We promised a video of our sixteen-bell arrangement of the Christmas carol “Ding Dong, Merrily on High”, and here it is! We hope you enjoy it!
Aug 30
The Star-Spangled Banner – Twelve handbells
Francis Scott Key wrote the words for “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814 after seeing the American flag raised over Fort McHenry in celebration of victory. The modern rendition (most often at patriotic and sports events, with biennial playings at the Olympics) usually consists of just Key’s first verse. All four of his verses, as kept in the National Museum of American History, are below.
Rather curiously, Americans sing their national anthem to the British song “To Anacreon in Heaven” by John Stafford Smith. The melody tests the vocal range of even the best singers, spanning twelve scale tones.
O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bomb bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,
‘Tis the star-spangled banner – O long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto – “In God is our trust,”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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 once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.
Aug 19
Hark! the Glad Sound – Twelve handbells
The hymn Hark! the Glad Sound, arranged for twelve handbells, anticipates the Savior’s coming. It speaks of the triumphant kingdom He will establish, and is suitable for Advent or Palm Sunday.
Hark, the glad sound! The Savior comes, the Savior promised long!
Let every heart prepare a throne, and every voice a song.
He comes the pris’ners to release, in Satan’s bondage held;
the gates of brass before Him burst, the iron fetters yield.
He comes the broken heart to bind, the bleeding soul to cure,
and with the riches of His grace, to enrich the humbled poor.
Our glad Hosannas, Prince of Peace, Thy welcome shall proclaim;
and heav’n’s eternal arches ring, with Thy beloved Name.
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 once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.
Aug 17
It only seemed quiet this week!
I apologize for the apparent lack of activity at Choraegus this past week! The real-life picture involved more than just sitting around; we participated in the Bay View Week of Handbells. BVWOH happens in the first half of August each year in Petoskey, Michigan. The “Bay View” part comes from the Bay View Association, a National Historic Landmark on the shore of Little Traverse Bay. Bay View, a Chautauqua institution, exists to promote and advance faith, culture, the arts, and recreation; BVWOH, of course, fits into the “arts” part.
Don Allured started BVWOH as a Bay View member in 1978. He created an opportunity for handbell directors to get further education about their instrument. Over the years, BVWOH evolved into a performance event, even commissioning special compositions to be premiered during that week.
After setting up late Sunday night, we rehearse for 25-30 hours over the next four days, followed by a free public concert on Thursday night. Note, however, that we’re supposed to arrive “performance ready” on Monday afternoon, which implies that we should have been practicing our own parts for months beforehand. The difficulty level of the music brings a huge challenge on its own… and then we have the privilege of interpreting it together under the baton of our director, Fred Gramann.
The official Bay View season (when the music, lectures, etc. happen) runs for eight weeks; BVWOH has become so dear to the Bay View community that they refer to our time there as “week nine”. They arrive early on Thursday evening and fill the auditorium, anticipating a marvelous musical time together.
The Thursday evening program frequently receives the understated designation “handbell choir concert”. This year, 108 musicians worked with a tremendous amount of bells and chimes (ten five-octave choirs’ worth, plus three sets of bass chimes and thirty aluminum bass bells). And it all comes together magnificently.
For the next day or two, you can get a taste of our experience there, because the livestream recording is still available for a bit longer. Do take a look!
Aug 09
Nocturne (Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, plus handchimes, 3 octaves, Level 2+)
Nocturne is an original work for three or five octaves of handbells (and three octaves of handchimes). I composed it as an entry in a composition contest, with the conditions being that it had to be Level 2 or 3, and be less than 4’30” in duration.
I think you’ll like – or maybe love! – Nocturne, because of it’s thoughtful introspectivity. It would do well as a concert selection, a festival piece, an offertory, or a general meditation on something rather serious. But that’s just me talking – please view the video here and make your own decision!
Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.
Aug 05
A new video for “Meditation”!
Meditation, an original composition, has been in our catalog for some time. In case you haven’t gotten familiar with it, we have versions for 2-3 octaves and 3-5 octaves of handbells. Tintabulations Handbell Ensemble of Nevada made the handbell video which we have on our site.
Carla wanted to know how Meditation would sound on handchimes, so we gave it a go and added a video here. Enjoy!
Meditation – Handchimes – an original composition by Larry Sue from Larry and Carla – Handbell Music on Vimeo.
Aug 02
Sleigh Ride (Mozart, Drei Deutsche Tänze, No. 3) – Sixteen handbells
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the exceptional musical geniuses of all time, started composing music when he was just four years old, and has had a lasting influence ever since then. He composed Drei Deutsche Tänze (“Three German Dances”) in 1791; the third dance in this suite bears the nickname “Sleigh Ride” (not to be confused with the popular Leroy Anderson piece). Instrumental ensembles often include sleigh bells as part of their presentation, and they have been added to our video!
Our arrangement of Sleigh Ride is available in two transpositions. The C5-C7 score uses smaller bells and is ideal for four-in-hand quartets; the G4-G6 translation fits precisely in the pitch range of a two-octave handbell choir.
Purchasing this 16-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.
Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!
Aug 01
Greet the Morning (Handbells, 3-5 octaves, plus handchimes, 1 octave, Level 3-)
Greet the Morning, an original work for three to five octaves of handbells, draws a picture of waiting for the sun to rise. The night vanishes gradually as the light of dawn overcomes the darkness. It increases in brightness until all of a sudden, the sun peeks over the horizon and starts the day.
This piece starts with a technique called “singing bell”, borrowed from the Tibetan monastic use of singing bowls. In the latter, the practitioner runs a metal rod around the rim of a circular metal bowl; for handbells, the ringer similarly applies a “singing stick” (a plain or coated wooden dowel) to the rim of the casting. The lowest two bells being “sung”, A3 and E4, produce a “difference tone” of A2 with a frequency equal to the difference of the two pitches.
Three to five octaves, Level 3-
Greet the Morning – for Handbells – an original composition by Larry Sue from Larry and Carla – Handbell Music on Vimeo.
Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.
Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!
Jul 25
Walking Home (Handbells, 3-5 octaves, plus handchimes, 2 octaves, Level 3-)
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 head as you look forward to getting there.
The first and last sections are straightforward; there’s a little bit of very manageable syncopation. The middle section sounds complex, but if you inspect the score, you’ll find that each of the four voices is playing a part that’s about Level 2+; it’s putting them together that makes the passage sound more intricate. A quick note: Your position 8 (CD6) ringer should have at least a basic understanding of four-in-hand, because that middle section works quite nicely if your P8 takes <C6>, <D6>, <E6>, and <F6>.
Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.
Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!
Jul 17
A new “standard” version of “How Firm a Foundation” for eight handbells!
Some of our titles take more than one form. Our new, more accessible “standard” eight-bell version of “How Firm a Foundation” (labeled “version 2”), for instance, provides a second option for playing a more-challenging-than-easy score if you don’t have enough time to learn the original one with additional fiddly bits. We have a video for each version, of course, so that you can determine which version best fits your (current) needs. Hint: watch for how rapidly our hands move!
How Firm a Foundation – for 8 Handbells – arr. Larry Sue from Larry and Carla – Handbell Duo on Vimeo.
Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment/instrumental score(s), if part of the purchase) – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.
