The Advent season seems to be a challenge for handbell choirs in churches where the lectionary is strictly followed and Christmas carols are not heard until midnight on Christmas Eve. The Four Sundays in Advent for 3-5 octave handbells with organ (Beckenhorst  Organ HBC-4 Bells HBC-4A)  suggests Rejoice Rejoice Believers for Sunday 1, O Come O Come Emmanuel for Sunday 2, Of the Father's Love Begotten  for Sunday 3 and In the Bleak Mid-Winter for Sunday 4. The handbell part is level 2+/3.

     Probably the most used title during Advent is O Come, O Come Emmanuel. At last count, there were 29 settings/arrangements. The setting by Cynthia Dobrinski (Agape 1399/3-5 octaves) is a single line melody over a harmonic foundation with 2/4 and 6/4 measures to accommodate the word rhythm of the chant. It's about a level 2+ and uses only handbells. The arrangement by Susan Geschke (Agape 2442; 3-5 octave; level 2+) uses 3 octaves of chimes. The chant melody is harmonized. The first section is in d minor, and a chime choir section of O Little Town of Bethlehem in D major. There are no meter changes to accommodate the word rhythms and it is ABA form. Alan Lohr's arrangement (AGEHR 35146, level 4) is busy, uses mallets, melodic descant and musical filler with accented melody lines and off beat rhythm. The suggested performance tempo is quarter note = 126-144. A unique setting worth a second look is Come Emmanuel (MorningStar 30-755, level 3+, 3 octave with a C3 and G3) arranged by Matthew Prins. It uses singing bells in the bass with the treble bell descant on suspended bells with mallets and a "battery bell" inner line using suspended bells and the mallet shaft. There was a lengthy discussion on Handbell L about how to notate the mallet shaft technique with the + sign already used for the treble bell descant/melody line. The decision was to notate the "shaft" bells with the blackened diamond shape that we ordinarily associate with chimes. All of the bells C4 - C7 use the mallet shaft technique at some time during the piece. The challenge with all of the suspended bell lines is to keep them light and not messy. This piece performed cleanly and musically will require a lot of time but the end product is worth the rehearsal time invested.

     God With Us for All Time arranged for 5 octave choir is based on the common Westminster chime sequence that we associate with mantel clocks. The setting uses many open 4ths and 5ths. There are sequences that imitate carillon bells. Eight measures of "Joy to the World" morph into a change ring sequence inserted in the final section (on the hour) that should be rung on chimes or another timbre. Betty Garee was a composer ahead of her time with this composition. It is not often heard due to the 5 octave designation and was published at a time (1980) when handbell choirs were melody oriented, not "pushing the envelope" and more than two or three octaves of handbells was considered an "advanced" choir. It is one of those forgotten "gems" that deserves to be heard!

Rejoice, Rejoice Believers has only two arrangements available. Jane McFadden has done a 2-3 octave arrangement (Augsburg) and Anna Laura Page 3-5 with optional 3 octaves chimes. (Choristers Guild CGB 642, level 2) This is not a familiar hymn.

     Of the Father's Love Begotten is another chant setting. Probably the most familiar is the Change Ring Prelude on Divinum Mysterium set by Fred Gramann. (2-3 octave, level 3+  Lorenz 20/1537L and 3-5 octave 20/1239L) It is on the Area 10 list for Tacoma in June, 2012. The setting is based on the word rhythms of the chant so there are 2/4, 5/8, 6/8, and 7/8 measures that occur to accommodate word rhythms. The basic meter signature is 3/4. I spent time on the phone last week with a director about conducting the piece stressing to her that the 8^th note was the unchanging rhythmic unit and that the common conducting pattern was three varied to accommodate the note groupings of either 2-2-3, 2-3-2 and 4-3 with the 3 of the pattern one 8^th note longer and the 4 in the 4-3 pattern using the first two beats of the conducting pattern. The 2/4, 6/8 and 5/8 measures use a 2 pattern. It is important for smoothness and flow of the chant line that the variant measures do not have every 8^th note conducted. Other arrangements of the same titles include Kevin McChesney (Beckenhorst HB 206, level 2+) for 3-5 octave handbells only or one by John Behnke (CPH 97-6844, level 2) using 3-5 octaves of handbells and 3 octaves chimes. There is no accommodation for word rhythms in the McChesney and Behnke uses 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 meters.

     Don Allured used to tell the story about midnight of the day that the melody In the Bleak Midwinter (Agape 1216, 3-5 octaves, level 2+) became public domain. He had his arrangement all ready in a sealed envelope with postage affixed. He rushed to the post office at midnight to mail it. It is still in print and includes some Jesu Joy in the center.Other arrangements include Kevin McChesney (Lorenz 20/1030, about level 2, 3 octaves);a compatible edition by Arnold Sherman Level 2  Red River Music (2-3 octave HB0036A, 3-5 HB0036B; a 3-5 octave with optional 3-4 octave chimes, level 2 by Susan Geschke (Agape 2363) and the "chestnut" by Karen Buckwalter (Flammer HP5317, 3-5 octave, level 3+). This one is worth a second and third look. New from Beckenhorst this fall (HB 398) is a Michael Helman arrangement that includes Lo How a Rose. It is level 3 and uses optional 3-5 octave chimes.

     There are at least 19 arrangements of Lo How a Rose. The arrangement by Cynthia Dobrinski  has an optional flute part. In place of a flute one year, I had the opportunity to have a Spokane Symphony cellist as guest artist. When the flute line went into the upper flute range, she used harmonics and it was ethereal. Try it, you will like it  - if the harmonics are in tune. (Agape 1655, about level 3) The Joel Raney arrangement was used in Yakima at the Area 10 Conference for Coppers.(Agape 2418, 3-6 octaves bells, 3-6 octave chimes, wind chimes, suspended cymbal and synthesizer.)

     The third Sunday of Advent is known in some liturgical denominations as Refreshment Sunday (when there are flowers on the altar again) and often as John the Baptist Sunday. The only melody I found for the Sunday that goes with John the Baptist is the chant PUER NOBIS. It is one of those utilitarian melodies that most people know as That Easter Day with Joy Was Bright. Three other titles to consider for Advent are Come Thou Long Expected Jesus and Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence and From Heaven Above to Earth I Come.

Friday, March 23, 2012 - Techniques Workshop with Michele Sharik, 7:00 - 9:00 pm, First Unitarian Church, Portland. Additional information or email Ellie Hodder [email protected].

Saturday, March 24, 2012 - Pacific NW Youth Handbell Festival with Michele Sharik, guest clinician, First Unitarian Church, Portland. Additional information or email Ellie Hodder at [email protected]. 

Friday & Saturday, May 4-5, 2012 - Siskiyou Summit Handbell Conference, Ashland Middle School, Ashland. Guest clinician: Mich�le Sharik. Repertoire list. For additional information, email Diane Barnes, [email protected].

Sunday, December 4 - 3:30 pm, American Lutheran Church, 332801 Hwy 2, Newport.

Saturday, December 10 - 6:30 pm, Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 4320 S Conklin, Spokane.

Sunday, December 11 - 4:00 pm, Evangelical Free Church, 2211 Sand Canyon Rd, Chewelah.

Bells of the Sound presents "Bells in Toyland":

Friday, December 2 - 8 pm, Tibbetts United Methodist Church, 3940 41st Avenue SW, Seattle.

Saturday, December 3 - 7 pm, Trinity Lutheran Church, 6215 196th Street SW, Lynnwood.

Sunday, December 4 - 4 pm, Lincoln Avenue Bible Church, 1250 Lincoln Avenue, Bremerton.

Friday, December 9 - 8 pm, Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, 3605 84th Avenue SE, Mercer Island.

Saturday, December 10 - 7 pm, Fairwood Community United Methodist Church, 15255 SE Fairwood Boulevard, Renton.

Sunday, December 11 - 4 pm, Woodland Park Presbyterian Church, 225 N 70th Street, Seattle.

For more information, visit www.bellsofthesound.org, email [email protected] or call 206.931.7669.

Saturday, February 4, 2012 - 2 pm. Concert by Nancy Kirkner, solo handbells, with Janet Anderson, piano. Music of British composers, including Purcell, Howells, Elgar, and Vaughan Williams. Frye Art Museum auditorium, 704 Terry Street, Seattle. Free. www.solobells.com.