Jubilation Handbell Choir rings in the festive season

The choir currently has 12 participants who practice each Tuesday at the church. They usually perform for the church service the third Sunday of each month.

Link said to play the handbells it helps if the participants can already read music.

“If you play any keyboard [instrument] that helps too,” she said. “But even if you don’t have those skills, we are able to help you along so you can join us. Timing is very important.”

After the choir plays its selections at tonight’s concert, there will be a short talk, to show people how the handbells are performed.

“Basically, we’ll take them through a rehearsal,” Link said. “We’ll start with a piece we’ve never seen before, and see if we can get it [going] to something people can recognize. It will be a little bit of a workshop as well.”

All the music the choir performs is specially written for handbells. The bells are all numbered so people know when it’s their turn to ring. Each bell is also tuned differently.

“Each bell has a different note,” Link said. “A, B, C, D, E, F, G are the notes, and then there are the sharps and flats that go along with them, and then the different octaves. It’s just like the keyboard on the piano. We have four octaves in bells.”

Link said the most difficult part about playing the handbells is learning the technique to ring the bell properly.

“That’s something that takes some time to learn,” she said. “It’s the action of your wrist and your arm as you ring the bells.”

The handbell choir is always looking for new members.

What Link especially likes about the handbells are their interesting sound.

“The sound of the bells is so unique,” she said. “They are a beautiful instrument to listen to. Even when we play wrong notes it still sounds good.”

—

Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

by Angela Brown

Jubilation Handbell Choir rings in the festive season

What's Trending