Shosh Meyer is a friend from Oregon who does marvelous things with the handbell program at St. Matthew Lutheran Church (Beaverton, Oregon). Her love for music in general and handbells in particular has inspired the many, many ringers who have been involved in her ministry. Erik, Julie, and Jan Tate were three of those blessed …
Tag: 5+ octaves
The current production range of handbells is seven-and-a-half octaves (G1 through C9). It's an amount of equipment to which many groups aspire, though the cost of all those bells is a major hurdle to cross.
Music for more than five octaves of bells (and chimes) can be orchestral in feeling, but often requires some rather specialized skills on the part of those playing the highest or lowest bells.
Apr 22
Winter Dance by Seiichi Kyoda (Handbells, five octaves, plus handchimes, 1 octave, Level 4)
Uttara-Kuru is a recording group that combines traditional Japanese instruments with modern electronica. The result is an intriguing blend with a distinct expression. Their Winter Dance by Seiichi Kyoda is an adventure to a remote village where the community celebrates the cold season by dancing as the snowflakes drift arount them. Our arrangement for five …
Jan 02
Rhapsody in Blue (Handbells, 5-8 octaves, plus handchimes, 5 octaves, Level 6+)
Rhapsody in Blue, the iconic work by George Gershwin, entered the public domain as of 2020. It’s our distinct pleasure and privilege to present this new arrangement for handbells! While none of the sections of this arrangement are of an AGEHR Level higher than 5, playing this arrangement in its entirety would be a tremendous …
Apr 07
Newsflash! New cajón part for “Ye Jazzy Gentlemen”!
Our handbell choir arrangement Ye Jazzy Gentlemen has been crying out for the addition of a percussion part for a long time now, so we’ve (finally…) added one for cajón! Do take a look, and enjoy! MP3:
Jul 09
A Minor Crash
No… we didn’t have a site problem. This is about an already-available piece for which we finally got a video. A Minor Crash is an original work for five to eight octaves of handbells (plus three octaves of optional chimes). Larry had the privilege of leading the Area 8 BronzeFest ensemble in its first-ever performance …
Jun 06
Friskin’ the Whiskers
Jazz great Cab Calloway had an expression “friskin’ the whiskers”. It’s a reference to the idea of “just gettin’ started”, and is draws a picture of a highly-skilled performer who starts on his set by smoothing his mustache. “Okay, now I’m ready to play.” Friskin’ the Whiskers, a new Level 5 work for five to …
Apr 19
Tico Tico!
We were privileged to have our arrangement of Zequinha Abreu’s Tico Tico no fubá selected for Distinctly Bronze West 2015, where nearly 120 ringers participated in its world premiere performance under the baton of Dr William Payn. Because DB is a high-level event, our friend Alex Guebert created some wonderful percussion parts for the occasion, …