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Six-Bell Music (Accompanied)

From Larry: I had shoulder surgery in May 2020. The result of this was a time of being left-handed for some months. Carla suggested creating some six-bell music to make playing possible for me, with the idea of playing it as a four-in-hand ringer plus a two-in-one/good-hand ringer. There also would be the possibility of someone playing these pieces as a solo six-in-hand ringer, though damping effectively would be a significant additional challenge.

Because there are only a vanishingly small number of (interesting) melodies with six or fewer notes, and because there will always be at least one scale tone missing, all of these six-bell arrangements are accompanied. The accompaniments are intended to be interesting for the pianist as well as making each piece a collaboration between bells and keys.

Enjoy!

List of Scores for Six Accompanied Handbells

Here’s a quick compilation of our scores for six accompanied handbells. Each title is a link to the corresponding webpage. TITLE HYMN TUNE Al die willen te kaap’ren varen Angels We Have Heard on High GLORIA Away in a Manger CRADLE SONG Beach Spring BEACH SPRING Creator of the Stars of Night CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM …

Al die willen te kaap’ren varen

Clearly, there’s a tiny bit of (ancient) gender bias when you announce that all who want to be privateers (Al die willen te kaap’ren varen) 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 it’s fun to play! Al die willen …

Angels We Have Heard On High (GLORIA)

Angels We Have Heard on High is based on the nineteenth-century French song Les Anges dans nos Campagnes and is traditionally sung to the hymn tune GLORIA. The lyric tells us of how the angels came from heaven to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. Our piano-accompanied six-handbell arrangement of Angels We Have Heard …

Away in a Manger (CRADLE SONG)

Away in a Manger is sung to several different tunes. One of these melodies is CRADLE SONG written by William Kirkpatrick at the end of the nineteenth century. This is the tune which is most commonly used in the United Kingdom. Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid …

Beach Spring (six handbells and piano)

The Sacred Harp from the nineteenth century has been a popular source of music for American hymnody. Many hymn texts have been set to the tune BEACH SPRING: Come, All Christians, Be Committed As a Fire is Meant for Burning God of Day and God of Darkness Come and Find the Quiet Center God, Whose …

Creator of the Stars of Night (CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM)

The 7th century Latin hymn Creator of the Stars of Night was translated into English by John M. Neale in 1852. It’s a thoughtful plainchant fitting a quiet, clear Christmas night. Creator of the stars of night, Thy people’s everlasting light, Jesu, Redeemer, save us all, And hear Thy servants when they call. Thou, grieving …

Go to Dark Gethsemane (REDHEAD NO. 76) – six handbells and piano

Richard Redhead was a vocalist and an organist in Sussex in the nineteenth century. He also spent a career building the next generation of church musicians. In the nineteenth century, he published a book of hymns, and the tune name of this arrangement includes his surname. Go to dark Gethsemane, / You who feel the …

Good Christian Men, Rejoice (IN DULCI JUBILO)

Good Christian Men, Rejoice is a joyous Christmas carol set to the energetic tune IN DULCI JUBILO. This tune is thought to have been written in the fourteenth century by Heinrich Seuse, and its original lyrics are “macaronic” – a combination of Latin and German/English. Good Christian men, rejoice with heart and soul and voice; …

Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise (LLANFAIR) (six handbells and piano)

Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise is a hymn of rejoicing over the resurrection of Christ and how our eternity relies on Him. The tune was composed by Robert Williams, a Welshman who demonstrated remarkable musical abilities despite being blind. It’s said that he could write out a tune after just one hearing! Hail …

Holy Manna (six handbells and piano)

The Southern Harmony hymn tune HOLY MANNA, often sung as Brethren, We Have Met to Worship or God, Who Set the Star-Spangled Heavens, here is set for eight handbells in the range C5-C7. We think of a sparkling stream where all of our cares are washed away by God’s love and care, and want to …

How Great Our Joy (JUNGST) (six handbells and piano)

Joy is celebrated many ways. In this carol, the contrast of soft and loud provides a way to show what handbells can do! While by the sheep we watched at night, glad tidings brought an angel bright. How great our joy! Great our joy! Joy, joy, joy! Joy, joy, joy! Praise we the Lord in …

Hyfrydol (six handbells and piano)

The popular Welsh tune Hyfrydol was composed by Rowland Prichard and has been matched to many hymn texts. It’s almost certain that you’ll find it as the melody in more than one place in your hymnal! Our piano-accompanied six-handbell arrangement of the hymn tune HYFRYDOL provides an opportunity to play as a two-bells-each trio. Another …

In the Bleak Midwinter (CRANHAM) (six handbells and piano)

The poem often comes first… Christina Rosetti wrote the words for Scribner’s Monthly in 1872, and then a few years later (1906, to be precise), Gustav Holst set her verse to music. The result: In the Bleak Midwinter, one of the most reflective and well-loved of all Christmas songs. We have not only the eight-bell …

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (CAROL)

Edmund Sears wrote the words to It Came Upon the Midnight Clear in 1849, and it’s sung on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean (just with different tunes). This arrangement is to the American melody, CAROL, composed by Richard Storrs Willis. It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old, From angels bending …

Kingsfold (six handbells and piano)

The English tune KINGSFOLD has been matched with many hymn texts. Its solemn/meditative feel lends itself well to thoughts of great depth. One such text is O Sing A Song of Bethlehem; the metrical index search link below provides a way to identify other lyrics matched with the tune. O sing a song of Bethlehem, …

Marvelous Grace (MOODY) (six handbells and piano)

Marvelous Grace was a favorite hymn when I was a teenager. The message is timeless, and the singing was always strong and glorious. It’s all about the complete and perfect salvation given to us by the Lord Jesus when we believe. Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, …

Morning Has Broken (six handbells and piano)

The traditional Gaelic tune BUNESSAN is better known to most of us as the music to the popular hymn Morning Has Broken (popularized by Cat Stevens in the 1970s). Our piano-accompanied six-handbell arrangement of the hymn tune BUNESSAN provides an opportunity to play as a two-bells-each trio. Another possibility is to play as a duet …

Now the Green Blade Riseth/Sing We Now of Christmas (NOEL NOUVELET) (six handbells and piano)

Here’s a brand new earworm for you – it’s the French tune NOEL NOUVELET in 7/8 meter. There are two hymn titles associated with the melody (Sing We Now of Christmas and Now the Green Blade Riseth), so you can play this twice each year! Now the green blade rises from the buried grain, Wheat …

Nyanyikanlah (NYANYIKANLAH) (six handbells and piano)

Our piano-accompanied six-handbell arrangement of the Indonesian melody NYANYIKANLAH (translated as “Hallelujah!”) 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; …

O Come, O Come Emmanuel (VENI EMMANUEL) (six handbells and piano)

The Advent song O Come, O Come, Emmanuel as we know it today, is adapted from a fifteenth-century French melody, but may originate from as far back as possibly the 12th century. It first appeared in English as translated by John M. Neale in 1851. It’s a prayer by those who hoped that the Christ …

O Little Town of Bethlehem (FOREST GREEN)

The Christmas carol O Little Town of Bethlehem reflects the quiet joy of the Savior’s birth. This arrangement is of the hymn tune FOREST GREEN, the melody more often used for Phillip Brooks’ lyric. O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go …

O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus (EBENEZER/TON-Y-BOTEL) (six handbells and piano)

O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus is sung to the hymn tune EBENEZER, which means “stone of help.” Jesus is the Rock of Ages, and our Eternal Rescuer; He is the One to whom we must turn for salvation. O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free, rolling as a mighty …

Oh, How I Love Jesus

The tune OH, HOW I LOVE JESUS is a simple one; its composer is unknown. It’s been sung for quite a long time as a gentle expression of faith in Christ for young children and mature adults. There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth; it sounds like music …

Once in Royal David’s City (IRBY)

There are a number of hymns where the lyrics preceded the music by being written as a poem. Once in Royal David’s City was written by Cecil Frances Alexander, and a year after its publication Henry John Gauntlett composed the melody IRBY that we know and love. Historical footnote: Mrs. Alexander wasn’t a one-hit wonder… …

Silent Night

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! / …

Simple Gifts (six handbells and piano)

Shaker songs are fantastically good as six-bell music! “‘Tis a gift to be simple”, yes… but this arrangement of Simple Gifts is a lot of fun to play! ‘Tis a gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free ‘Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be, And when we find …

Song of Hope/Canto de esperanza (ARGENTINA) (six handbells and piano)

Song of Hope is a lively, happy hymn set to the tune ARGENTINA. It’s a great greeting or sending song for your service. ¡Dios de la esperanza, danos gozo y paz! Al mundo en crisis, habla tu verdad. Dios de la justicia, mándanos tu luz, Luz y esperanza en la oscuridad. Oremos por la paz, …

Sussex Carol/On This Night All Christians Sing (SUSSEX CAROL) (six handbells and piano)

This traditional English Christmas Sussex Carol is also known as “On Christmas Night All Christians Sing”. The arrangement we see in our hymnals is almost certainly the one written by Ralph Vaughan Williams… but the unharmonized tune is far older than that. On Christmas night all Christians sing To hear what news those angels bring; …

The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came (GABRIELS MESSAGE)

Our Christmas carols come from many places and times. The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came originated in the Basque country between Spain and France, and has a lovely, mysterious feel. The Angel Gabriel from heaven came, his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame; ‘All hail,’ said he, ‘thou lowly maiden Mary, most highly …

The Strife is O’er (VICTORY) (six handbells and piano)

The hymn tune VICTORY by Palestrina dates back to the seventeenth century. About a century later, Francis Pott translated the Latin text from the Symphonia Sirenum to English, giving us the hymn The Strife is O’er, the Battle Done. The strife is o’er, the battle done; the victory of life is won; The song of …

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (HAMBURG) (six handbells and piano)

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross is, perhaps, one of the most profound hymns of all time. Its lyrics convey the message of salvation in Jesus Christ with an unmatched economy of words: “When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour …