Tag Archives: church music

Ukrainian Music for Handbells – While on the Sea

While on the Sea is a traditional Ukrainian folk hymn. The original title is Страшно бушует житейское море, but the English title is the only one we can pronounce! We’re thankful to Stephan Bilak (1926-2004) for the English translation:

“While on the sea, hear the terrible roaring!
See how the boat of my life rolls with me;
In fear of death and in deepest of anguish,
Lord, hear my prayer, watch my soul on the sea.“
(This translation ©1974 Abilene Christian University Press)

The hymn is hauntingly beautiful, often sung a cappella without accompaniment – as a prayer to God for protection from the stormy waters of life. There are videos on YouTube, where you can listen to it sung in the original language.

About our arrangement of While on the Sea

Our arrangement is for 8 handbells and piano. The sheet music is available to purchase and download 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.

Choraegus is donating all proceeds from this arrangement to UNICEF. When you purchase the sheet music, you’ll be helping to support the relief effort for children and families in Ukraine. Please help us to spread the word, by sharing the video with your friends in the handbell world!

More information about Choraegus handbell music

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 (While on the Sea) and arranger of the piece (Larry Sue) on video-sharing sites and social media, and in any printed materials such as church service bulletins.

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.

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!

Ukrainian music for handbells - hymn

Jesus, Lover of my Soul – for Handbells, 3-5 Octaves

“Jesus, lover of my soul,
let me to thy bosom fly,
while the nearer waters roll,
while the tempest still is high;
hide me, O my Savior, hide,
till the storm of life is past;
safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last!“

Jesus, Lover of my Soul is a hymn written by Charles Wesley in 1740. The lyrics are sung to several different melodies, including Joseph Parry’s ABERYSTWYTH. Our arrangement is for 3-5 octaves of handbells, and it’s Level 3. Larry wrote it a couple of years ago, and the Carillon Choir at Third Reformed Church (here in Holland) played it for the first time in November 2019. We only managed to get a short excerpt video at the time (as we were subbing in the choir) – so we thought it would be a good idea to make our own demo video!

Where to find the sheet music

Sheet music for Jesus, Lover of my Soul is available to purchase, download and print 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 gives 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 on our Facebook page too!

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 Lover of my Soul - handbells

Level 1 Handbell Music – Newness

We had a request for some Level 1 handbell music – so here’s an update to our recent post about Newness.

Newness is an original composition for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells. It’s turning out to be a versatile piece! If you play it without the handchimes, it’s around Level 2 in difficulty. It’s fairly straightforward, but with a running 8th note/quaver line. If you add the optional handchime part, the challenge level is taken up a notch for several of the bell assignments. Here it is, played in full – the 5-octave version:

Now available in a Level 1 version!

By request, Newness is now available in a simplified, Level 1, version! The 8th note/quaver runs are gone, and the whole piece has nothing smaller than quarter notes/crotchets to deal with. We didn’t make another video for this version, but the audio track is below for you to listen to. As it’s an original composition, there’s also no problem if your handbell choir needs to play it more slowly than we did.

We’ll be looking to see if we can get some more Level 1 handbell music arranged for 3-5 octave handbell choirs. In the meantime, there’s a lot more spring handbell music available from Choraegus, including titles for Lent and Easter – so take a look, and we hope you’ll find something to interest you!

How to purchase the sheet music

Sheet music for Newness is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Make sure you select the version you need for your choir. In common with most sellers of downloadable sheet music, we don’t usually offer refunds for files/scores that have already been download – so please choose carefully. 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 gives 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 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.

Newness spring handbell music

Take my Life and Let it Be – New 12-Bell Music

“Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.”

Our latest 12-bell arrangement is the hymn Take my Life, and Let it Be. The hymn tune is MESSIAH, written by Louis Herold – also used for the hymns Come, Ye Weary Sinners, Come, and Cross of Jesus. This 12-bell arrangement was recently requested by a Choraegus customer, and we were happy to add it to our catalog!

More about this 12-bell arrangement

Take my Life, and Let it Be is suitable for 3-6 ringers, and is fairly straightforward to play. As with most of our 12-bell music, the score is available in a choice of two handbell ranges – either C5-G6 or F5-C7. No special techniques are required, and there’s no bell-sharing, and no need for tables. This makes it great for handbell choirs still observing social distancing! Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus.

Buying handbell music 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. Purchasing this 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 title (Take my Life, and Let it Be) and arranger (Larry Sue) of the piece 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 this piece, 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!

Take my Life and Let it Be - handbells

How Can I Keep from Singing? – New 12-Bell Music

How Can I Keep from Singing? – sometimes known by the title My Life Flows on in Endless Song – is a traditional hymn, set to music written by Robert Wadsworth Lowry in the 1860s.

“My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation,
I hear the sweet , tho’ far-off hymn
That hails a new creation;
Thro’ all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?“

In more recent years, How Can I Keep from Singing? has been popular with folk singers, and a version (with slightly altered lyrics) was sung by Pete Seeger in the 1960s. Irish musician Enya brought the song back to public attention again in 1991 by including it on her Shepherd Moons album.

Our new 12-bell arrangement is fun to play!

More about this 12-bell arrangement

How Can I Keep from Singing? 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.

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. Purchasing this 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 title (How Can I Keep from Singing?) and arranger (Larry Sue) of the piece 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 this piece, 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!

How Can I Keep from Singing? handbells

Come Down, O Love Divine – Handbell Music for Pentecost


“Come down, O Love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.”

We’re happy to bring you this new recording of Larry’s arrangement of the hymn Come Down, O Love Divine. The tune is DOWN AMPNEY, written by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906. This hymn is ideal for Pentecost worship.

More information about this arrangement

Come Down, O Love Divine is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, with optional handchimes. It’s a Level 3- arrangement. Sheet music is available to download from Choraegus – available as an individual score, or as a full-choir license.

Buying Choraegus handbell music

When you purchase 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. We designed this to take you through the process in a (we hope) stress-free way!

Purchasing this arrangement gives you no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. Please take some time to read about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus handbell music. In these times of live-streaming, and online worship services, it’s particularly important that we all understand and follow the laws concerning performance licensing and copyright.

Any questions?

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

Come Down O Love Divine handbell music for Pentecost

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 Lord Bless You and Keep You – Benediction – for 16 Handbells

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord lift His countenance upon you,
and give you peace;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious unto you.
Amen.” 

Over the weekend, we closed up our summer cottage at Bay View, northern Michigan, and drove home to Holland. It’s a bittersweet time for us; the weather’s been getting colder, and there’s a limit to how long it’s comfortable to stay in a mostly-uninsulated Victorian cottage. But on the other hand, the autumn colours are still beautiful, and our summer cottage has been a peaceful retreat for us in recent months. We’ve spent a lot of time there this year, and we really didn’t want to leave!

Bay View is a beautiful place in every season. Here’s our video showing some of the views we’ve enjoyed this year. There are two 16-bell arrangements used in the video – God Be with You Till We Meet Again, and our new arrangement of The Lord Bless You and Keep You, which starts 1:28 into the video.

More information about The Lord Bless You and Keep You

This is the BENEDICTION hymn tune, written by Peter C. Lutkin. We sing this at the end of our annual concert at the Bay View Week of Handbells – and our arrangement is suitable as an accompaniment to choral singing. The arrangement is suitable for 4-8 ringers, and contains no bell changes. If your handbell ensemble is playing from music stands, or observing social distancing, this could work!

If you’d like to play either this arrangement, or God Be With You Till We Meet Again, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. 

More about Choraegus handbell music

Purchasing either of these arrangements gives you permission to print and maintain up to 8 copies for your handbell group. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing for non-commercial purposes such as worship services. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please be sure to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials.

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 the information you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help!

A dusting of snow at Bay View in November 2021, signalling that it’s time to close the cottage for the winter!

Away in a Manger – for 6 Handbells and Piano

“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;
the stars in the heavens looked down where He lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.“

We’ve enjoyed putting together some handbell music that needs only 6 bells, a piano and an optional sling! Here’s an arrangement of the gentle Away in a Manger carol. It’s the CRADLE SONG melody, which is the standard tune used in the UK, rather than the MURRAY tune more familiar to people in the USA.

Please be reassured that Larry put the sling on especially for this video. He’s recovered well from his shoulder surgery, and doesn’t need the sling any more. Whenever we post a 6-bell video, we always receive concerned messages asking what injury Larry has suffered… but honestly, the sling is just to keep his right arm occupied while there aren’t enough bells to need both hands. We refer to it these days as a “concert sling”.

Of course, the alternative would be for Carla to give up one of her bells, so that we’d have three each. But have you ever tried asking anyone to give up a bell?

More information about Away in a Manger

This piece is arranged for just 6 handbells, with piano accompaniment. It’s suitable for 2-3 ringers to play, with no requirement to divide the bells in the same way we did. You can play it with just two bells each, or split between two ringers with three bells each. It’s a gentle melody, and one of our more straightforward 6-bell arrangements.

If you’d like to play Away in a Manger, 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, for anyone who doesn’t have a pianist available or wants to practise at home.

Another arrangement of this carol

We also have an 8-bell (unaccompanied) arrangement of this carol, available to download from Choraegus.

Things to know about Choraegus sheet music

Please note that sheet music from Choraegus 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. Purchase of a 6-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to three copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score). Purchase also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. 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, as well as in any printed materials.

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 has ever asked us is there, along with lots of answers. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help!

Away in a Manger 6-bell
Our Victorian cottage in Northern Michigan, where we recorded our demonstration video

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