Arr by Anna Laura Page . . . Hymn Tune . . . 

This is music for handbell choir and for flute, even though Anna Laura says the flute is optional -- the piece works best with the flute obbligato, which plays throughout the arrangement.   The well-known hymn is played through three times, as the flute weaving above and around and through, playing little snips of the melody at times.  For bells, the music is quite straightforward, written in solid chords that never go below a mezzo level -- and the ending is very strong, with shakes throughout the last page and large shakes (and some echoes) that put an exclamation point onto the music.  The music is Level 1+ -- there are moments with a very few 8th notes in the trebles -- but it never moves over into Level 2.  

This is usable in a choir concert or in a festival, and would be a good feature in a service.

The flute part is written on the back page, so no special part needs to be purchased.  The flute part is not hard, but the flutist needs to be at a decent high school level to handle the forte and ff dynamics in spots.

There is a 3-5 octave version of this -- CGB 735 -- that is also available on our website; this is fully compatible, and can be used by itself or combined for a large festival piece.

• Key of G Major, 4/4 time signature, marked "with energy" 92 speed

• Quarter notes dominate throughout, with the occasional 8th note in the trebles; there are no acidentals

• Two finishing echoes are the only special techniques

• Dynamics are mezzo and forte and ff, with shakes often at the end

© 2011  Choristers Guild Publishing