Tag Archives: handbell duet

New 8-Bell Music for Worship and Weddings – St. Anthony Chorale

As Thanksgiving approaches, we’ve been thinking about hymns suitable for worship services at this time of year. Our latest 8-bell arrangement, the St Anthony Chorale, is mostly known as a classical piece. It’s perfect for wedding ceremonies, and for use in worship. It’s the setting for the hymn We, Thy People, Praise Thee, with lyrics by Kate Stearn Page.

We recorded our demonstration video of St. Anthony Chorale in October, in our chilly summer cottage near Petoskey. This arrangement is straightforward to play, and has no bell-sharing, no picking-up of accidentals during the piece, and no need for tables, which makes it particularly suitable for a small group of socially-distanced musicians. It could be played by two, three or four ringers.

If you’d like to play St Anthony Chorale, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. 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. 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 such as concert programs.

Please 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.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at 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. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

St Anthony Chorale for handbells

New Accompanied 6-Bell Music – Marvelous Grace

Since Larry had his shoulder surgery in May, his recovery has been going well. He still occasionally feels the need to put the sling back on, but only to demonstrate a new 6-bell arrangement. The newest title available from Choraegus is the hymn Marvelous Grace, also known as Grace Greater Than Our Sin. We recorded this demonstration video at the end of a very long day, and we’d have liked another try at the tricky section – but we hope you’ll get the idea of how it should sound with a little more practice.

This arrangement works well as a duet, but a trio could also play it, with social distancing as required. There are no techniques that need tables or foam, and no bell-sharing between ringers. If you’d like to play Marvelous Grace, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. We also have an mp3 piano accompaniment track available to purchase separately; useful if you don’t have a willing accompanist, or want to rehearse at home.

More information about our music

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 a 6-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to three copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score). Your purchase also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and sharing on video-sharing sites, church websites and social media. See our licensing agreement for full details, and 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.

You might like to look at our step-by-step guide to buying music from Choraegus, especially if you’re new to purchasing music online. 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 you don’t find the answers you need, please contact us, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Marvelous Grace - 6-bell

New 8-Bell Music for Worship Services – Somos del Señor

Our latest hymn arrangement is an 8-bell arrangement of Somos del Señor – a traditional melody often used nowadays as the setting for a popular hymn Pues si vivimos (When We Are Living).

This arrangement has no bell-sharing, no picking-up of accidentals during the piece, and no need for tables. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand duet, but there are no special techniques written into the score, so it could also be suitable for a trio or quartet to play.

How to purchase the sheet music

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

Please also note that our music is designed as downloadable 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 answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Somos del Señor 8-bell music for worship
At Los Altos Lutheran Church, CA (Photo: Carl S. Gutekunst)

New Accompanied 8-Bell Music – The Skye Boat Song

Our latest 8-bell arrangement is from 19th-century Scotland – The Skye Boat Song. This is a very straightforward arrangement, suitable for a handbell duo, trio or quartet – even if there isn’t a lot of rehearsal time available. If you need a “pick up and play” piece for your group to perform at short notice, this could be the one!

The tune is also used as the setting for the hymn Spirit of God, Unseen as the Wind, so it’s versatile enough to be suitable for worship services as well as any other performances. We’ve also been told that it was used as the theme song for the popular historical drama Outlander. We’ll have to put that on our “must-watch TV shows” list!

“Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,
Onward! the sailors cry;
Carry the lad that’s born to be king
Over the sea to Skye.”

As with all our 8-bell arrangements, this piece involves no bell changes, no picking-up of accidentals mid-piece, and no shared bells. It can be played from just music stands, making it suitable even for socially-distanced handbell groups.

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’d like to play The Skye Boat Song, 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; useful if you don’t have a willing accompanist, or if you want to rehearse 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 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 do what we can to help!

Skye Boat Song - 8-bell music

New 8-Bell Music – O Give the Lord Wholehearted Praise

As Thanksgiving approaches, we’ve been thinking about 8-bell music, and hymns suitable for worship services at this time of year.

Our latest hymn arrangement is an eight-bell arrangement of O Give the Lord Wholehearted Praise – the hymn tune GERMANY. We recorded the video earlier this month, at our summer cottage near Petoskey. This arrangement is straightforward to play, and suitable for a trio or duet. There’s no bell-sharing, no picking-up of accidentals during the piece, and no need for tables, which makes this arrangement particularly suitable for a small group of socially-distanced musicians.

How to get the sheet music

If you’d like to play O Give the Lord Wholehearted Praise, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. 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. 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.

Please 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.

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 answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

O Give the Lord Wholehearted Praise - 8-bell music by Larry and Carla

Handbell Music for Halloween – the 8-Bell Funeral Tango

From time to time, people ask us if we have any handbell music for Halloween. It’s that spooky time of year again, so here’s something new. It’s our 8-bell arrangement of Funeral Tango.

This piece originally began life as one of the Low Ding Zone arrangements for bass handbell ensemble. A short while ago, we decided we wanted to be able to play it as an 8-bell duet. We have absolutely no idea if it will ever be a performance piece – and 2020 is clearly not going to be an appropriate year for that. Still, it’s fun to play, and Halloween is probably the only suitable time for us to introduce this arrangement. Ready? Here it is!

Feeling spooky enough to play this piece?

If you’d like to play Funeral Tango, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell ensemble – so you only need to pay once. 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 such as concert programs.

For more Halloween music, we also have an arrangement of The Spider Song (Incy Wincy Spider or Itsy Bitsy Spider, depending on your preference). Sheet music is available to download free of charge, from Choraegus.

Please 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.

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 for us?

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’re looking for, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Handbell music for Halloween - Funeral Tango

New Advent Music for 8 Handbells and Piano – Hills of the North, Rejoice


We’re pleased to introduce some new Advent music for handbells and piano. This Advent hymn from England was written by Charles Edward Oakley. The words are most often set to the tune Little Cornard, written by Martin Shaw. Hills of the North, Rejoice is our latest 8-bell arrangement for handbells with piano accompaniment. We recorded our demonstration video at our Victorian summer cottage in Bay View, Petoskey. If you listen carefully, you might hear the heavy rain falling outside!

“Hills of the North, rejoice,
river and mountain-spring,
hark to the advent voice;
valley and lowland, sing.
Christ comes in righteousness and love,
he brings salvation from above.”

As with all our 8-bell arrangements, there are no bell changes, no picking-up of accidentals, and no shared bells. There are no stopped-sound techniques, and no need for tables or foam pads. This makes it particularly suitable for a socially-distanced handbell duo, trio or quartet, playing from music stands.

If you’d like to play Hills of the North, Rejoice, 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 available accompanist, or for rehearsal purposes.

Important information about buying Choraegus handbell music

Please 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 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, church websites 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.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at 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. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

Advent music for handbells

New Music for 8 Handbells and Piano – For All the Saints

“For all the saints who from their labors rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!”

By special request, here’s an accompanied 8-bell arrangement of For All the Saints. With the much-loved hymn tune Sine Nomine, written by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906, this is a popular choice for All Saints’ Day on November 1st. Our demonstration video was recorded at our Victorian summer cottage at Bay View, Petoskey, on a chilly October Sunday, with rain pelting down outside.

As with all our 8-bell arrangements, this piece involves no bell changes, no picking-up of accidentals, and no shared bells. There’s no need for tables, making it suitable for a socially-distanced handbell group, playing from music stands.

Information about downloadable music from Choraegus

If you’d like to play For All the Saints, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. We also have an mp3 file available to purchase separately; useful if you don’t have an available accompanist, or for rehearsal purposes.

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, church websites and social media. See our licensing agreement for full details, and 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, 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 answer you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

The Bay View Memorial Garden, near Petoskey, Michigan

New 8-Bell Music for Thanksgiving – Now Thank We All Our God

We have to admit it; we’re at the time of year when we’re already starting to think about Christmas music. First, though… we need to stay focused on fall/autumn, and all the lovely hymns for this time of year.

Our latest hymn arrangement is an eight-bell arrangement of Now Thank We All Our God. We’ve had this arrangement since 2014, but, for some unknown reason, we never managed to record a demo video or make the music available on the website. The sheet music came to light just recently, and we thought it would be a good idea to put it onto the website without any further delay! We recorded the video at our summer cottage near Petoskey.

Would you like to play this piece?

If you’d like to play Now Thank We All Our God, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. 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. See our licensing agreement for full details, and 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.

Please 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.

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 answers you need, and we’ll do what we can to help!

New 6-Bell Christmas Music – Sussex Carol

“On Christmas night all Christians sing
To hear the news the angels bring.
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our merciful King’s birth.”

Our latest handbell arrangement needs just six bells and a piano. It’s the popular English Sussex Carol, sometimes known by its first line “On Christmas Night All Christians Sing”. As with all our 6- and 8-bell arrangements, there are no bell changes and no shared bells. There are no techniques that require tables or foam pads, so any of these arrangements could work for a socially-distant handbell ensemble, or in places where space is limited.

We started writing and playing 6-bell music after Larry had shoulder surgery, but the sling is not a requirement (obviously!), and neither is 4-in-hand ringing. Three people could play this arrangement, holding only two bells each.

If you’d like to play Sussex Carol, 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.

If you’d looking for an arrangement of this carol that doesn’t need piano accompaniment, we also have standard and “surprisingly easy” 8-bell arrangements available from Choraegus, and a 3-5 octave, level 4 arrangement for full handbell choir.

More information about downloadable handbell music from Choraegus

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), and also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and sharing on video-sharing sites, church websites and social media. See our licensing agreement for full details, and 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 information you’re looking for, and we’ll do what we can to help!

A Sussex town (Petworth) at Christmas