Tag Archives: handbell music

Smiles – for Handbells, 4 or 5 octaves

Our latest handbell piece is a lively arrangement of the 1917 song Smiles!

“Dearie, now I know
Just what makes me love you so,
Just what holds me and enfolds me
In its golden glow;
Dearie, now I see
‘Tis each smile so bright and free,
For life’s sadness turns to gladness when you smile on me.”

Smiles 1917 song cover

Smiles is a popular song, featured in The Passing Show, a Broadway musical review, in 1918. The music was written by Lee S. Roberts, and the lyrics by J. Will Callahan. This song is particularly interesting to us because Callahan wrote the lyrics in a cottage at Bay View, Michigan – the place where we have a summer cottage of our own!

Here’s our demonstration video of Smiles – arranged for handbells. If you keep watching after we’ve finished playing on the video, you’ll see a picture of the sign at the Bay View Association, marking the place where the lyrics were written.

More information about Smiles

Smiles is for 4-5 octaves of handbells, with an optional 2 octaves of handchimes. It’s a Level 3+ arrangement. Sheet music 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 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, although we do 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 by email or 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.

Smiles - Callahan song for handbells

This is My Father’s World – for Handbells, 3 or 5 Octaves

“This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas– His hand the wonders wrought.“

This is My Father’s World is a hymn with lyrics written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock, first published as a poem in 1901. Franklin L. Sheppard set the poem to his TERRA BEATA tune in 1915. Here’s our arrangement for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells:

More information about This is My Father’s World

This is My Father’s World is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, with an optional two octaves of handchimes, 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 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, 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 by email or 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.

My Father's World - for handbells

Crown Him with Many Crowns – for Handbells, 3-5 octaves

“Crown him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon his throne;
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own:
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of him who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless king
Through all eternity.“

Crown Him With Many Crowns is the latest handbell arrangement from Choraegus. The lyrics were written in 1851, and set to the tune DIADEMATA by George Elvey. The hymn is popular for Easter and general worship.

More information about Crown Him with Many Crowns

Crown Him with Many Crowns is for 3-5 octaves of handbells, Level 2+. There’s a little “challenge section” at the beginning and at the end, and the rest of the piece is quite straightforward. 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 by email or 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.

Crown Him with Many Crowns handbells

Exciting Christmas Music for Handbells and Flute

Looking for some exciting Christmas music for a holiday performance? Last week we published our new arrangement of Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, for 1 octave of handbells, piano and flute, as performed in the 2021 Kalamazoo Ringers’ online Christmas concert. This week we’re pleased to bring you our version for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells!

This full-choir arrangement is another exciting journey of mixed-meter Christmas fun! If you’re looking for a challenging and unusual handbell piece to add sparkle to your holiday concert, this could be the audience-pleaser you’re looking for! Once again, Martha Matthews brings her flute skills to our demonstration video – and yes, we put lots of sparkle into our video too.

More information about Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells. The optional flute part (available separately) is the same one used for the smaller handbells-plus-piano arrangement. It moves through lots of different meters, and is Level 5.

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.

More information about Choraegus handbell music

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 comes 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.

Exciting Christmas music handbells flute

‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime – for Handbells, 3 or 5 Octaves

“‘Twas in the moon of wintertime
When all the birds had fled
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead
Before their light the stars grew dim
And wond’ring hunters heard the hymn:

Jesus, your King, is born;
Jesus is born!
In excelsis gloria!”

‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime, also known as the Huron Carol, is thought to be Canada’s oldest Christmas Carol. It was written in around 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary in Canada. The tune is based on a traditional French song.

More information about ‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime

‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, with optional handchimes. It’s an exciting arrangement with a touch of mystery! There’s lots of activity for the bass bells, and the handchimes add a shimmer of magic.

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.

More information about Choraegus handbell music

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.

Twas in the Moon of Wintertime Huron Handbells

Of the Father’s Love Begotten – for Handbells, 3 or 5 Octaves

“Of the Father’s love begotten,
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore!”

Of the Father’s Love Begotten is a hymn based on the Latin poem Corde Natus. It’s set to the medieval plainchant melody Divinum mysterium, which first appeared in print in 1582. Our arrangement was created for the 2021 Kalamazoo Ringers online Christmas concert On a Winter’s Night and we had fun playing it with just the two of us!

More information about Of the Father’s Love Begotten

Of the Father’s Love Begotten is a Level 3+ arrangement for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, with optional handchimes. There’s also a cajón part, available to purchase separately. We used Silver Melody Bells at the beginning, but you could play the introduction on handbells or handchimes, depending on what’s available.

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.

More information about Choraegus handbell music

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.

Of the Father's Love Begotten handbells

Forever – an Original Composition for Handbells

Forever was commissioned in 2012 by Dee Allaway and her family, in memory of her father. It was first performed by Emerald City Ringers, a community handbell choir in the Pacific Northwest. It’s fun to watch their video and see the aluminum bass bells in action!

We recently decided that we were in the mood to take on a challenging video project – so we had a go at playing it ourselves, using just 5 octaves. Here is the result:

More information about Forever

Forever is for 5-8 octaves of handbells, plus handchimes (3 octaves, E4-B5) – Level 5. It’s an exciting piece to play, and advanced handbell choirs will enjoy the challenge! Sheet music for this original composition 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.

Forever - an original composition for handbells

I Surrender All – for 16 Handbells

I Surrender All is a hymn written by Judson W. Van DeVenter, with music by Winfield S. Weeden. It was first published in 1896 in a hymn collection called Gospel Songs of Grace and Glory.

“All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.”

Here’s our 16-bell arrangement, recorded when the snow was still on the ground, here in Michigan:

More information about I Surrender All

This hymn arrangement is available in two handbell ranges – G4-Eb6 and  C5-Ab6. We demonstrate it as a 4-in-hand piece, but it’s suitable for up to 8 ringers. There are no bell changes, and no techniques that require tables or foam pads.

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 arranger of the piece (Larry Sue) and the publisher (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, and we’d love to see a video if you record one with your ensemble!

Please note that our sheet music is designed to be downloaded as PDFs. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail.

If you haven’t purchased music online from Choraegus before, you might like to look at our step-by-step guide, designed to help you navigate the purchase and download process in a (we hope!) stress-free way.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. You’ll find just about every question anyone has ever asked us, along with answers! However, if you don’t find the information you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help!

A Celebration of Our Life – for Handbells

Larry wrote A Celebration of Our Life for a California couple, in celebration of their 30th wedding anniversary in 2008. Their church’s handbell choir played it when they renewed their vows. As we didn’t have a video, we thought it was about time we made one!

About A Celebration of Our Life

(From Choraegus): Fun abounds in this piece, as it describes parts of their story. For instance:

The introductory melody is both thirty beats long and thirty notes long (not counting ties), and it also has three tenuti (three ten.’s = 30!)
Three children are represented as the lines in a three-voice fugue. This fugal melody also appears in the last section as a countermelody.
There’s a bit of theory geek stuff in the final chord sequences:
– In bars 87 and 88: VII + vi + VII + VII + ii + I = 30
– In bars 89 and 90: ii * iii * V * I = 30
– and in bars 91 and 92 (not counting the suspended 4th): VI * V * I = 30

Apart from all that “fun”, the piece is a challenging Level 4, written for 5 octaves of handbells and 3 octaves of handchimes. 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.

How to get the music

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. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help.

A Celebration of our Life Handbells

He Leadeth Me – for Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves

We recently enjoyed putting together a video of Larry’s arrangement of He Leadeth Me. Fans of bass malleting will appreciate this one! It’s a useful year-round hymn arrangement, and would be particularly appropriate for a Good Shepherd Sunday worship service.

More information about He Leadeth Me

He Leadeth Me is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, Level 3. It’s fairly straightforward to play, and a strong bass/low battery team will appreciate the challenge of some malleted running lines. 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.

He Leadeth Me handbells