The folks at the Turing Opera Workshop are developing a new plugin that generates audio from a vocal line in a score. By this, I mean it actually creates a track that sounds like people …
Thanks to the EKCO Ringers, we now have video of two of our duets, Danse Macabre and Eagle Wings! Danse Macabre, by Camille St. Säens, depicts a spooky, nightmarish scene. It’s a Halloween favorite. Eagle …
Many of you remember singing Jesus Loves the Little Children from a while back. Maybe that was in Sunday School, or children’s church, or even a baptismal service. Jesus loves the little children, All the …
The American folk tune LAND OF REST is paired with a number of hymn texts; this lyric matches the tune name particularly well. Jerusalem, my happy home, when shall I come to thee? When will …
This new handbell arrangement of Irving Berlin’s holiday classic White Christmas will add a special touch to your Christmas program. It’s scored for five to seven octaves with optional flute, and will have your audience …
Shaker songs are fantastically good as eight-bell music! “‘Tis a gift to be simple”, yes… but our eight-bell arrangements Simple Gifts are a lot of fun to play. Today we’re publishing our second “standard” eight-bell …
The hymn tune DIX is usually sung with the texts For the Beauty of the Earth and As with Gladness Men of Old (the latter most often at Christmas). We started with what we considered …
O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go is a lovely hymn that reminds us of the infinitely deep peace and protection that God offers those who trust Him. Today we’re publishing our “Surprisingly Easy”™ …
The plainchant Draw Near, O Lord has a double origin, with its Latin text from the 10th century and its melody from the 19th century. It is often referred to as the “Lent[en] Prose”. Our …
[GENEVAN] PSALM 22 is a sixteenth-century hymn from the Genevan Psalter. The referenced psalm starts with “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”, declaring King David’s remorse after sin. The text was spoken …
Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
to God the Creator triumphantly raise,
who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
who guides us and leads to the end of our days.
God’s banners fly o’er us; God’s light goes before us,
a pillar of fire shining forth in the night,
till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished,
as forward we travel from light into light.
Historical note: This arrangement came into being because Steve in Maryland bought some music in early July 2020, and mentioned that he was hoping to find an arrangement of Be Thou My Vision for eight accompanied handbells. This score came together a couple of days later, and gave Steve and his ringers a bit over a month to prepare it for their service on August 9, 2020.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun
Heart of my own heart, whate’er befall
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
The eight bells in the score are accompanied by piano; if you don’t happen to have an accompanist available, we also have an accompaniment MP3 available for purchase.
Trusting in Christ is life… not just avoiding death, or being alive forever, but life that transcends anything that it would be without Him, and a blessed eternity in His glorious presence. Here’s our eight-bell arrangement of this hymn about trusting God.
Christ, the life of all the living, / Christ, the death of death, our foe;
who Thyself for me once giving / to the darkest depths of woe,
patiently didst yield Thy breath / but to save my soul from death;
praise and glory ever be, / blessed Jesus, unto Thee.
This venerable English tune, placed into the modern hymnody by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906, takes on a new introspective feel in our eight-bell arrangement. It also is known as Star of the County Down.
The six bells in the score are accompanied by piano; if you don’t happen to have an accompanist available, we also have an accompaniment MP3 available for purchase.
The six bells in the score are accompanied by piano; if you don’t happen to have an accompanist available, we also have an accompaniment MP3 available for purchase.
Franz Gruber’s lovely carol has enchanted people for two centuries. In case you happen to visit Oberdorf von Salzburg, Austria, you can see the original Silent Night Chapel there. Or… if you’re in the Great Lakes region, you can see the Silent Night Chapel modeled after it in Frankenmuth, Michigan!
Silent night! Holy night! / All is calm, all is bright
’round yon virgin mother and child! / Holy infant, so tender and mild,
sleep in heavenly peace, / sleep in heavenly peace.
Our piano-accompanied six-handbell arrangement of Silent Night provides an opportunity to play as a two-bells-each trio. Another possibility is to play as a duet where one ringer plays four bells and the other (perhaps a younger/newer player!) plays two bells.
The six bells in the score are accompanied by piano; an additional special feature of this piano part is that it can be played left-handed. If you don’t happen to have an accompanist available, we also have an accompaniment MP3 available for purchase.
Clearly, there’s a tiny bit of (ancient) gender bias when you announce “all who want to be privateers, must be bearded men”. But eating rancid bread doesn’t sound like much fun. Perhaps it’s a somewhat silly song in today’s world, but our eight-handbell arrangement is fun to play!
Al die willen te kaap’ren varen
Moeten mannen met baarden zijn
Jan, Pier, Tjores en Corneel
Die hebben baarden, die hebben baarden
Jan, Pier, Tjores en Corneel
Die hebben baarden, zij varen mee
All those wanting to sail
Must be men with beards
Jan, Pier, Tjores and Corneel
They have beards that have beards
Jan, Pier, Tjores and Corneel
They have beards, they sail with them
Creator of the stars of night,
Thy people’s everlasting light,
Jesu, Redeemer, save us all,
And hear Thy servants when they call.
The six bells in the score are accompanied by piano; if you don’t happen to have an accompanist available, we also have an accompaniment MP3 available for purchase.
We can imagine a line of Irish dancers showing off their skills to the music from a brilliant steam-driven calliope with this tune! Our thanks go to David Richardson and Gilderoy House for granting permission to create this eight-handbell arrangement of Calliope House.
Bells used: G5, A5, B5, C6, D6, E6, F6, G6
Key: C major