Tag Archives: handbell choir

I Sing the Mighty Power of God – for Handbells, 3-5 Octaves

I Sing the Mighty Power of God is the latest offering from Choraegus. The hymn tune is ELLACOMBE; a very versatile tune throughout the church year. It’s also used as the setting for the Palm Sunday hymn Hosanna, Loud Hosanna, and for The Day of Resurrection, and Come, Sing with Holy Gladness.

We had a lot of fun with this piece, and we think your handbell choir will enjoy it too. There’s an interesting challenge for the treble ringers, with the combination of melody notes and thumb-damps, and plenty to keep the bass ringers occupied too. The tune has become a bit of an ear-worm for us in the last couple of weeks!

More information about I Sing the Mighty Power of God

I Sing the Mighty Power of God is for 3-5 octaves of handbells, 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 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 composer (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.

Blest Be the Tie that Binds

“Blest be the tie that binds
our hearts in Christian love;
the fellowship of kindred minds
is like to that above.“

Here’s our 16-bell arrangement of this popular hymn:

More information about Blest Be the Tie that Binds

This hymn arrangement is available in two handbell ranges – C5-D7 and G4-A6, making it suitable for a 3-octave handbell choir to play. If you have 2 octaves from G4 to G6 plus the extra A6 at the top, that would also work. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand piece, but it’s suitable for up to 8 ringers. There are no bell changes during the piece, there’s no bell-sharing, and no need for tables and foam.

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

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 title (Blest Be the Tie that Binds) and arranger of the piece (Larry Sue) 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 performance, we’d love to see it! You’re welcome to share your video on our Facebook page if you’d like to.

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!

Blest Be the Tie that Binds handbells

Rescue – an Original Handbell Composition

“Rescue does not occur only through great violence and clamor;
sometimes it is a candle seen from the midst of terrible darkness”.

Here’s a new video of an original handbell composition that’s particularly special to us. Larry wrote this piece in 2018, and dedicated it to Carla. Rescue was performed for the first time in that same year, by the BronzeFest Choir at the Handbell Musicians of America Area 8 Conference. We didn’t manage to get a video of the final concert performance, so we recently decided to make a recording of our own.

More information about Rescue

Rescue is for 3-7 octaves of handbells, with optional 3 octaves of handchimes. It’s a Level 3 piece, and it could be made more straightforward by playing the whole piece with bells only.

Would you like to play this piece?

Sheet music for this original composition for handbells 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 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.

Rescue original handbell composition

Those Were the Days – for Handbells and Kazoo!

“Those were the days, my friend,
We thought they’d never end,
We’d sing and dance forever and a day.
We’d live the life we choose; we’d fight and never lose,
For we were young and sure to have our way.”

Our latest handbell recording project is an exciting one! The song Those Were the Days was a top 10 hit in 1968, sung by Mary Hopkin. It started life as a Russian song – Дорогой длинною – which translates as By the Long Road. Boris Fomin composed the melody originally, with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevsky. Gene Raskin put English lyrics to the song, made a few changes to the melody, and a popular song was born! The song has now been recorded by many artists, in over twenty languages… and now it’s available for handbells!

(THOSE WERE THE DAYS Words and Music by Gene Raskin TRO-© Copyright 1962 (Renewed) 1968 (Renewed) Essex Music, Inc., New York, NY. International Copyright Secured. Made in U.S.A. All Rights Reserved, Including Public Performance For Profit. Used by Permission.)

More about Those Were the Days

Those Were the Days handbells

Our arrangement is for 5-7 octaves of handbells, with some optional additional instruments – mandolin, tambourine, flute, wood block and… kazoo! We asked our expert flute-playing friend Rose Wiersma to join us for our demonstration video. Rose directs the Zeeland Community Band, and we’ve played handbells in some of their performances over the last few years. We didn’t know any expert kazoo players, so we had to play that part ourselves. Our mandolin skills are non-existent (and we don’t have a mandolin), but the interesting “thumb-damp shake” technique in the score makes it possible to manage without the mandolin and still achieve a similar effect. We had a lot of fun playing this piece, and we hope you will too!

Those Were the Days handbells

Where to find the sheet music

Sheet music for Those Were the Days 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. See our licensing agreement for full details. 

Choraegus handbell music will 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.

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!

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.

Those Were the Days for handbells

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

America the Beautiful – for Handbells

It’s the time of year when people start looking for patriotic music for handbells. America the Beautiful is a much-loved song, with lyrics written by Katharine Lee Bates in 1893. After the poem’s initial publication in 1895, people sung the words to a variety of traditional folk tunes, including Auld Lang Syne. Eventually it was paired with Samuel A. Ward’s tune MATERNA, and they were first published together in 1910. These days, we can’t imagine singing America the Beautiful to any other tune!

“O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountains majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!“

Here’s our 3-5 octave arrangement, recorded last summer.

More information about this arrangement

America the Beautiful is a Level 4 arrangement, with soaring arpeggios and plenty of challenge in each ringing assignment. Sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. You can either buy an individual copy (useful for massed ringing events, or for preview), or purchase the full choir license. Purchase of the full choir license gives you permission to print up to 15 copies for your group.

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. As part of that agreement, we do ask that you credit the arranger (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions) where possible. 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.

America the Beautiful for Handbells

Handbell Music for Lent – from Choraegus

We still have snow on the ground here in West Michigan. Even so, we’re already starting to think about handbell music for Lent and Holy Week.

We’ve added quite a few new titles to the Choraegus catalog since the start of the COVID pandemic. We now have a whole new range of pieces for just six bells with piano accompaniment. We’ve continued to arrange 8-bell music, and have also put together some new arrangements for larger handbell ensembles.

Full Choir Handbell Music for Lent

Here’s our most recent full-choir arrangement for Lent – it’s the beautiful hymn A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth. It’s for either 3 or 5 octaves, and we demonstrate the 5-octave arrangement here:

Full choir pieces are available from Choraegus as either individual copies (suitable for previewing), or full-choir licences. Purchase of the full-choir license entitles you to make up to 15 copies of the music for your choir. We also grant permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing for non-commercial purposes.

Music for smaller handbell ensembles

Looking at music for smaller ensembles, we now have two versions of When I Survey the Wondrous Cross! One is for 6 bells and piano, and the other is an entirely different 8-bell version. Here’s the 6-bell arrangement:

And here’s the 8-bell When I Survey the Wondrous Cross:

Other 8-bell arrangements suitable for Lent and Holy Week include a challenging arrangement of Ah, Holy Jesus (HERZLIEBSTER JESU). It’s not the Fred Gramann version, but it’s still interesting to play! We also have arrangements of O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, and Go to Dark Gethsemane. You’ll find these and more listed in the Eight-Bell Hymns section of the Choraegus site.

If you have a 2-octave set, you might find 12- or 16-bell music useful. We have several 12-bell hymn arrangements that are ideal for Lent. Our recent 16-bell arrangement of the LEONI hymn tune could also be suitable for a worship service during that time.

We hope you’ll find something useful on our music site. If you have a request for music that’s not in our catalog, you’re always welcome to suggest it to us. If you have questions, please check our Frequently Asked Questions, or get in touch with us. We’ll be happy to help!

Handbell Music for Lent
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Newness – Spring Handbell Music

Newness is an original composition for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells. Spring is approaching (although it’s going to take a while, here in Michigan), so we thought the time was right to make a demonstration video of the 5-octave version. If you’re looking for spring handbell music that’s suitable for a secular performance or a worship service, this piece could be an option, and it shouldn’t take too long to learn.

More information about Newness

Newness is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, with optional handchimes. If all the notes are played on bells, it’s a Level 2 piece. Adding the handchimes adds an extra challenge for several ringers. We found it helpful to be able to play the chimes as 4-in-hand pairs with the bells. When we recorded this piece on 3 octaves, we played the chimes separately, again as 4-in-hand pairs – so that could be an option too, if you have extra ringers. If in doubt, just play the whole thing on bells only!

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. 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 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

Gaudete! Handbell Music for Christmas

In the handbell world, we know the importance of preparing early. We started the new year by preparing super-early for Christmas 2022 – with a new recording of the carol Gaudete! Okay, we we’ll admit it; we were actually late with this one. The original plan had been for us to record it before Christmas. However, December turned out busier than we expected it to be, and we had to postpone our recording until we’d finished our holiday handbell performances!

Gaudete! dates back at least as far as the 16th century, and this arrangement is fun to play. It sounds tricky, and it probably is, but once you’ve got the hang of the rhythms and mixed meter, it flows along quite nicely. It has handchimes, an opportunity for singing bell, and we added a lively cajón part too!

How to buy Gaudete! Handbell music from Choraegus

Gaudete! is a Level 4+ arrangement, and sheet music 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 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) where possible. 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.

Gaudete handbell music for Christmas