Tag Archives: 8 bell music

8-Bell Music for Palm Sunday – All Glory, Laud and Honor

Here’s some new 8-bell music for Palm Sunday! It’s an arrangement of All Glory, Laud and Honor (ST. THEODULPH), for eight handbells with piano accompaniment. We think your small ensemble will enjoy playing this one!

More about All Glory, Laud and Honor

As with all our 8-bell arrangements, this piece is designed to be played by 2-4 ringers. There are no accidentals to pick up mid-piece, no bell-sharing, and no need for tables or foam. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand piece, but there’s no requirement to use that technique, if you have four ringers! The piano accompaniment will give ringers confidence that even if they miss a note (as we all do, from time to time), the music will still go on!

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’re interested in 8-bell music for Palm Sunday, and you’d like to play All Glory, Laud and Honor, you’ll find the sheet music available to purchase from Choraegus, our music site. An mp3 accompaniment track is also available to purchase separately. This can be useful if you don’t have an available accompanist, or for rehearsing at home.

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 (Larry Sue) on video-sharing sites and social media, and in any printed materials such as church service bulletins. We appreciate your help in spreading the word about Choraegus handbell music, and if you record your group playing any of our music, we’d love to see your videos!

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.

Other arrangements of All Glory, Laud and Honor

If you have more than four people available, you might also enjoy our 12-bell arrangement. Here’s the video for that one! Sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

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!

The Kalamazoo Ringers Christmas Concert is on YouTube!

You can now watch the Kalamazoo Ringers’ Christmas concert On a Winter’s Night on YouTube! If you missed the live-stream on Facebook, you can now catch up at your leisure. The whole concert is available to watch on the Kalamazoo Ringers’ official YouTube channel:

There are also individual videos of each of the concert performances, so you can catch up with your favorites, and share the videos with your friends and on social media.

We were honored that the concert contained several Choraegus handbell arrangements:


O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

We enjoyed playing this 16-bell piece with Rhonda and Martha – in our house in Holland, Michigan! The beauty of a small-ensemble concert is being able to rehearse and record in smaller venues, and it’s fun to invite the audience into our homes for a short while.

Of the Father’s Love Begotten

This is a very recent arrangement – so new that we haven’t even published it yet. It’s an interesting twist on the Divinum Mysterium plainchant melody, familiar to many handbell ringers because of Fred Gramann’s famous arrangement. This is a quirky and fun arrangement, with the addition of a cajón part. We decided that a Kalamazoo Ringers Christmas concert was a good reason/excuse to put a recording together. If all goes to plan, the sheet music will be available to purchase from Choraegus in May 2022.

Wexford Carol

Wexford Carol is another of our 16-bell arrangements. It’s a traditional Irish carol that’s full of dissonance and rich chords. This arrangement has been popular with Choraegus customers this year! Rhonda and Martha joined us for this performance.

‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime

This 8-bell arrangement of the Huron Carol lends itself well to bass handbells! We met with Rhonda and John to rehearse and perform Matthew Prins’s arrangement of Fum, Fum, Fum. At the last minute, we decided it could be fun to drop this one a couple of octaves and see how it would sound. We think it worked well!

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

We’ve been playing this 8-bell arrangement for several years now, and always enjoy it. It brings back happy memories of a fun Christmas performance in California in 2014! We were thankful for the opportunity to record it again fo this year’s Kalamazoo Ringers Christmas concert.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

This is another recent arrangement from Choraegus. It’s pure fun to play! It has mixed meters, a lively feel, and a challenging flute addition. Our talented Holland-neighbors Martha and Gary Matthews joined us for this performance. We’ll be publishing this one in spring or summer 2022, along with a 5-octave version!

We hope that the Kalamazoo Ringers will be able to get back to in-person rehearsals and concerts in 2022. In some ways, the group’s time apart has been good for us; we’ve all been able to develop our skills in small-ensemble ringing. Having said that, we’re all very much looking forward to being able to make music together again!

If you have questions about any of the Choraegus music from the Kalamazoo Ringers’ Christmas concert, please get in touch with us, and we’ll be happy to help! We encourage you to share the Christmas concert videos with your friends, and we hope to see many of you at one of the Kalamazoo Ringers’ concerts in 2022!

Kalamazoo Ringers Christmas concert program 2021

Free Handbell Music – I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day,
Their old familiar carols play”

Thank you to everyone who’s bought and downloaded handbell music from Choraegus this year. We appreciate you so much! Now it’s our turn to give something to you – with free handbell music! Did you catch our giveaway of Silent Night (12-bell) on Facebook yesterday? If you missed it, you can still get today’s free gift. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day is arranged for 8 handbells and piano accompaniment – and it can be yours, free of charge, for one day only! You can also get the accompaniment track mp3, to help with rehearsing or for those times when you don’t have a pianist available.

To get your free sheet music, add I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (and the accompaniment track if you need it) 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). You’ll receive a confirmation screen, with a link to download your music. We recommend saving it to your computer, so that you’ll have it ready for next year! If anything goes wrong, please let us know, and we’ll find another way to get your music to you.

More information (the small print)

As always, we recommend that you read the licensing agreement before buying music from us (or claiming your free music), especially if this is your first time downloading music from Choraegus. You won’t receive anything in the mail, and will be responsible for printing your own music.

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 do what we can to help!

We wish you a very happy holiday season, and a healthy and music-filled year ahead!

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day handbells

Jesus Paid it All – for 8 Handbells

Jesus Paid it All was written in 1855 by Elvina M. Hall, with music by John T. Grape. The tune ALL TO CHRIST is also used for the hymns Fullness in Christ, I Hear the Saviour Say, and All to Christ I Owe.

More information about this arrangement

Our 8-bell arrangement of Jesus Paid it All is suitable for 2-4 ringers. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand duet, but there’s no requirement to use 4-in-hand. There’s no bell-sharing, and no accidentals to pick up mid-piece, so if you have a small ensemble, this piece can be played with no need for tables or foam pads. Perfect for social distancing!

How to purchase the sheet music

Sheet music for Jesus Paid it All is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchase of this arrangement gives you permission to print up to four copies for your handbell group – so don’t pay for more copies than you need! 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 title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials. 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 on our Facebook page!

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.

Jesus Paid it All handbells

The Heavens Declare Your Glory – 8-Bell Music

The Heavens Declare Your Glory is J.S. Bach’s hymn tune FAITHFUL. It’s a versatile hymn for use in worship year-round! Here’s our new 8-bell arrangement:

More information about this arrangement

Our 8-bell arrangement of The Heavens Declare Your Glory is suitable for 2-4 ringers. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand duet, but there’s no requirement to use 4-in-hand. There’s no bell-sharing, and no accidentals to pick up mid-piece, so if you have a small ensemble, this piece can be played with no need for tables or foam pads. Perfect for social distancing!

How to purchase the sheet music

Sheet Music for The Heavens Declare Your Glory (8-bell version) is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print up to four copies for your handbell group – so don’t pay for more copies than you need! 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 title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials. We appreciate your help in spreading the word about Choraegus handbell music!

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.

Looking for full-choir music?

If you’re looking for music for 3-5 octaves, you might enjoy our full-choir arrangement of The Heavens Declare Your Glory. This version is also available to purchase and download from Choraegus.

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.

The Heavens Declare Your Glory 8-bell

Love Came Down at Christmas – 8 Handbells with Piano Accompaniment

“Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love divine;“

This gentle accompanied carol arrangement is the latest addition to the Choraegus handbell catalog. We played it last year at the end of our online Christmas duet concert, recorded in our Victorian cottage in northern Michigan. Christina Rossetti’s lyrics are most often sung to this traditional Irish melody (GARTAN). Here’s our demonstration video:

More information about this arrangement

Love Came Down at Christmas is an accompanied 8-bell arrangement that’s straightforward to play. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand duet, but you don’t need any special techniques to play it. This piece is suitable for 2-4 ringers, and sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus.

Buying handbell music from Choraegus

Your Choraegus music score will come to you in a download link, as a PDF file. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. You can order the music, download and print it on the same day, and be ready to rehearse!

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. You can find full details in our licensing agreement, and in our instructions about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus music. Please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs. If you enjoy playing our music, please share our website link with other handbell musicians, and help us to get the word out!

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. Just about every question anyone’s ever asked us is there, along with answers. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help.

Love Came Down at Christmas

Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul – a Swedish Christmas Carol

Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul is a Christmas song from Sweden. Gustaf Nordqvist wrote the music, with lyrics by Edvard Evers. The title translates as “Christmas, Glorious Christmas”, and the carol has been one of the most popular Christmas songs in Sweden since its publication in 1921. There have been many versions of Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul recorded by musicians in Scandinavia and around the world.

Our demonstration video was recorded last December, as part of an online handbell duet concert we put together for a group in Colorado.

More information about this arrangement

Our 8-bell arrangement of Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul is suitable for 2-4 ringers. There are no special techniques written into the score, and there’s no need for bell-sharing or tables.

How to purchase the sheet music

If you’d like to play Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print up to four copies for your handbell group – so don’t pay for more copies than you need! 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 title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials.

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.

Stralande Jul - handbells

Our 6th Surprisingly-Easy 8-Bell Hymn Collection

Some of our most popular 8-bell titles are the Surprisingly-Easy hymn arrangements. We’re pleased to announce the arrival of our 6th Surprisingly-Easy 8-Bell Hymn Collection!

Surprisingly-Easy 8-Bell Hymn Arrangements from Choraegus

We refer to our Surprisingly-Easy arrangements as “All of the music, but without the twiddly bits”. These arrangements are more straightforward to play than the standard versions. They avoid complicated rhythms, and can be played at a tempo you’re comfortable with. If you’re part of an advanced handbell group, these arrangements should be “pick up and play” pieces for you; useful if you need to put together a performance at short notice. They’re ideal for worship services, contain no special techniques, and are suitable for 2-4 ringers to play. If you’re part of a duo, trio or quartet, or your full handbell choir is unable to play together because of COVID-19 restrictions, these hymns could be what you’re looking for.

The hymns included in this 8-bell hymn collection are:

  • All Things Bright and Beautiful
  • Holy is the Lord
  • In Babilone
  • Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
  • Let All Things Now Living (The Ash Grove)
  • My Song is Love Unknown
  • Linstead Market (the tune used for the hymn Let All Talents and Tongues Employ

Each of these arrangements is also available to purchase individually from Choraegus, our music site.

More information about buying music online from Choraegus

As always, we strongly recommend that you read the licensing agreement before buying music from us, especially if this is your first time downloading music from Choraegus. Please also 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.

Purchasing an 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group. For more information, we have a step-by-step guide to purchasing music from Choraegus. This music also comes with permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. Please include the title and arranger (Larry Sue) in any online video link, and in printed materials such as concert programs or worship bulletins.

There are more Surprisingly-Easy 8-Bell Collections available from Choraegus, as well as our standard 8-bell arrangements – some more challenging than others.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please check our Frequently-Asked Questions first. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, please get in touch with us, and we’ll be happy to help.

6th Surprisingly Easy 8-Bell Hymn Collection
Also available free – from Choraegus – binder covers for our 8-bell music!

Praise God, Ye Servants of the Lord – Handbells and Piano

Praise God, Ye Servants of the Lord (hymn tune ANDRE) is a 19th century hymn written by William B. Bradbury. The tune is also used for the hymns When Israel Fled from Egypt Land and Heavenly Home. It’s an upbeat, quirky little tune, and here’s our arrangement for 8 handbells with piano accompaniment:

We demonstrate this piece as a 4-in-hand duet, but it’s suitable for 2-4 ringers to play, and quite straightforward. It could be a useful addition to your handbell choir’s summer repertoire, for those times when the full group isn’t available to get together!

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’d like to play Praise God, Ye Servants of the Lord, 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 if you don’t have an accompanist, or you need to rehearse alone.

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!

Praise God Ye Servants of the Lord

O Zion, Haste – Handbells and Piano Accompaniment

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!

O Zion Haste handbells