Tag Archives: 2021

Peace – for Handbells, 3-5 Octaves

It often seems as if the world is full of so much violence, and our own lives are more stress-filled than we’d like them to be. Sometimes we just long for a bit of peace! In our house, that can mean sitting down with a cup of tea in front of the TV, but sometimes playing music is exactly what’s needed.

Peace is an original composition for 3-5 octaves of handbells, with optional handchimes. It’s a Level 2+ arrangement, and fairly straightforward to play. This video was one of the first 3-octave pieces we put together. It was a sight-read, with no rehearsing beforehand, but the notes all seem to be there, so you’ll get the idea.

Where to get the sheet music

Peace is suitable for secular performances, as well as for worship services. If you’d like to this original composition, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

Choraegus handbell music is designed to be downloaded as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (provided you bought the choir version) entitles you to print out up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide!

If you enjoyed Peace, you might also enjoy another of Larry’s original compositions, Newness! Purchase of either of these pieces gives you the benefit of our no-fuss permissions for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing – so you won’t need to apply for a separate licence for any of these.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first. If you don’t find the information you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

peace handbells

Twinkle Samba, and FREE 8-Bell music!

We’ve pulled a couple of handbell duet videos out of the archives this week! After a performance some time ago (remember that long-ago time when we used to give regular handbell performances?) an audience member jokingly asked us if we ever played anything “really difficult… like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” At the time, we didn’t have an 8-bell arrangement of that piece… so Twinkle Samba was born. It’s a fun challenge to play, and requires a bit of concentration to keep the rhythm going, and still play the melody!

This video was recorded in the spring of 2020. A lot has happened since then, including Larry’s shoulder surgery and (ongoing) cancer treatment, and the global pandemic that put a stop to most of our handbell duet performances. Until very recently, we forgot that we’d ever recorded this video, so it’s definitely time to make this piece available to anyone else who wants to play it!

Where to find the Twinkle Samba sheet music

If you’d like to play Twinkle Samba, the sheet music is available from Choraegus. Please remember that when you purchase music from Choraegus, the score will come to you as a PDF file for you to download and print yourself. You won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement will entitle you to print up to 4 copies for your handbell group. Purchase also gives no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. If this is your first time buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

But what about the FREE handbell music?

There’s also a free version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, available to download from the Freebies section of our music site. You’ll also find free music for several other children’s songs, and a hymn – and there will be more free music coming soon. There are also printable covers for anyone who’s storing their 8-bell music in binders.

Here’s a demonstration video Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. It’s a lot more straightforward than Twinkle Samba!

To get your free sheet music, add Twinkle, Twinkle to your cart on the Choraegus site, and click on the yellow “Check out with PayPal” button (don’t worry; PayPal won’t ask you to make any payment). Enter your details, and click “Confirm Order” (there’s no need to click on the PayPal button a second time). Then check your email inbox! If the download link doesn’t arrive, check your spam folder, and it might be there. If anything goes wrong, please let us know, and we’ll find another way to get your music to you.

There’s no obligation to make any other purchase from Choraegus to get the free handbell music. Of course, we hope you’ll take a look at the other titles we have to offer, but if you’d rather just grab the free music and go, we don’t mind at all. It’s a good way to try our 8-bell music without having to spend any money, or to test the process of downloading our music if you haven’t tried it before. 8-bell music is a great way for a duo, trio or quartet to play music with no bell changes; completely suitable for social distancing!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing Choraegus handbell music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions, in case the answer is there. If you don’t find the information you seek, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to help!

free 8-bell music
Our handbell music in binders at an 8-bell music class in Omaha, Nebraska – 2018

Happy – for Handbells, 3-5 Octaves

Happy – for handbells, 3-5 octaves – is one of our recent “just the two of us” recording projects. We played the 5-octave version this time, and added the cajón too – a box-shaped percussion instrument, originally from Peru. For anyone interested, Larry’s cajón is the El Guapo from Malmark Bellcraftsmen.

Larry originally wrote Happy for the Low Ding Zone Murder Mystery shows in early 2013. It has that 1920s flavor, and was a lot of fun to play — both as the original bass piece, and more recently as a 3-5 octave full-choir piece. As with all our put-together full-choir videos, we recorded it without rehearsing first, so please think of any minor inaccuracies as “adding character”!

More information about the music

Happy is an original Level 4 composition for 3-5 octaves of handbells, with optional handchimes — F6, G6, G#6, A6, B6, and C6. The sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

Choraegus handbell music is designed to be downloaded as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (for the full-choir score) entitles you to print out up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Happy - for handbells

The Heavens Declare Your Glory – for Handbells

“The heavens declare your glory, the firmament your power;
day unto day the story repeats from hour to hour.
Night unto night replying, proclaims in every land,
O LORD, with voice undying, the wonders of your hand.“

The Heavens Declare Your Glory is the hymn tune FAITHFUL, written by J.S. Bach. We enjoyed putting together this arrangement for 3-5 octaves of handbells! With lots of opportunity for mallets in the bass, a lively beginning and ending, and a thoughtful and contemplative middle section, there’s plenty in this piece to keep your ringers and audience entertained!

How to get the music, and more information about Choraegus

The Heavens Declare Your Glory is a Level 3 arrangement, for 3-5 octaves of handbells. If you’d like to play it, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

When you buy handbell music from Choraegus, the music score will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (for the full-choir copy) entitles you to print up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information about this. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide, which we designed to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

Purchasing this 3-5 octave arrangement gives you no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing, as part of a performance or worship service.

Any questions about buying or playing our music?

If you have any questions for us, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first, in case the answer is there. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

The Heavens Declare Your Glory handbells

Kingsfold – for Handbells, 3-5 Octaves

Kingsfold is a folk tune that’s thought to date back to the Middle Ages. It’s a tune used for a variety of texts, both sacred and secular. As a folk song, you might know it as Dives and Lazarus or The Star of the County Down. In worship, it’s sung as the popular hymn I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say, and also as When Jesus Walked Upon This Earth. For Christmas, it’s the setting for O Sing a Song of Bethlehem. Our arrangement of Kingsfold for handbells and optional handchimes is a very versatile piece!

We enjoyed putting this video together. Playing 3-5 octave music has been a good way to keep up our ringing skills during a time when duet performances haven’t really been happening. The urge to rehearse for events that aren’t taking place… well, it just isn’t there. So these “full choir” videos have been a fun alternative for us!

More information about Kingsfold

Kingsfold is for 3-5 octaves of handbells, with optional 2-octave handchimes. If you’d like to play it, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, the music score will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment entitles you to print up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide, which we designed to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

Other versions of this piece

An unaccompanied arrangement for 8 handbells

An arrangement for 6 handbells and piano

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Kingsfold for handbells

Vårvindar Friska – Handbell Music for 3-5 Octaves

Vårvindar Friska (Fresh Spring Winds) is a traditional Swedish folk song celebrating the coming of spring. The tune is also used for the hymns Breath of the Living God and O Living Breath of God.

We’ve had this arrangement since 2018, but it took a COVID-19 pandemic to give us the idea of recording some of our 3-5 octave pieces with just the two of us! This one has probably been our favorite, so far. It’s light and breezy, and just skips along. We enjoyed playing it so much that we’re already making plans to try the 5-octave version too!

More information about the music

Vårvindar Friska is for 3-5 octaves of handbells. The sheet music is available to download from Choraegus. It’s versatile enough to be played as part of a worship service, or performed in a spring or summer concert.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, please note that it will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment entitles you to print out up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Vårvindar Friska - handbells

Fairest Lord Jesus / Beautiful Savior – for Handbells (3-5 Octaves)

“Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown

Fairest Lord Jesus is a popular Christian hymn, also sung as Beautiful Savior. We enjoyed putting this video together with just the two of us. Again, it was an opportunity to test our sight-reading skills. The last year has been a quiet one for us, performance-wise, and this video-recording project has certainly kept us busy!

More information about the music

Fairest Lord Jesus is for 3-5 octaves of handbells, with optional 2-octave handchimes. If you’d like to play it, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, the music score will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment entitles you to print up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide, which we designed to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Fairest Lord Jesus Beautiful Savior handbells

Day By Day – for Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves

“Day by day and with each passing moment, 
Strength I find to meet my trials here; 
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, 
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. 
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure 
Gives unto each day what he deems best–
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, 
Mingling toil with peace and rest.”

Day By Day is our most recent recording project with just the two of us. It’s been fun to record these videos, and very good practise for our sight-reading skills. We haven’t been rehearsing beforehand; we just pick up the bells and play, and see what happens. Sometimes we’ll get it right on our first attempt, and sometimes not… but it’s never boring! There may be minor inaccuracies, but it’s all part of the fun.

More information about the music

The original hymn BLOTT EN DAG was written in Swedish by Carolina Sandell-Berg in 1865, and the tune was composed in 1872 by Oscar Ahnfelt. This hymn arrangement is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, with optional handchimes. If you’d like to play it, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, please note that it will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music scores, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment entitles you to print up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide, which we designed to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Day By Day - handbells

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

“God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.”

God Be With You Till We Meet Again is our latest arrangement for 16 handbells. We were reminded of this hymn recently, when we drove up north to Bay View and walked in the Memorial Gardens there. Bay View (near Petoskey) is where the annual Week of Handbells takes place, and where we spend a week each year gathering with friends old and new, to rehearse and perform handbell music in a beautiful lakeside setting. Our recent visit was a particularly poignant one, as we’d just heard about the passing of Maestro Carl Wiltse, who directed the Bay View Week of Handbells for many years.

Last year’s Week of Handbells was cancelled because of the pandemic — and, sadly, the 2021 event has been cancelled too. We now have to wait until 2022 to see many of our Bay View friends again. Given the amount of preparation time that goes into this annual event, it was the wisest decision, but we’re looking forward to a joyful reunion next year.

God Be With You Till We Meet Again was written by Jeremiah Rankin in 1882. He composed it so his church choir could have something to sing as they said their goodbyes each week. It has become a popular hymn to sing at gatherings, and it’s traditionally sung at the final Sunday Vespers at Bay View every August, as the music season draws to a close and visitors bid their farewells until the next year.

Suitable for socially-distant handbell ensembles

If your handbell ensemble is observing social distancing, our 16-bell arrangements could be useful. God Be With You Till We Meet Again has no bell changes, and needs no bell-sharing. It’s suitable for up to 8 ringers to play, and doesn’t require any techniques that need tables or foam.

If you’d like to play this arrangement, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. 

More information about Choraegus handbell music

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group. 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. In addition, please mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

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. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help!

God Be With You Till We Meet Again - handbells

Celebration – Easy Handbell Music!

Looking for easy handbell music? Admittedly, Larry does have a bit of a reputation for writing challenging music. However, just occasionally, he likes to write something suitable for a beginning handbell choir, or a group in need of something to play that’s not going to take too much time to learn. Celebration is one of those pieces.

Larry wrote this piece some years ago for the handbell choir at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. It has straightforward rhythm and lots of chords – ideal for building confidence in newer ringers, or for groups getting back together after a period of absence. Here’s our new demonstration video, recorded with just the two of us:

This is another arrangement that needs no bell-sharing between ringers. If your handbell choir is observing social distancing, and playing from spaced-apart tables, this piece could work well!

More information about Choraegus handbell music

Celebration is an original composition written for 3-5 octaves of handbells. The sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

Choraegus handbell music is designed to be downloaded as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment entitles you to print out up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide to take you through the process in a stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Easy handbell music - Celebration