January 19, 2023

Wait Five Minutes – for Handbells (3 octaves)

A popular saying here in Michigan (and probably in other places too) is “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes!” It often seems that the weather can go through several seasons in a single day. We wake up to clouds, the sun comes out and we dress for spring… then suddenly the weather turns cold, and rain is pouring down!

Here’s an original handbell composition called Wait Five Minutes. Michigan weather was Larry’s inspiration for this piece. Carla took the photos and video; most of them at Bay View, a summer community in northern Michigan. Highlights include footage of a torrential downpour, a foggy day on a Lake Michigan beach, and an unusual-looking squirrel!

More information about Wait Five Minutes

Wait Five Minutes is for 3 octaves of handbells, Level 2+. 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.

More Choraegus handbell music about the weather

People often ask us about handbell music on a particular theme. Here are some other pieces on the theme of “weather”:

Hoe Leit dit Kindeke (Cold is this Little Child) – a chilly Dutch carol, arranged for 8 handbells

In the Bleak Midwinter – this English carol arrangement is available for 8 or 12 handbells

Jingle Bells – dashing through the snow… for 8 handbells with piano accompaniment

See, Amid the Winter’s Snow – an 8-bell arrangement of this traditional English carol

Snow – an original composition about snowy days!

The Snow Lay on the Ground – another lively English carol

‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime – a mysterious and lovely 3-5 octave arrangement of The Huron Carol.

Vårvindar Friska (Fresh Spring Winds) – a 3-5 octave arrangement of a Swedish folk song

Winter Dance – a 5-octave, Level 4 arrangement of Seiichi Kyoda’s wonderful, wintry piece

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.

August 30, 2022

Our 11th Year at the Bay View Week of Handbells

It’s hard to believe that the 2022 Bay View Week of Handbells was the 11th year we’ve attended this evening together! Of course, that would have happened sooner, if the pandemic hadn’t happened. The 2020 and 2021 Week of Handbells events were cancelled because of Covid-19, so it was a particularly good feeling to get back to it this year.

Our history with the Bay View Week of Handbells

We attended this annual event for the first time in August 2010, when we were still in our long-distance relationship. Carla flew to Chicago from England, and Larry flew in from California. We met in person for the very first time at Chicago O’Hare, and took the short flight to Traverse City together. Until then, we’d only ever communicated online, via Facebook messages, so it was exciting for us to be able to see each other in “real life” and spend time together.

After the 2010 Week of Handbells, we flew back to England and California, and spent a very long year apart. Finally, we were able to meet again at the 2011 Week of Handbells, where we celebrated our engagement with cupcakes at the Monday evening reception. Then we were separated again, returned to England and California, and went through all the challenges of the K-1 fiancée visa process. When the U.S. visa was approved, we were able to make plans to close the distance permanently. Planning the trip was complicated, but we made it all coincide with the 2012 Week of Handbells, and after the event was over, we flew to California to make our wedding plans. Apart from the two years when the event was cancelled, we’ve attended together every year since.

Celebrating our engagement at the Bay View Week of Handbells 2010

The 2022 Bay View Week of Handbells

This year’s Week of Handbells was a bit different for us, for an important reason; we now have our own Bay View cottage! We bought this Victorian cottage in October 2019, when we became members of the Bay View Association. It was built around 1887, and is a quirky little place, with uneven floors and some interesting features!

We appreciated being able to be “at home” between rehearsals, and to relax in our own place at the end of the day. In previous years, we’ve stayed in hotels, and also rented another of the Victorian cottages on campus. Our cottage is at the bottom of the hill, so we got plenty of exercise walking to and from rehearsals in the auditorium! We also had a steady stream of visitors, and enjoyed giving cottage tours to our handbell friends.

The 2022 event

Once again, Larry had the opportunity to play the aluminum bass bells, in the Deep Pit. Carla played AB5, as coordinator of the Position 7 team. Rehearsals went smoothly this year, and everyone was thankful to be back after the long break. We also heard that Bay View Association members were happy to see the return of the bell ringers, and eagerly awaited the Thursday evening concert.

Larry Sue with bass handbells at Bay View

Larry and Carla Bay View Week of Handbells concert

The repertoire for the 2022 Week of Handbells was as follows:

Festive Praises (Fred Gramann)
Tales of the Great Water (Sandra Eithun)
Finale (Widor, arr. Fred Gramann)
The Entertainer (Joplin, transcribed by Paul Kingbury) – available from Choraegus
Intrepid (Jason Krug)
Change Ring Prelude on ‘Fred Gramann’ (Jantz Black)
Aurora (Matthew Compton)
Aria (Donald Allured)
São Paulo (Elizabeth Peters)
The Sound of Silence (Paul Simon, arr. Matthew Compton)
Bulwarkana (Alex Guebert)
Puttin’ on the Ritz (Berlin, arr. Hart Morris)
The Lord Bless You and Keep You (Peter Lutkin)

There were five winners of the Donald E. Allured Composition Award at this year’s concert. Was this a record? Sandra Eithun’s Tales of the Great Water was performed for the first time at the 2022 Week of Handbells, and we were all happy that she came to the concert to hear it!

Donald E Allured Composition Award winners — Catherine McMichael, Sandra Eithun, Larry Sue, Alex Guebert and Matthew Compton

As usual, the week was a very busy one. Rehearsals are long and intense, and there isn’t a lot of spare time, although we always appreciate the Bay View sunsets, the opportunity to gather with friends on the Wednesday “evening off”, and the Bay View Memorial Garden, where the flowers never disappoint.

What’s next?

Now that we’ve put away our 2022 Week of Handbells music, we’re moving on to more duet performances, writing and playing new music, and preparing for the holiday season. We’ll still be spending as much time as we can at Bay View – driving back and forth between Holland and Petoskey – until the time comes to close up the cottage for the winter months. Before too long, it will be time to sign up for the 2023 event – and we’re already looking forward to it!

Larry and Carla with Fred Gramann — With director Fred Gramann before the concert

December 4, 2018

The Bay View Week of Handbells 2019

August 12 at 12:00 pm – August 16 at 10:00 am EDT

We’re looking forward to the 42nd Bay View Week of Handbells, where more than a hundred advanced handbell musicians will be rehearsing and performing some beautiful, challenging and exciting music under the baton of director Fred Gramann. This year’s event will be the tenth Week of Handbells we’ve attended together, and it’s particularly exciting for us because one of Larry’s original compositions – A Minor Crash – will be performed there! The concert will be held on Thursday, August 15th, 2019, at 7:30pm at the John M. Hall Auditorium, 1715 Encampment Avenue, Petoskey, Michigan. An offering will be taken to benefit the Bay View Association Music Scholarship Fund. There’s no need to book tickets in advance, but you should plan to arrive in plenty of time to get good seats, because it’s a popular concert!

The John M Hall Auditorium at Bay View

Details

Start:: August 12 at 12:00 pm EDT
End:: August 16 at 10:00 am EDT
Event Categories:: Handbell Concert, Handbell Festival
Event Tags:: 2019, Bay View, Bay View Week of Handbells, Fred Gramann, handbell concert, handbell festival, Michigan, Michigan life, Petoskey, Week of Handbells
Website:: http://www.weekofhandbells.com/

Organizer

: Bay View Week of Handbells
Website: View Organizer Website

John M. Hall Auditorium

1725 Encampment Ave
Petoskey, MI MI 49770 United States + Google Map

August 17, 2015

The 2015 Bay View Week of Handbells Starts Today!

Today marks the first day of the 2015 Bay View Week of Handbells! The next four days will be full of music at the John M. Hall Auditorium, as more than a hundred handbell musicians rehearse together under the direction of Carl Wiltse.

You can find out more about this event, and why it will always hold a special place in our hearts, by reading our recent post about the Bay View Week of Handbells and taking a look at our gallery of photos.

Come to the concert!

If you’re in the area, and you’d like to attend the free concert, there’s no need to book tickets in advance. The concert will be held on Thursday, August 20, 2015 at 8:00pm in the John M. Hall Auditorium, 1715 Encampment Ave., Petoskey, Michigan. An offering will be taken to benefit the Bay View Association Music Scholarship Fund. You should plan to arrive in plenty of time to get good seats, because it’s a popular concert!

Here’s a recording from last year’s Week of Handbells – it’s Larry’s original composition A Snail’s Pace.

As usual, Pierpont Productions will make a professional recording of the concert. If you’d like your own copy of the recording, you can order one from Pierpont Productions at 231-347-4488. Alternatively, fill out the order envelope available on the day of the concert.

We’d love to see you at the 2015 Bay View Week of Handbells!

June 28, 2015

Counting Down to the Bay View Week of Handbells!

We’re counting down to the Bay View Week of Handbells!

So, what is the Bay View Week of Handbells, and why is it something special for us? Why are we counting down the days until we get there? We’ll try to explain some of the magic here.

The Bay View Week of Handbells takes place every year in Bay View, Michigan. Just over a hundred handbell musicians gather together for several days of intense rehearsals, after which we perform a public concert. Donald Allured founded the Week of Handbells in 1978, and Carl Wiltse is the current director of the event. It’s for people who enjoy the challenge of spending time learning the music, and performing to a professional standard. And yes, even though the music is challenging and the rehearsals are intense, we still manage to have fun!

The Week of Handbells is part of our story

For us, the Week of Handbells is particularly special because of the role it played in our long-distance relationship story. Our story started several years ago when we met and became friends online. By the end of 2009 we were spending several hours every day “talking” on Facebook Chat. Our friendship turned into a relationship, and we began to make plans to meet in person for the first time. Our first “real life” meeting took place in August 2010, when Carla travelled from London to Chicago O’Hare. From there, we flew together to Traverse City, where we rented a car and drove to Bay View.

Here is a photo of us before the concert at our very first Bay View Week of Handbells.

Bay View Week of Handbells - Larry and Carla

Our second Week of Handbells

After our first in-person meeting in 2010, we had to wait a whole year before we could see each other again. During our months apart, we decided for certain that we wanted to spend our future together. We travelled back to Michigan in August 2011 for our second Week of Handbells. That was a busy week for us! Before the start of the event, we made a special journey to Miner’s North in Traverse City to pick up some rings. Then we drove to the Old Mission Point Lighthouse, where Larry proposed, and Carla said yes!

We announced our engagement to our friends at the Week of Handbells, at the evening reception after the first day of rehearsals. Here’s one of our favourite photos of us – taken by Kim Finison at Bay View in 2011.

August 2011 was also the time when our set of Malmark handbells made it across the ocean in Carla’s luggage. Larry transferred them to his suitcase for the journey to California.

After our week in Michigan in 2011, we went back to our separate homes, and soon after that we started the US fiancée visa process to bring Carla from England to California. Carla’s K-1 visa was approved at the end of May 2012, and the race was on to get everything organised for the big move. We managed to time it to coincide with the Bay View Week of Handbells in August!

Closing the distance!

August arrived, and Larry flew to England to collect Carla and her son, and the three of us travelled together to Chicago O’Hare. There, our onward flight was cancelled and we were forced to spend an uncomfortable night camping in the airport. Strangely enough, the makeshift camp was at Gate K1. That’s the same number as the visa Carla had applied for! Bay View Week of Handbells 2012 was a very special one for us, because, for the first time, we didn’t have to say goodbye to each other at the end of the event. It was an amazing feeling to be able to pack up our things and travel home to California together, without having to do that horrible airport goodbye stuff that’s so painful for long-distance couples.

Since then, we’ve been to the Week of Handbells twice more. To say we’re looking forward to the next one would be an understatement. Well, we’re counting down the days on our website, right? So yes, we’re excited!

Even without all the memories that make the Week of Handbells so special to us personally, it’s still an incredibly wonderful handbell event. We always tell people that if we could only go to one handbell event in a year, this would be the one we’d choose. After all, where else can you play handbells in an Auditorium that’s named after a Hall?

And where else can you walk around during your lunch break and see houses like this one?

At the Bay View Week of Handbells, we have Tiara Tuesday!

Tiara Tuesday at Bay View Week of Handbells

We have the opportunity to play some exciting and challenging music, which each person works hard to prepare during the weeks and months before the event. That gives us four days to put together the finishing touches as a group, in time to give a superb concert on the Thursday evening.

Apart from the beautiful location, the exciting music and all the happy memories the Week of Handbells holds for us, we know that it’s the people there who make this event so special. Our annual trip to Bay View feels like a journey home; and the friends we’ve made there feel like family to us. For just a few days in August, more than a hundred people are brought together by the music of handbells. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.

For more photos, see our Bay View Week of Handbells Photo Gallery. Watch our website and Facebook page for more information as we continue counting down the days to this year’s event!