Tag Archives: Larry Sue

Battle Hymn of the Republic – Patriotic Handbell Music

People often ask us for more patriotic music,so we’re working on it! Here’s our 12-bell arrangement of Battle Hymn of the Republic, also known (especially outside the U.S.A.) as Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory. This one is a real audience-pleaser, and Fourth of July celebrations are only a month away!

Available in two different handbell ranges

As with all Choraegus 12-bell arrangements, this piece has no bell-sharing, and there are no accidentals to pick up mid-piece. The music is available for C5-G6, or F5-C7, so you can choose which range will work for your ensemble. A practice track is also available for purchase; useful if you need to rehearse without the whole group. As there are no techniques requiring tables or foam, this arrangement can be played from music stands. In recent months, many handbell choirs have been observing social distancing, and 12-bell music can work well for this. It can also be great for handbell choirs during the summer months when the full group isn’t available.

Where to purchase the sheet music

If you’d like to play Battle Hymn of the Republic, 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!

Battle Hymn of the Republic handbells

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place – Handbells, 3 or 5 Octaves

“My faith has found a resting place, not in device or creed;
I trust the ever-living One, His wounds for me shall plead.
I need no other argument, I need no other plea;
it is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me.”

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place is a hymn first published in 1891. Eliza Edmunds Hewitt wrote the lyrics, under her pen name, Lidie H. Edmunds. The beautiful tune is the Norwegian folk melody Landås, attributed to Andre Ernest Modeste Gretry and arranged for this hymn by William James Kirkpatrick.

More information about My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place is for 3 or 5 octaves of handbells, and optional handchimes. If you don’t have the 2 octaves of handchimes, those notes can be played with bells instead. If you’d like to play this piece, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

Important things to know about Choraegus handbell music

When you buy handbell music from Choraegus, the music score will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (for the full-choir copy) entitles you to print up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information about this. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this to take you through the process in a (we hope) stress-free way!

Purchasing this 3-5 octave arrangement gives you no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. Please take some time to read about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus handbell music. In these times of live-streaming and online worship services, it’s particularly important that we all understand and follow the laws concerning performance licensing and copyright.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing Choraegus handbell music, please look at our Frequently-Asked Questions. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place - handbells

All Glory, Laud and Honor – 12-Bell Music from Choraegus

All Glory, Laud and Honor is our newest 12-bell arrangement. It’s a traditional Palm Sunday hymn, so we’re a little late for this year. Looking on the bright side, though, there’s plenty of rehearsal time before Palm Sunday 2022! It can also be a useful hymn for general use, especially when a lively tune is needed.

No need for tables or foam!

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. In recent months, many handbell choirs have been observing social distancing, and 12-bell music can work well for this. It can also be great for handbell choirs during the summer months when the full group isn’t available.

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 All Glory, Laud and Honor, 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!

Procession and Celebration – for Handbells, 5-7 Octaves

Procession and Celebration is an original composition, commissioned by the Tate family in honor of Shosh Meyer, handbell director at St. Matthew Lutheran Church of Beaverton, Oregon. Shosh has been a friend of ours for some years, and played handbells at our wedding in 2012!

Larry and Carla wedding, Shosh

We decided it was time for another 5-octave recording project…. and this one was a fun challenge for us! As with all these “put together in iMovie” videos, we didn’t rehearse this piece beforehand. We didn’t feel entirely confident about playing the whole piece from start to finish, so we started with Procession. We recorded all the parts for that, and then played Celebration. You’ll see the join in the middle of the video. This piece is the most challenging one we’ve attempted with five octaves (so far), and it felt like a daunting task before we started. But we were pleased with how it turned out, and we were surprised how much we enjoyed playing it, particularly those fast runs in Celebration!

It’s always interesting how every square of video is a different color; we think of it as “50 Shades of Our Basement”. The whole piece was recorded in just a few hours, and it’s fun to see how the light changes in a relatively short space of time! Once again, Carla enjoyed the opportunity to play those bass bells. A highlight was when we got the lowest part recorded correctly on the first attempt!

Procession and Celebration - bass handbells

More information about the music

Procession and Celebration is for 5-7 octaves of handbells, with optional 2-octave handchimes. If you don’t have the chimes, you could play those notes with bells instead. It’s a Level 5 arrangement; fun for an advanced-level handbell choir, but also an interesting and achievable challenge for an aspiring-to-bronze choir. If you’d like to play this original composition, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

Important information about Choraegus handbell music

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, please note that it will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (for the choir version of the score) entitles you to print out up to 15 copies for your group. Individual copies are also available, for massed ringing events, or as preview copies. If you buy a preview copy, you’ll need to purchase the choir version for your ensemble to play it. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide!

Your purchase of this piece comes with our no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing. You won’t need to apply for a performance licence when you’re ready to add it to your concert repertoire!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first. If you don’t find the information you seek, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

All Things Bright and Beautiful – 8 Handbells and Piano

Here’s a new arrangement of the popular hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful, arranged for just 8 bells with piano accompaniment. This lively arrangement is fun to play, but not too challenging, so if you’re looking for a piece that your small ensemble can put together without needing too much rehearsal time, this could be it!

As with all our 8-bell arrangements, this piece involves no bell changes, no picking-up of accidentals mid-piece. There are also no shared bells. You won’t even need tables or foam!

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’d like to play All Things Bright and Beautiful, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. An mp3 accompaniment track is also available to purchase separately. This can be useful if you don’t have an accompanist, or you want to rehearse alone.

Please note that our music is designed to be downloaded as PDFs. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing an 8-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score). Purchase also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and sharing on video-sharing sites and social media. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites and social media, and in any printed materials such as church service bulletins.

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

Other arrangements of All Things Bright and Beautiful

Also from Choraegus, we have a 12-bell arrangement and a full-choir arrangement for 3 or 5 octaves.

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!

All Things Bright and Beautiful 8 bell

Stowey – for Handbells, 3-5 Octaves

Have you ever heard the hymn When a Knight Won his Spurs, in the Stories of Old? People who grew up in England in decades past will remember it from school assemblies. Jan Struther wrote the lyrics for the hymn first published in 1931. However, the original tune is STOWEY, so named because it was collected by Cecil Sharp from a man near the village of Nether Stowey in Somerset.

The STOWEY tune is also used as the setting for the Christmas song How Far is it to Bethlehem?, and also for Praise God for the Harvest, with words by Brian Wren. It’s quite a versatile tune!

Here’s our 3-5 octave arrangement, put together in our basement during the pandemic! It’s another sight-read, so it’s a little under-polished, but you’ll get the idea.

More information about Stowey

Stowey is a Level 2+ arrangement for 3-5 octaves of handbells. If you’d like to play it, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, the music score will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (for the full-choir licence) entitles you to print up to 15 copies for your group. The arrangement is also available as an individual score, but you’ll need to purchase the full choir version if you want to print enough copies for your whole group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide, which we designed to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

Purchase of the full-choir copy gives you the benefit of our fuss-free permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing – so you won’t need to worry about purchasing any kind of performance licence. Please take some time to read about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus handbell music, and ask us if you have any questions!

If you have questions…

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll be happy to help.

Stowey When a Knight Won His Spurs handbells

Rock of Ages – for Handbells, 3 Octaves

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress; helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown, see Thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.“

Rock of Ages is a popular hymn, written by the Reverend August Toplady and first published in 1775. This is our arrangement for 3 octaves of handbells.

More information about Rock of Ages

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

When you buy handbell music from Choraegus, the music score will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (for the full-choir copy) entitles you to print up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information about this. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide, which we designed to take you through the process in a stress-free way!

Purchasing this 3-5 octave arrangement gives you no-fuss permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing, as part of a performance or worship service. Please take some time to read about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus handbell music. In these times of live-streaming and online worship services, it’s particularly important that we all understand and follow the laws concerning performance licensing and copyright.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing Choraegus handbell music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first, in case the answer is there. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Rock of Ages - handbells

Count Your Blessings – for 8 Handbells and Piano

It’s been a while since we published any new accompanied 8-bell music – so here’s a lively arrangement of Count Your Blessings, for handbells and piano. This piece could work well for a Mother’s Day or spring worship service!

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.“

As with all our 8-bell arrangements, this piece involves no bell changes, no picking-up of accidentals mid-piece, and no shared bells. You won’t even need tables or foam!

Would you like to play this arrangement?

If you’d like to play Count Your Blessings, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. An mp3 accompaniment track is also available to purchase separately; useful if you don’t have a willing accompanist, or if you want to rehearse at home without the rest of your ensemble.

Please note that our music is designed to be downloaded as PDFs. You’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing an 8-bell arrangement allows you to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score). Purchase also gives permission for recording, broadcasting, live-streaming and sharing on video-sharing sites and social media. See our licensing agreement for full details. Please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites and social media, and in any printed materials such as church service bulletins.

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

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our music, please start by reading our Frequently-Asked Questions. Please contact us if you don’t find the answers you need, and we’ll be happy to help!

Count Your Blessings - handbells

Winter Dance – for Handbells, 5 Octaves

Our most ambitious recording project in recent months has been this 5-octave arrangement of Winter Dance. Written by Seiichi Kyoda for Uttara-Kuru, this piece was originally performed with traditional and modern Japanese instruments. Here, we demonstrate Larry’s 5-octave arrangement on handbells and handchimes. And look! Carla is actually playing bass bells!

“Winter Dance”, © Chapter One Co. Ltd/Fairwood Music Japan Ltd, administered by MCS America Inc. All rights reserved. Arranged and performed with permission.

More information about the music

Winter Dance is arranged for 5 octaves of handbells, with optional handchimes. If you don’t have the chimes, it works without – but they do add an interesting texture to the piece! It’s a Level 4 arrangement; interesting enough to challenge any handbell choir, but still very playable. If you’d like to play this arrangement, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

When you buy Choraegus handbell music, please note that it will come to you as a PDF file. That means you’ll be responsible for printing your own music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (for the choir version of the score) entitles you to print out up to 15 copies for your group. Individual copy licences are also available, but if you buy one copy as a preview, you’ll need to come back for the choir version for your ensemble to play it. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first. If you don’t find the information you seek, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Winter Dance

Peace – for Handbells, 3-5 Octaves

It often seems as if the world is full of so much violence, and our own lives are more stress-filled than we’d like them to be. Sometimes we just long for a bit of peace! In our house, that can mean sitting down with a cup of tea in front of the TV, but sometimes playing music is exactly what’s needed.

Peace is an original composition for 3-5 octaves of handbells, with optional handchimes. It’s a Level 2+ arrangement, and fairly straightforward to play. This video was one of the first 3-octave pieces we put together. It was a sight-read, with no rehearsing beforehand, but the notes all seem to be there, so you’ll get the idea.

Where to get the sheet music

Peace is suitable for secular performances, as well as for worship services. If you’d like to this original composition, the sheet music is available to download from Choraegus.

Choraegus handbell music is 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. When you’ve downloaded your music, your one-time payment (provided you bought the choir version) entitles you to print out up to 15 copies for your group. Please read our licensing agreement for full information. If you’re new to buying music from Choraegus, we recommend our step-by-step guide!

If you enjoyed Peace, you might also enjoy another of Larry’s original compositions, Newness! Purchase of either of these pieces gives you the benefit of our no-fuss permissions for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and online video-sharing – so you won’t need to apply for a separate licence for any of these.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please look at the Frequently-Asked Questions first. If you don’t find the information you need, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

peace handbells