Silver Bells is a wonderfully nostalgic Christmas song from the 1950s. It was written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston, and was used in the 1951 movie The Lemon Drop Kid. It was first sung by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards, and has since been recorded by many others, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, Michael Bublé and The Temptations. We recently had fun arranging and recording a brand-new arrangement of Silver Bells for handbells!
Silver Bells is a Level 4 arrangement for 3-7 octaves of handbells and 3 octaves of handchimes. If you don’t have handchimes, you could still play it without them, but the chimes definitely add an interesting texture. We have some borrowed Silver Melody Bells, so we used those instead of the handchimes at the beginning and end of the piece, so that’s another option if you have “alternate” bells, like Petit and Fritsens or Whitechapels. You could even use malleted bells on a bell tree. You get to decide how creative you want to be!
The score for Silver Bells is available to download from Sheet Music Plus/Sheet Music Direct, either as a single copy (for massed ringing events, or as a preview) and as a full-choir version. If you’d like to find out more about purchase options, please visit our Choraegus website!
Other recent Christmas titles from Choraegus
Winter Wonderland
Larry’s recent 5-octave arrangement of Winter Wonderland is an exciting challenge for advanced handbell choirs! This piece is available from Sheet Music Plus, in either a single-copy version, or a full-choir score. Find out more on our music site!
Ukrainian Carol of the Bells
This 5-7 octave, Level 4 arrangement makes the perfect concert-closer or encore piece for a holiday concert! Sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.
There are lots more Christmas and holiday arrangements available from Choraegus, so please feel welcome to browse our music site! If there are any Christmas carols or songs you’d like to see an arrangement for, you’re always welcome to contact us to suggest it. As always, if you have any questions, please let us know!
We’re excited to add some new 2-octave hymn arrangements to the Choraegus website! We enjoyed making demonstration videos of all these new titles, which are accessible arrangements that range from Level 2- to Level 3+. Even though only two octaves of handbells are needed for these pieces, they have a full sound, and enough challenge to keep life interesting, without being overwhelming. If you’re already making plans for Christmas worship services, you might also like to take a look at our recent Christmas arrangements for 2 octaves.
Here are the newest arrangements, with links to the relevant pages on our music site, and demonstration videos:
All Things Bright and Beautiful
This is a Level 2 arrangement of the ROYAL OAK hymn tune. It’s a lively arrangement, with thumb-damping to add to the joyous mood. Watch our demonstration video below, and find more information on the Choraegus website.
For the Beauty of the Earth
The hymn tune DIX has always been an interesting one to us, as a US/UK couple. Here in the USA, it’s used here as a year-round hymn, but in the UK it’s more often used with the text As With Gladness, Men of Old, and sung as an Epiphany carol. Whichever version you decide to use, this is an accessible Level 2- arrangement, and you can find it on the Choraegus website. Here’s our demonstration video:
It Is Well With My Soul
This is a popular hymn by Horatio Spafford and Philip Bliss. The tune is VILLE DU HAVRE, and this arrangement is Level 2+. Our demonstration video is below, and you can find the music available to download from the Choraegus website.
My Shepherd Will Supply My Need is sung to the hymn tune RESIGNATION, and the lyrics are based on Psalm 23. It’s a popular hymn for Good Shepherd Sunday. Our 2-octave Level 2 arrangement is available to download from Choraegus.
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High
This is a hymn that dates all the way back to a 15th-century Latin text by an unknown author. The tune is DEO GRACIAS, also sometimes known as AGINCOURT. This new 2-octave arrangement is Level 3-, and you can find it on the Choraegus website.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
LOBE DEN HERREN is a 17th-century German hymn. This new 2-octave Level 3 arrangement is available from Choraegus. You can watch our demonstration video below:
That Easter Day With Joy Was Bright
That Easter Day uses the 15th-century hymn tune PUER NOBIS. Interestingly, this tune is also used for the Advent hymn On Jordan’s Bank, the Baptist’s Cry, so this arrangement can easily be used for both those occasions in the church year! It’s a lively Level 2+ arrangement, available to download from Choraegus. Here’s our demonstration video:
Music scores for our 2-octave arrangements are 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 permission to print up to 15 copies for your group.
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.
Your purchase of the full-choir license also 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 youcredit 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!
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.
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.
Sussex Carolis 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!
In the United States, we usually sing O Little Town of Bethlehem to 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.
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.
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-.
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 youcredit 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.
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.
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 askthat youcredit 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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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 askthat youcredit 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.
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!
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.
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.
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 askthat youcredit 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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 askthat youcredit 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.
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.
“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.
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!
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!
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:
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
