touch with us, and we’ll talk more!

September 29, 2022

Amazing Grace – 12-Bell Version

Larry’s been arranging music for such a long time now… and finally, here is a 12-bell version of Amazing Grace. We’re not quite sure why it took so long for this arrangement to come into being, and we’re certain that the handbell world is already filled with Amazing Grace arrangements. Still, the time has come, and here’s the latest offering from Choraegus.

More about Amazing Grace, 12-bell version

As with all Choraegus 12-bell pieces, Amazing Grace is suitable for 3-6 ringers. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. This arrangement is available for three different ranges of handbells – one version using C5-G6, another for D5-A6, and another for F5-C7. Be sure to refer the bells-used charts on the Choraegus webpage to make sure you have all the bells you need, and be certain to purchase the right version.

Other arrangements of Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace is also available as an arrangement for 8 handbells. There are two versions – one standard and one “Surprisingly Easy”.

Information 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!

September 25, 2022

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise – New 12-Bell Music

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise is our latest handbell arrangement, available from Choraegus. The tune, ST. DENIO, is a traditional Welsh melody, first published in the 1830s.

“Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.”

More about Immortal, Invisible, 12-bell version

As with all Choraegus 12-bell pieces, Immortal, Invisible is suitable for 3-6 ringers. We demonstrate our 12-bell arrangements using 4-in-hand, but if you have six ringers, they’ll only need two bells each. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. This arrangement is available for three different ranges of handbells – one version using C5-G6, another for Bb4-F6, and another for F5-C7. Be sure to refer the bells-used charts on the Choraegus webpage to make sure you have all the bells you need, and be sure to purchase the right version.

A discount coupon, and an arrangement for just 8 bells

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise is also available from Choraegus as an arrangement for just eight handbells. There’s a list of all our 8-bell hymn arrangements on the Choraegus website.

Important things to know about Choraegus handbell music

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!

Immortal, Invisible - 12 bell handbell arrangement

September 22, 2022

A Discount Code for Handbell Music!

Today we’re celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary. Here’s a chance to celebrate with us, with a discount code for handbell music from Choraegus! You can save 15% on all your purchases, from today until next Thursday.

Handbell music discount code - Choraegus

It’s a great time to stock up on handbell music!

There’s no limit to how many times you can use the discount code. Now is a great time to stock up on handbell music for fall, and for the holiday season! We’re always adding new pieces to the catalog, and we have a wide range of arrangements and original compositions.

Our music is available to download for your handbell choir; no more waiting for music to arrive by mail! If you’re looking for 5-8 octave arrangements, we have lots, and if your handbell ensemble is down to just a few ringers this season, we have plenty of music for smaller groups too. You’re welcome to browse the site, and if you don’t find what you’re looking for, please ask us, and we’ll do our very best to help you find something suitable.

Don’t forget The Bass Ringer’s Notebook – the must-have guide for anyone who wants to dig deep into the world of playing bass handbells. That’s also available from Choraegus (and you can use the discount code for that too). The only difference is that it’s not available to download. If you order a copy, we’ll lovingly package it up and mail it to you from Michigan.

How to use the coupon code

To use the discount code, simply make your selections from Choraegus in the usual way using the Add to Cart button. In your shopping cart, enter the code ANNIVERSARY in the coupon code box, and your discount should magically appear. If you haven’t purchased music from Choraegus before, and you’d like to test the process, we recommend looking at the Freebies section, where you can download some free handbell music, and see how it all works, without spending any money.

We hope you’ll enjoy playing Choraegus handbell music, and thank you for your interest! If you have any questions, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to help.

September 8, 2022

Book a Handbell Performance for the 2022 Holiday Season!

It’s only September, and technically not even fall/autumn yet, but we’re already scheduling bookings and events for the 2022 holiday season. Christmas is always our busiest time of year. If you’d like to book a handbell performance for the Christmas season, now is the time!

Why book a handbell performance for Christmas?

Everybody knows that bells and Christmas go together perfectly! Think of all the Christmas songs about bells; I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, Jingle Bells, Silver Bells, Christmas Bells are Ringing, Ding Dong, Merrily on High… and the list goes on. Handbell music can give a special festive atmosphere to any Christmas or holiday event. As a handbell duo, we can give a seasonal performance of carols and holiday music, or provide background music to add a special, welcoming touch to your holiday event.

If you’re organizing a corporate event, a community group holiday celebration, winter wedding, or Christmas gathering, you should consider adding handbell music! Our duet performances can bring the sounds of the season to hotel lobbies, department stores, shopping boutiques, community groups and private house parties alike. Handbells can be an unusual alternative to carol singers too!

As the 2022 holiday season approaches, we’re already looking forward to local Christmas performances in Holland, Zeeland and Grand Rapids. Look out for us again at the annual Kerstmarkt in Downtown Holland! We’ll be taking our Christmas handbell program to community groups, and performing with the Zeeland Community Band. Of course, we’ll also be involved in performances by the Kalamazoo Ringers. We’re excited that the group will be performing one of Larry’s recent handbell arrangements for full choir in their concert!

The advantages of a (very) small handbell choir

We often refer to ourselves as West Michigan’s Smallest Handbell Choir. There are only two of us, so when we give a performance, we won’t arrive at your venue with a trailer packed with tables, foam pads, and dozens of cases of handbells! We also won’t need a huge space for our performance. We take up far less room than a traditional handbell choir would – approximately the space of half a car-parking spot. It makes us ideal for venues where space is limited, such as small church sanctuaries, senior communities, community halls, hotel lobbies, and private homes. We bring our own table, music stand, bells and music with us. We’ll work with you to provide the kind of entertainment you need, whether it’s background music, an educational program, or a concert-style performance.

A note about COVID-19

Sadly, COVID-19 is still around, and we make every effort to keep our audiences safe and healthy. We’re fully vaccinated, and will take note of any COVID-19 protocols you’re observing for your event. We do our best to maintain social distancing wherever possible, especially around elderly or vulnerable people. Still, every “in-person” event carries some risk. If you’d like us to prepare an online performance video for you to play at your event instead, please ask.

Would you like to book a handbell performance for Christmas?

A handbell performance could be exactly what your event needs for the 2022 Christmas and holiday season. Contact us to request our current performance fees, ask questions, or find out more. In order for us to give you the most accurate quote, please give us as much detail as possible. Let us know what kind of event you’re planning. Is it a worship service, a corporate party, a community event, or entertainment for a senior community? Let us know the date of the event, the location, and the type of performance you’re looking for.

We’re based in Holland, Michigan, but can travel (please enquire as early as possible, and allow for additional costs). We always recommend booking early (don’t wait until December!), but we can sometimes accommodate last-minute requests too. If in doubt, please ask.

We look forward to sharing our handbell music with you!

Christmas entertainment - handbells — Christmas – our favorite time of year!

August 30, 2022

Our 11th Year at the Bay View Week of Handbells

It’s hard to believe that the 2022 Bay View Week of Handbells was the 11th year we’ve attended this evening together! Of course, that would have happened sooner, if the pandemic hadn’t happened. The 2020 and 2021 Week of Handbells events were cancelled because of Covid-19, so it was a particularly good feeling to get back to it this year.

Our history with the Bay View Week of Handbells

We attended this annual event for the first time in August 2010, when we were still in our long-distance relationship. Carla flew to Chicago from England, and Larry flew in from California. We met in person for the very first time at Chicago O’Hare, and took the short flight to Traverse City together. Until then, we’d only ever communicated online, via Facebook messages, so it was exciting for us to be able to see each other in “real life” and spend time together.

After the 2010 Week of Handbells, we flew back to England and California, and spent a very long year apart. Finally, we were able to meet again at the 2011 Week of Handbells, where we celebrated our engagement with cupcakes at the Monday evening reception. Then we were separated again, returned to England and California, and went through all the challenges of the K-1 fiancée visa process. When the U.S. visa was approved, we were able to make plans to close the distance permanently. Planning the trip was complicated, but we made it all coincide with the 2012 Week of Handbells, and after the event was over, we flew to California to make our wedding plans. Apart from the two years when the event was cancelled, we’ve attended together every year since.

Celebrating our engagement at the Bay View Week of Handbells 2010

The 2022 Bay View Week of Handbells

This year’s Week of Handbells was a bit different for us, for an important reason; we now have our own Bay View cottage! We bought this Victorian cottage in October 2019, when we became members of the Bay View Association. It was built around 1887, and is a quirky little place, with uneven floors and some interesting features!

We appreciated being able to be “at home” between rehearsals, and to relax in our own place at the end of the day. In previous years, we’ve stayed in hotels, and also rented another of the Victorian cottages on campus. Our cottage is at the bottom of the hill, so we got plenty of exercise walking to and from rehearsals in the auditorium! We also had a steady stream of visitors, and enjoyed giving cottage tours to our handbell friends.

The 2022 event

Once again, Larry had the opportunity to play the aluminum bass bells, in the Deep Pit. Carla played AB5, as coordinator of the Position 7 team. Rehearsals went smoothly this year, and everyone was thankful to be back after the long break. We also heard that Bay View Association members were happy to see the return of the bell ringers, and eagerly awaited the Thursday evening concert.

Larry Sue with bass handbells at Bay View

Larry and Carla Bay View Week of Handbells concert

The repertoire for the 2022 Week of Handbells was as follows:

Festive Praises (Fred Gramann)
Tales of the Great Water (Sandra Eithun)
Finale (Widor, arr. Fred Gramann)
The Entertainer (Joplin, transcribed by Paul Kingbury) – available from Choraegus
Intrepid (Jason Krug)
Change Ring Prelude on ‘Fred Gramann’ (Jantz Black)
Aurora (Matthew Compton)
Aria (Donald Allured)
São Paulo (Elizabeth Peters)
The Sound of Silence (Paul Simon, arr. Matthew Compton)
Bulwarkana (Alex Guebert)
Puttin’ on the Ritz (Berlin, arr. Hart Morris)
The Lord Bless You and Keep You (Peter Lutkin)

There were five winners of the Donald E. Allured Composition Award at this year’s concert. Was this a record? Sandra Eithun’s Tales of the Great Water was performed for the first time at the 2022 Week of Handbells, and we were all happy that she came to the concert to hear it!

Donald E Allured Composition Award winners — Catherine McMichael, Sandra Eithun, Larry Sue, Alex Guebert and Matthew Compton

As usual, the week was a very busy one. Rehearsals are long and intense, and there isn’t a lot of spare time, although we always appreciate the Bay View sunsets, the opportunity to gather with friends on the Wednesday “evening off”, and the Bay View Memorial Garden, where the flowers never disappoint.

What’s next?

Now that we’ve put away our 2022 Week of Handbells music, we’re moving on to more duet performances, writing and playing new music, and preparing for the holiday season. We’ll still be spending as much time as we can at Bay View – driving back and forth between Holland and Petoskey – until the time comes to close up the cottage for the winter months. Before too long, it will be time to sign up for the 2023 event – and we’re already looking forward to it!

Larry and Carla with Fred Gramann — With director Fred Gramann before the concert

August 28, 2022

Away in a Manger – 12-Bell Music for Christmas

Away in a Manger is this week’s new 12-bell piece for Christmas. The tune is CRADLE SONG, written by the American composer William J. Kirkpatrick and most commonly used in the United Kingdom. Don’t be confused if this is an unfamiliar tune; in the USA, the tune used most often is MUELLER, written by James R. Murray. We have arrangements of that tune too; keep reading and you’ll find more information!

More about this 12-bell arrangement

Away in a Manger is suitable for 3-6 ringers. We demonstrate it using 4-in-hand, but if you have six ringers, they’ll only need two bells each. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. The arrangement is available in two versions – in Bb major (C5-G6) and C major (D5-A6), so be sure to refer 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.

Other arrangements of this carol

There are more versions of this carol available from Choraegus:

An accompanied arrangement for 6 handbells and piano (the CRADLE SONG tune)

Arranged for 8 handbells, unaccompanied (the CRADLE SONG tune)

For 8 handbells, unaccompanied (the MUELLER tune) – available in two versions

Another 12-bell arrangement, unaccompanied (the MUELLER tune)

A full-choir arrangement for 3-5 octaves (the MUELLER tune)

An accompanied handbell duet arrangement (the NORMANDY tune)

Did you miss Go, Tell it on the Mountain?

Our 12-bell arrangement of Go, Tell it on the Mountain has been available since last week. This laid-back arrangement is another one suitable for 3-6 ringers. Again, there’s a choice of two handbell ranges, and you can download the sheet music from Choraegus.

Things to know about Choraegus handbell music

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!