Product Description
"A Jesus Medley" is an 87 measure arrangement for 4-5 octave handbell choir, and OPTIONAL handchimes from A4 through D6. Yeah, I know. Thats a real imaginative title! Bells can be substituted for the chimes. It is a medley of the Christian hymns: "Jesus, What a Friend For Sinners" (Hyfrydol tune), "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", and "Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus" (Geibel tune). The special techniques used are thumb damps, and shakes. Special note: The 5/4 measure on page two of this arrangement is not nearly as intimidating as it looks. The beats per minute have been changed such that the five beats are played in the same amount of time as the three beats in the preceding and following measures.. (Indeed, the conductor can keep conducting a 3/4 beat, if he/she so desires.) I have played this on midi to ensure that it actually works out that way. In the 5/4 measure, the second note in the bass clef comes exactly half-way between the second and third note of the treble clef, and the third note in the bass clef comes exactly half-way between the fourth and fifth notes of the treble clef in that measure. All that said, the best way to conduct and play this measure, is instinctively, remembering that the measure is to take the same amount of time as the measures immediately before and after. When done instinctively, it becomes easy---and, if the five notes in the treble clef are played a little more quickly (or slowly) than they are supposed to be, who will know? The intended effect will still be there. In "Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners", the last two musical phrases are repeated at a much slower tempo, and the rhythm of one measure is changed, for dramatic effect (that 5/4 measure). There is a modulation into "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", which is played with a mixture of handchimes and handbells (bells can be substituted for the chimes), then a modulation into "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus", where thumb damp phrases are alternated with normal ringing techniques. The chorus is maestoso and double forte, followed by a brief tag ending at triple forte that includes shakes in the highest bells. There are occasional runs in the bass clef, throughout the arrangement. This is probably a level 3 or 3+ arrangement. (If desired, the thumb damps can be replaced with a martellato technique.)
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