Review:
This arrangement of “Oh Holy Night” by Brian Seemann is written for 4-6 octaves of handbells with optional 3 octaves of handchimes and optional bell tree. The handbell choir begins the piece and plays the first verse alone, with the standard triplet rhythms and accidentals found in the original. The second verse, marked by a tempo increase, sees the chimes and bell tree soloist join the choir, with the chimes playing the melody, the choir providing the harmonic structure, and the soloist rendering a challenging obbligato descant. While the handbell part is relatively straight-forward, the bell tree part is not for the faint of heart! However, this is a worthy challenge which will result in a sparkling performance of this much-loved piece. The bell tree part is written within the handbell score and also is available separately.
Written for Griff Gall and the Back Bay Ringers, this piece will be included in the Bell Tree Showcase at the 2020 Handbell Musicians of America National Seminar.
Published by:
National Handbell Music
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Composer:
Adam, Adolphe
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Arranger:
Seemann, Brian
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Octaves:
4-6
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Level:
3+
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Rating:
Medium
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Copyright:
Varies by Piece
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Season:
Christmas
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Classification:
Bell Tree
, Church or Concert
, Concert
, Instrument Part
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Technique:
Mallet
, LV (Let Vibrate)
, SB (Singing Bell or Bowl)
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Voicing:
Handbells, No Choral
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Instrument:
Chimes(Choirchimes or Handchimes)
, Bell Tree
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Bells Used:
Four Octaves: 43 Bells; Five Octaves: 48 Bells; Six Octaves: 51 Bells
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