October 14, 2024

2-Octave Christmas Music from Choraegus

We’re excited to add five new 2-octave Christmas titles to the Choraegus catalogue!

Still, Still, Still is the first of our new arrangements. This Austrian lullaby was first published in 1865. It describes the baby Jesus sleeping in his mother’s arms. We used handchimes for our demonstration video, because we love the gentle sound, but it’s written for handbells, so if you don’t have chimes, you can play it using bells instead. This arrangement is Level 2.

Watch our demonstration video below, or click the link to find the music for Still, Still, Still on Choraegus.

Sussex Carol is a traditional English carol, also known as On Christmas Night All Christians Sing. This Level 3 arrangement is fun to play, and includes thumb-damping and mallets!

Watch our demonstration video below, or find the music for Sussex Carol on the Choraegus website!

In the United States, we usually sing O Little Town of Bethlehem the ST. LOUIS tune. However, in the United Kingdom and other countries, the FOREST GREEN tune is used. Our arrangement uses the FOREST GREEN tune, and is Level 2+. Many other hymns now use the same tune, so this is a versatile carol that you could also play at other times in the church year.

Watch our demonstration video below, or click here to find the O Little Town of Bethlehem on the Choraegus website!

In the Bleak Midwinter is one if the most well-loved Christmas carols. If you have handbells and handchimes, you might enjoy this new arrangement. It’s the CRANHAM tune, written by Gustav Holst, and our arrangement is Level 2. If you don’t have handchimes, you can play the whole piece with just bells, of course.

Watch our demonstration video below, or click on this link to find In the Bleak Midwinter on the Choraegus site!

Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day is our final 2-octave Christmas carol for 2024 (so far). This is another English carol, and it dates from as early as the 16th century! This new 2-octave arrangement is a lively Level 3-.

Watch the demonstration video below, or click to find Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day on the Choraegus website.

More information about this 2-octave handbell music for Christmas

Sheet music for these new 2-octave Christmas arrangements 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 allows you to perform, broadcast and live-stream the piece as part of a concert or worship service. There’s no need for any additional license or fee. We ask that you credit the arranger (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). Please 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 by email or on our Facebook page!

Please note that Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a downloadable PDF file. 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.

2-octave Christmas handbell music from Choraegus

September 11, 2024

Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow – for Handbells

Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow is a popular spiritual for Advent and Christmas.

“There’s a star in the East on Christmas morn;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow;
It will lead to the place where the Christ was born;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.”

This arrangement of Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow was written by Larry Sue for the Praise Ringers of Portage United Church of Christ. It has interesting rhythms, bass mallets, stopped sounds and shakes, all contributing to an arrangement that’s fun to play and hear!

More information about Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow

Our arrangement of Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells. It’s a Level 3 arrangement, and the score 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. Please note that Choraegus handbell music is designed to come to you as a downloadable PDF file. 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.

Purchase of the full choir license gives you our no-fuss permission to print up to 15 copies for your group.

If you don’t have enough ringers for 3- or 5-octave handbell music, there’s also a 12-bell arrangement of the same carol, available from Choraegus.

Performance license is included!

Your purchase of the full-choir license allows you to perform, broadcast and live-stream this piece as part of a concert or worship service. There’s no need for any additional license or fee. We ask that you credit the composer (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). Please see our licensing agreement for full details.

Any questions?

August 9, 2024

Nocturne – for Handbells

Nocturne is an original Larry Sue composition, for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells and 3 octaves of handchimes. It’s an accessible Level 2+ piece with a thoughtful, introspective mood. It’s suitable for secular or sacred settings.

More information about Nocturne

Nocturne 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.

Any questions?

August 1, 2024

Greet the Morning – an original composition for handbells

Greet the Morning is an original Larry Sue composition, for 3-5 octaves of handbells and 1 octave of handchimes. It’s a Level 3- piece, with the opportunity to use the singing bell technique and to have fun playing handbells and handchimes at the same time!

From Choraegus, Larry describes this as: “a picture of waiting for the sun to rise. The night vanishes gradually as the light of dawn overcomes the darkness. It increases in brightness until all of a sudden, the sun peeks over the horizon and starts the day.

This piece starts with a technique called “singing bell”, borrowed from the Tibetan monastic use of singing bowls. In the latter, the practitioner runs a metal rod around the rim of a circular metal bowl; for handbells, the ringer similarly applies a “singing stick” (a plain or coated wooden dowel) to the rim of the casting. The lowest two bells being “sung”, A3 and E4, produce a “difference tone” of A2 with a frequency equal to the difference of the two pitches.“

Here’s our demonstration video:

More information about Greet the Morning

Greet the Morning 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.

Any questions?

July 25, 2024

Walking Home – an original composition for handbells

Walking Home is an original Larry Sue composition, for 3-5 octaves of handbells and 2 octaves of handchimes. It’s an upbeat piece, with opportunities to use a variety of handbell techniques, such as malletting, ring-touch, and thumb-damping. The arrangement is Level 3-, and we enjoyed recording our demonstration video.

More information about Walking Home

Walking Home 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.

Any questions?

July 17, 2024

A new version of How Firm a Foundation

“How firm a foundation, O saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

In ev’ry condition, in sickness, in health,
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth,
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea —
The Lord, the Almighty, your strength e’er shall be.

Larry’s new 8-bell arrangement of the hymn How Firm a Foundation is now available! It’s suitable for 2-4 ringers.

More information about this 8-bell arrangement

Sheet music for How Firm a Foundation is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. When you look at the page on the Choraegus website, you’ll see that there are two arrangements of this carol. This one is Version 2. Make sure you add the correct one to your shopping cart! This version is less challenging than our earlier version, and more straightforward for a quartet or beginning/improving duo to play.

Click here to find out more, and purchase How Firm a Foundation!

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 you permission to use this piece in online and live-streamed worship services. 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.

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 with pictures, to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a 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 be happy to help!

July 3, 2024

She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain – for Handbells

She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain is a popular American folk song, and it’s now available to play on handbells!

“She’ll be coming ’round the mountain when she comes,
She’ll be coming ’round the mountain when she comes,
She’ll be coming ’round the mountain,
She’ll be coming ’round the mountain,
She’ll be coming ’round the mountain when she comes!”

An interesting difference of opinion

Being a couple who started off in different countries/continents, we sometimes have interesting discussions about song lyrics. This one provoked the question: “What happened to the “aye aye yippee” section”? It turns out that at some point in time, an additional chorus was added, and over in the UK, that’s the version Carla grew up with. For anyone who feels that She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain isn’t complete without the aye aye yippees, here’s an alternative version that we’ll refer to as the UK version:

White horses, and the meeting/greeting

Please note that if you need all the verses, we don’t mind if you repeat some sections of this piece. You’re also welcome to change the rhythms to match the lyrics. Our UK arrangement includes “she’ll be wearing pink pyjamas”, but will need a slight adjustment for white horses and the going out to meet/greet her. You get to decide if you need to make any rhythmic changes, and you’re welcome to ask us if you need help with that!

More information about She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain

As with all Choraegus 12-bell pieces, She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain is suitable for 3-6 ringers. Sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. Each arrangement is available for three different ranges of handbells, so you can choose which you prefer. Please take time to choose the version you need (UK or US), and refer the bells-used charts on the Choraegus webpage to make sure you have all the bells you need, and make sure you purchase the right version.

Things to know about Choraegus handbell music

Choraegus handbell music scores are designed to be downloaded as a PDF files. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing a 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group. We don’t want you to 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 arranger (Larry Sue) and the publisher of the piece (Choraegus) 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 too. If you make a video of your handbell choir playing any of our pieces, 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!

June 29, 2024

3-Octave Christmas Music from Choraegus

It’s the time of year when we start thinking about Christmas music! We have some 3-octave pieces for Christmas and Advent that have recently been added to the Choraegus catalogue. Many of these arrangements are very straightforward to play, and suitable for worship services or concerts. Here’s a demonstration video that gives excerpts from all the available pieces:

If you’re interested in finding out more about these Christmas arrangements, here’s a list of what’s available. Click on each link to find out more about each carol, and listen to the video in full:

Angels We Have Heard on High
3 octaves of handbells, Level 2-

This popular Christmas carol is a very accessible Level 2-, with “repeat as many times as you need to” verses, available to download at a bargain price for your handbell choir!

Angels from the Realms of Glory
3 octaves of handbells, Level 2

A straightforward 3-octave arrangement that you can repeat as many times as you need to, making it easy to learn and play in a short amount of time. It’s a very accessible Level 2 arrangement of a popular traditional Christmas carol.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
3 octaves of handbells, Level 2

Set to the Welsh tune HYFRYDOL, this popular Advent carol can also be used with other hymn texts for other times of year, such as Alleluia! Sing to Jesus and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. This is a straightforward arrangement for 3 octaves.

Go, Tell It on the Mountain
3 octaves of handbells, Level 3-

This lively Christmas carol is arranged for 3 octaves, Level 3-.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
3 octaves of handbells, Level 2

This is a straightforward, single verse, “repeat as many times as you need” arrangement of this popular Christmas carol, available for 3 octaves for a bargain price!

Jingle Bells
3 octaves of handbells, Level 3-

This laid-back, jazzed up arrangement of Jingle Bells features syncopation and mallets, and is fun to play, without being too much of a challenge.

Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
3 octaves of handbells, Level 1

This is a very straighforward arrangement of the gentle German carol. For a change, why not try playing this one on handchimes?

O Come, All Ye Faithful (ADESTE FIDELES)
3 octaves of handbells, Level 2

This is a very straightforward arrangement of the popular Christmas carol, for 3-octave handbell choirs. Quick to learn; a simple one-verse, “repeat as many times as you need to” arrangement at a bargain price.

O Holy Night
3 octaves of handbells, Level 3-

This accessible 3-octave arrangement of the popular song is a wonderful addition to an Advent or Christmas concert or worship service.

Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne
3 octaves of handbells, Level 2

This is a straightforward arrangement of the hymn tune MARGARET. Just repeat the verse and refrain as many times as you need to!

Other Christmas music suitable for 3 octaves of handbells

There are several other Choraegus Christmas arrangements for 3 octaves of handbells, including a Level 2 arrangement of Away in a Manger, and a beautiful Level 2 arrangement of Infant Holy, Infant Lowly. There are also some arrangements suitable for 3-5 octaves. If your group is looking for a higher level of challenge for 8 ringers or fewer, you could also consider some of our 16-bell arrangements. Titles include: From a Distant Home, Gaudete, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, O Come, O Come, Immanuel, The First Nowell, and Wexford Carol.

More information about buying music from Choraegus

Purchase of the full-choir license for any of the 3-octave music available from Choraegus gives you our no-fuss permission to print up to 15 copies for your group (8 copies for 16-bell music).

Your purchase of the full-choir license also includes 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.

Choraegus handbell music will come to you as a PDF file. You’ll be responsible for downloading the file and 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?

June 24, 2024

A Sparrow on Christmas Morning – for Handbells

A Sparrow on Christmas Morning is a poem that was originally written in Swedish by Finnish writer Zacharias Topelius, in 1859. The poem, Sparven om julmorgonen, was translated to Finnish — Varpunen jouluaamuna — and set to music by Otto Kotilainen. This beautiful Christmas song was first published in 1913. It tells of a girl feeding a sparrow that turns out to be the spirit of her late brother.

“Sleep the flowers of the vale underneath the snow
Turned to ice with winter’s grasp, water’s playful flow
A sparrow, a tiny one, cold north wants you undone
Turned to ice with winter’s grasp, water’s playful flow

At the yard of a poor man’s house, a girl kind and dear:
A seed for you my tiny one, a seed for you right here!
Oh, you poor homeless thing, Christmas can’t make you sing
Seed for you my tiny one, seed for you right here!

Heart and wing afluttering, the girl and the bird
Featherlight touch on her palm and a voice she’s heard:
Blessings to you, my dear! Your kindness brought me here
Featherlight touch on her palm and a voice she’s heard

I have lived your life, oh child, and to you I tell
That I am your brother’s ghost, and I knew you well
This seed grown by the sun, a kindness to a tiny one
Gift for your dead brother’s ghost
Still he knows you well

This seed grown by the sun, a kindness to a tiny one
Gift for your dead brother’s ghost
Still he knows you well“.

The power of social media!

This song came to our attention when one of our friends mentioned it on our Facebook page, and asked if Larry could arrange it for handbells. We’d never heard the song before, but quickly fell in love with the haunting melody.

A beautiful, melancholy song for the winter season

Our arrangement of A Sparrow on Christmas morning is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, with 3 octaves of handchimes. If you don’t have handchimes, you can play the piece without them, of course, but the chimes are particularly effective if you do have them! There’s also an opportunity to use “alternate bells” for the introduction. Our video shows Silver Melody Bells, but you could also use Whitechapel or Taylor handbells, Petit and Fritsens, or even handchimes if you chose to. Alternatively, 5-octave choirs can choose to play the introduction an octave higher. The arrangement is Level 3+, and uses suspended malleting, thumb damps, and shakes in the upper treble bells to represent the call of the sparrow as it shivers in the cold, eats the seeds, and sings before falling asleep. Here’s our demonstration video:

More information about A Sparrow on Christmas Morning

A Sparrow on Christmas Morning 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.

Any questions?

Sparrow on Christmas Morning - snowy winter scene

January 15, 2024

Mack the Knife – for Handbells

Mack the Knife was written in 1928 by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, for the Threepenny Opera. The song has been performed by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bobby Darin… and now it’s available for handbells!

It’s dark… but fun!

We really enjoyed recording our demonstration video. As Larry states on Choraegus, this arrangement isn’t for the faint of heart, being a solid Level 5 score – but it’s just SO much fun to play! You can’t necessarily tell from our faces how much fun we were having, but it might help you to know that when we make our demonstration videos, we don’t rehearse first. We just start the camera, start playing, and see how it goes. We may be back with some outtake video from this song! Mack the Knife is arranged for 5-8 octaves of handbells, with 3 octaves of handchimes. The introduction starts simply enough, then there’s a beautiful running sixteen-note line on the chimes… then the fun begins! The subject matter of the original song is dark (look it up if you don’t know it), but there are no lyrics in our version, so you can just enjoy it!

More information about Mack the Knife

Mack the Knife 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 allows you to perform, broadcast and live-stream this piece as part of a concert or worship service. There’s no need for any additional license or fee. We ask that you credit the composer (Larry Sue) and publisher (Choraegus) in any printed media such as concert programs, and online (in video descriptions). Please see our licensing agreement for full details.