Walking Home, an original work for three to five octaves of handbells, brings to mind that feeling you have when the time to leave work or school has arrived. The special feeling of knowing that you’re headed back to your safest place goes with you and inspires your walk – and the melody in your …
Tag: 3-5 octaves
With the passage of time, handbell choirs have grown in size and acquire more and more octaves of bells. Sets of three to five octaves are pretty typical as of the 21st century. Four-octave sets, strangely, are relatively uncommon.
Note that some pieces in the Choraegus catalog are for three or five octaves.
Jun 24
A Sparrow on Christmas Morning (Handbells, 3-5 octaves, plus handchimes, 3 octaves, Level 3+)
Otto Kotilainen’s Finnish carol A Sparrow on Christmas Morning tells the story of a sparrow that has exhausted his summer food supply. In danger of starving in the winter cold, he visits a young girl who offers him a seed to eat. The sparrow gratefully accepts the offer, and then reveals that he, her deceased …
May 02
New video of (Level 1) “Newness”!
Newness is one of our very special compositions for handbell choir. In addition to being written for three or five octaves of handbells/handchimes, it’s possible to play it at Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3. The difference between the Level 2 and Level 3 versions is simply whether or not you choose to use …
May 02
What’s our easiest handbell choir piece?
Sometimes we’re asked which of our pieces for handbell choir is the easiest. Hands down, it’s Celebration. This piece is AGEHR Level 1; for those of you not familiar with what that means, the score has nothing smaller than a quarter note. The piece itself is composed of big block chords; if you’re ringing it, …
Mar 26
Blessed Assurance (ASSURANCE) (Handbells, 3-5 octaves, Level 3-)
Blessed Assurance is one of Fanny Crosby’s all-time classic hymns. It speaks of faith, dependence, and triumph through having an absolute reliance on God and His power. Our arrangement is for three to five octaves, and will be a welcome addition to your ensemble’s repertoire. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of …
Feb 28
To God Be the Glory (TO GOD BE THE GLORY) (Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, Level 4)
Fanny Crosby and William Doane were a “dynamic duo” of hymn-writing in the decades on either side of the year 1900. She wrote the words, and he composed the music. One of their best-known hymns is To God Be the Glory Personal note: This was the favorite hymn of Larry’s great-aunt Pat. Our new arrangement …
Jan 22
Lift High the Cross (CRUCIFER) (Handbells, 3 to 5 octaves, Level 3-)
Lift High the Cross undoubtedly is most frequently sung in churches at Easter (and maybe on through Pentecost), but the message of salvation through Christ rings true the whole year round. Our arrangement for three to five octaves of handbells will be a welcome addition to your repertoire. Refrain: Lift high the cross, the love …
Sep 26
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming (ES IST EIN ROS’) (Handbells, 3 octaves, Level 1)
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming dates back to sixteenth-century Germany. Its lyric combines the image of Jesus Christ as the Rose of Sharon and the Root of Jesse, plus the traditional impression of celebrating Christmas in winter. It was translated to English by Theodore Baker in the nineteenth century. Our arrangement for three octaves …
Apr 24
Banana Passacaglia (handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, Level 4)
One day on Facebook, a post appeared: Replace one word in the title with “banana.” What’s your favorite handbell piece? With one reply being: Banana Passacaglia And then: I would like for Larry Sue to get to work on this immediately. So, to make a not-so-long story short, it took a couple of days to …
Mar 27
Boat on Lake Tai (太湖船) (Handbells, 3 to 5 octaves, plus handchimes, 2 octaves, Level 4-)
Lake Tai is a large lake near Shanghai. It’s in a central location, so it has many commercial connections; because it’s quite shallow, it’s a peaceful place to visit. The Chinese folk song Boat on Lake Tai (太湖船) draws a picture of a peaceful scene, where a small boat glides across the water. You’ll enjoy …