From 2005 to 2013, I founded and led Low Ding Zone, the World’s First Bass-Only Handbell Ensemble. Well, at any rate we think we had a solid claim to the title, since it was never contested. The name itself sparked a lot of fun; once I had the strange joy of watching a friend explain …
Tag: handbell ensemble
This composition is for handbell ensemble. The pitch range depends on the whim of the composer; there are pieces of this type for all ranges of handbells. The number of ringers can also vary quite a bit, but the general rule is that this number is smaller than that of a full-sized handbell choir.
Jan 15
How Can I Keep from Singing?
It’s Sunday today, and lots of people are headed to church. We sing a lot at church, whether it’s from the hymnal to words on a projection screen. Some of us know all the lyrics by heart, and that’s a great thing for those days when you need the song but don’t have the hardcopy …
Jan 12
Sleeping Beauty Waltz
We’ve arranged a number of classical works for handbells. Some are relatively straightforward, while others present a fun challenge. One of the latter is our arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz for sixteen handbells. Your four-in-hand quartet will have a great time with this nineteenth-century piece… but if you might also give it a go …
Jan 10
“Dual-range” scores
Almost all of our eight-bell scores are sold as “dual-range”™ packages. Carla and I work from the octave of bells from G5 to G6, partly because those all fit in the case of equipment we take to gigs. There’s an extra pocket in our case, so we put a few other bells – Ab6, A6, …
Jan 08
“Surprisingly Easy”™ Eight-Bell pieces
As we continued to venture into the world of eight-handbell arrangements, we noticed that there was a need for some more accessible works in the genre. So we started adding our “Surprisingly Easy”™ arrangements. In general, our guideline is that a “Surprisingly Easy”™ score a) is easier than the “standard” score, if it exists, and …
Jan 07
One of our very first eight-bell pieces!
Today’s arrangement is our Holy Manna for eight handbells. It was one of the first four-in-hand duets written when we (finally!) were together in California, and it still is one of our favorite concert pieces. A story: Carla moved to the US in 2012, and just after we arrived home in California, the organist at …
Jan 06
Epiphany!
For epiphany, here’s one of our newest eight-bell arrangements. It’s of the Swiss Christmas carol Es ist für uns eine Zeit angekommen (“For unto us a time is come”). It’s a lively song of rejoicing at the Christ Child’s birth. Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies …
Jan 05
Merry Twelfth Day of Christmas!
For the twelfth day of Christmas, I’ve decided to take a slightly different tack in this post. In 1892, Tchaikovsky was commissioned to write a series of twelve pieces for a music magazine. The collection is called The Seasons. Sometime ago, I arranged The Seasons for two octaves of handbells. When Carla and I recorded …
Jan 04
Merry Eleventh Day of Christmas!
We’ve made it through most of the twelve days Christmas, and are approaching Epiphany. As a prelude to that, here’s our twelve-bell arrangement of What Child is This?. Enjoy! Purchasing this 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay …
Jan 02
Merry Ninth Day of Christmas!
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many handbell groups closed down for a couple of years, because it was considered risky to gather. So they played it safe, hoping to weather the storm and bring everyone back together after the disease was better understood (and yes, vaccinations had been developed). Kalamazoo Ringers was no exception, and like …
