Tag Archives: handbell quartet

I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art – for 8 Handbells

“I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art,
My only trust and Savior of my heart,
Who pain didst undergo for my poor sake;
I pray Thee from our hearts all cares to take.”

It’s been a while since we published any new 8-bell music! We have several new arrangements that will be available from Choraegus soon… but first, here’s one that we’ve had for a while. It’s a hymn that dates from the 16th century, with the tune TOULON. Our video is another that we recorded early last year, when Larry was waiting to have shoulder surgery.

As with our other 8-bell pieces, 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 I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print up to four copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once. 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 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, 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. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll be happy to help.

I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art - handbells

Twinkle Samba, and FREE 8-Bell music!

We’ve pulled a couple of handbell duet videos out of the archives this week! After a performance some time ago (remember that long-ago time when we used to give regular handbell performances?) an audience member jokingly asked us if we ever played anything “really difficult… like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” At the time, we didn’t have an 8-bell arrangement of that piece… so Twinkle Samba was born. It’s a fun challenge to play, and requires a bit of concentration to keep the rhythm going, and still play the melody!

This video was recorded in the spring of 2020. A lot has happened since then, including Larry’s shoulder surgery and (ongoing) cancer treatment, and the global pandemic that put a stop to most of our handbell duet performances. Until very recently, we forgot that we’d ever recorded this video, so it’s definitely time to make this piece available to anyone else who wants to play it!

Where to find the Twinkle Samba sheet music

If you’d like to play Twinkle Samba, the sheet music is available from Choraegus. Please remember that when you purchase music from Choraegus, the score will come to you as a PDF file for you to download and print yourself. You won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement will entitle you to print up to 4 copies for your handbell group. Purchase also gives no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. If this is your first time buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

But what about the FREE handbell music?

There’s also a free version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, available to download from the Freebies section of our music site. You’ll also find free music for several other children’s songs, and a hymn – and there will be more free music coming soon. There are also printable covers for anyone who’s storing their 8-bell music in binders.

Here’s a demonstration video Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. It’s a lot more straightforward than Twinkle Samba!

To get your free sheet music, add Twinkle, Twinkle to your cart on the Choraegus site, and click on the yellow “Check out with PayPal” button (don’t worry; PayPal won’t ask you to make any payment). Enter your details, and click “Confirm Order” (there’s no need to click on the PayPal button a second time). Then check your email inbox! If the download link doesn’t arrive, check your spam folder, and it might be there. If anything goes wrong, please let us know, and we’ll find another way to get your music to you.

There’s no obligation to make any other purchase from Choraegus to get the free handbell music. Of course, we hope you’ll take a look at the other titles we have to offer, but if you’d rather just grab the free music and go, we don’t mind at all. It’s a good way to try our 8-bell music without having to spend any money, or to test the process of downloading our music if you haven’t tried it before. 8-bell music is a great way for a duo, trio or quartet to play music with no bell changes; completely suitable for social distancing!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing Choraegus handbell music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions, in case the answer is there. If you don’t find the information you seek, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to help!

free 8-bell music
Our handbell music in binders at an 8-bell music class in Omaha, Nebraska – 2018

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

“God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.”

God Be With You Till We Meet Again is our latest arrangement for 16 handbells. We were reminded of this hymn recently, when we drove up north to Bay View and walked in the Memorial Gardens there. Bay View (near Petoskey) is where the annual Week of Handbells takes place, and where we spend a week each year gathering with friends old and new, to rehearse and perform handbell music in a beautiful lakeside setting. Our recent visit was a particularly poignant one, as we’d just heard about the passing of Maestro Carl Wiltse, who directed the Bay View Week of Handbells for many years.

Last year’s Week of Handbells was cancelled because of the pandemic — and, sadly, the 2021 event has been cancelled too. We now have to wait until 2022 to see many of our Bay View friends again. Given the amount of preparation time that goes into this annual event, it was the wisest decision, but we’re looking forward to a joyful reunion next year.

God Be With You Till We Meet Again was written by Jeremiah Rankin in 1882. He composed it so his church choir could have something to sing as they said their goodbyes each week. It has become a popular hymn to sing at gatherings, and it’s traditionally sung at the final Sunday Vespers at Bay View every August, as the music season draws to a close and visitors bid their farewells until the next year.

Suitable for socially-distant handbell ensembles

If your handbell ensemble is observing social distancing, our 16-bell arrangements could be useful. God Be With You Till We Meet Again has no bell changes, and needs no bell-sharing. It’s suitable for up to 8 ringers to play, and doesn’t require any techniques that need tables or foam.

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

More information about Choraegus handbell music

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group. 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. In addition, please 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 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. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help!

God Be With You Till We Meet Again - handbells

Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above – 12-Bell Music

“Sing praise to God who reigns above, the God of all creation, 
The God of power, the God of love, the God of our salvation. 
With healing balm my soul is filled 
and every faithless murmur stilled: 
To God all praise and glory.“

Here’s our most recent 12-bell arrangement – Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above (MIT FREUDEN ZART) – with another “cloned” demonstration video. We enjoyed playing this one!

Perfect for social distancing!

As with all Choraegus 12-bell arrangements, this piece has no bell-sharing, and there are no accidentals to pick up mid-piece. There are no techniquest that need tables or foam, so the arrangement can be played from music stands. The music is suitable for 3-6 ringers, and two versions are available – either using bells C5-G6 (as in our demo video), or using F5-C7.

Where to get the sheet music

If you’d like to play Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above, the sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once.

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 title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Another thing to note is 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.

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 be happy to help!

Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above

This Joyful Eastertide – New 8-Bell Music from Choraegus

The latest 8-bell arrangement from Choraegus is This Joyful Eastertide. This carol was written by George Ratcliffe Woodward, and published in 1894 in Carols for Easter and Ascensiontide. The melody is a Dutch tune from 1624.

We recorded our demonstration video in early 2020, and decided it wasn’t everything we’d hoped for. We made some vague plans to re-record the arrangement… and promptly forgot about it. An entire year has gone by, and someone recently asked us if we had an 8-bell arrangement of this hymn… so we decided it was time to make the piece available. We never did manage to make a new video, though!

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 This Joyful Eastertide, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print 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. 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!

This Joyful Eastertide - handbells

Wonderful Grace of Jesus – 16-Bell Music

Wonderful Grace of Jesus is our latest arrangement for 16 handbells!

This hymn (with the tune Wonderful Grace) was written in 1918 by Haldor Lillenas. Our 16-bell arrangement is proof that handbell music doesn’t have to use a large range of bells to be interesting… and tricky! Yes, it took us several attempts to get a decent recording of this one. We recommend it for anyone who appreciates an unusual hymn tune, and a ringing challenge.

Suitable for socially-distant handbell ensembles

If your handbell ensemble is observing social distancing, our 16-bell arrangements could be useful. Wonderful Grace of Jesus contains no bell changes, and needs no bell-sharing. It’s suitable for up to 8 ringers to play, and doesn’t need any tables or foam. If your handbell ensemble is playing from music stands, with physical distancing, this would work!

If you’d like to play Wonderful Grace of Jesus, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. 

More information about Choraegus handbell music

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group. 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. In addition, please 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 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. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help!

Wonderful Grace of Jesus - handbells

Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers – Music for 12 Handbells

Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers is our newest 12-bell arrangement. The tune is the traditional Swedish folk tune HAF TRONES LAMPA FÄRDIG, so this arrangement would work in secular performances, as well as in church.

Today is the last of Larry’s 20 radiation treatments. We’ve been driving from Holland to Ann Arbor every day, Monday to Friday, for the last four weeks. It’s a 3-hour journey there, and a 3-hour journey back, through typical Michigan winter weather. Today feels like a good day to introduce a happy handbell arrangement!

Suitable for social distancing!

As with all Choraegus 12-bell arrangements, this piece has no bell-sharing, and there are no accidentals to pick up mid-piece. As there are no techniques requiring tables or foam, this arrangement can be played from music stands – spaced as far apart as you need them to be!

The music is suitable for 3-6 ringers, and two versions are available – either using bells C5-G6 (as in our demo video), or using F5-C7.

Where to get the sheet music

If you’d like to play Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers, the sheet music is available to purchase and download from Choraegus.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, please note that it’s designed to be downloaded as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so don’t pay for more copies than you need!

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 title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

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!

Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers - handbells

Lead On, O King Eternal – 16-Bell Music

Lead On, O King Eternal is also sung as The Day of Resurrection. With Easter fast approaching, this seems like a good time to introduce our newest arrangement for sixteen handbells.

The “Kinky Turtle” hymn!

This hymn, affectionately known as Lead On, O Kinky Turtle, is sung to the LANCASHIRE hymn tune, written by Ernest Shurtleff in 1887. Our arrangement contains no bell changes, and needs no bell-sharing. It’s suitable for up to 8 ringers to play, and doesn’t need any tables or foam. This makes it perfect for your socially-distanced worship service!

If you’d like to play Lead On, O King Eternal / The Day of Resurrection, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. We’re expanding our catalog of 16-bell music, and you’re always welcome to suggest a piece for Larry to arrange if you don’t see it on our music site. He’s currently having radiation treatment, but still writing music – so let us know what you need!

More information about Choraegus handbell music

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group. 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. In addition, please 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 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. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help!

Lead On O King Eternal - handbells

Come, Thou Almighty King – 16-Bell Music

Come, Thou Almighty King is our newest arrangement for sixteen handbells. We received a request for this piece, and recorded the demonstration video after Larry came back from his first radiation treatment. It’s more of a read-through than a performance, but you should get the idea of how the piece could sound with the benefit of more rehearsal time!

Come, Thou Almighty King is sung to the ITALIAN HYMN tune, written in 1769. This arrangement is the most straightforward (so far) of all our 16-bell arrangements. It contains no bell changes, and needs no bell-sharing. There are no techniques that require tables. Up to 8 ringers could play it from music stands, even with social distancing.

If you’d like to play Come, Thou Almighty King, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Other 16-bell music is also available. If you don’t see the title you’re looking for, you’re always welcome to suggest a piece you’d like to play. Larry is writing new music all the time!

More information (the small print)

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group. 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. In addition, please 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 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. Please contact us if you don’t find the information you need, and we’ll be happy to help!

Come, Thou Almighty King - 16-bell

16-Bell Music – Holy, Holy, Holy – Played as a Duet

16-bell music has been a fairly recent recording project for us. It’s been an exciting challenge to put together some new demonstration videos.

Holy, Holy, Holy is our latest arrangement for sixteen handbells. We enjoyed recording this piece as a duet project, and we love how pretty the snow looks in the background!

This arrangement is straightforward to play, and contains no bell changes and no accidentals to pick up mid-piece. There are no techniques that require tables, so it’s suitable for a socially-distanced group to play from music stands.

If you’d like to play Holy, Holy, Holy, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. Other 16-bell music is also available. If you don’t see the title you’re looking for, please let us know, and we’ll see what we can do!

More information (the small print)

Purchasing this arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group. 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. In addition, please 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 sheet 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.

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 do what we can to help!