Quiet Resource Sheet Music
Poochie Tenharmsel
"Communion Meditations" is a collection of quiet, meditative arrangements for use with Eucharistic devotions. This collection was inspired by Father Michael Baltrus, an Associate Pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Madison, Tennessee. After communion, Fr. Baltrus would softly and prayerfully lead the congregation in singing just one verse of "O Sacrament Most Holy" (which is included in this collection). This simple act was a lovely and heart-felt way to close communion after receiving the Blessed Sacrament. Later, adding a light handbell accompaniment to it enhanced this already beautiful setting, and also integrated handbells into the liturgy which is one of the goals of CIR Music.
Are you looking for a festive and triumphant Easter morning anthem for your bell choir? This arrangement of "Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise" (LLANFAIR) will definitely help your ringers and congregation celebrate our Risen Lord!
"Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" is a traditional Catholic hymn of praise translated from the German hymn GROSSER GOTT, WIR LOBEN DICH. This piece has been beautifully arranged for piano and C or Bb instrument, handbell duet or trio, or solo bell tree.
The singing bell technique opens this haunting and evocative arrangement of the hymn tune KINGSFOLD. In the first half of the piece, a quiet yet persistent 8th note pattern adds a wonderful counterpoint to the familiar melody.
Note by the composer: this "brief" traditional Latin setting of the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Mass is written to be short enough for normal liturgical use, but may also be used secondarily in the concert hall.
This handbell accompaniment to the Missa Jubilate Deo contains simple Latin chant settings, accompanied by handbells, of the parts of the Ordinary of the Mass including Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei.
Prayer-like and contemplative but with moments of heightened emotion, this original piece will bring out the musicality of your group. The quiet, opening motif gently transitions into the primary theme at measure 10.
This versatile collection of familiar hymn tunes and chants is very accessible for 3 octave handbell choirs. Each one is rated a Level 1 on the Handbell Musicians of America's difficulty rating scale (with Level 1 being the easiest and Level 5 being the most advanced), because there are very few bell changes/accidentals and no complex rhythms.
"Veni Creator Spiritus" is an invocation of the Holy Spirit for use during the feast of Pentecost. It is also used during the ordination of priests, the profession of members of religious institutes, administering the sacrament of Confirmation, the dedication of churches, and the convening of synods or councils.
2024 Jeffers Handbell Supply, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Digital Direct Handbell Music is a Service Mark of Jeffers Handbell Supply, Inc.
Digital Site License Handbell Music is a Service Mark of Jeffers Handbell Supply, Inc.
The display was researched and curated by UCLA graduate students Blair Black and Sabrina Langois, organized by Callie Holmes and Matthew Vest and produced with support from a UCLA Chancellor's Arts Initiative grant(opens in a new tab). The physical exhibition spaces in Schoenberg Hall are managed by the UCLA Music Library and the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive.
Read the announcement about the display and see more materials online via the My Life in the Sunshine research guide(opens in a new tab). Have a music research questions? Find more UCLA music research resources(opens in a new tab) or contact the Music Library.
The Music Library provides access to one of the largest academic music collections in North America and is the largest and oldest major music library on the West Coast of the United States. Its over 400,000 physical items span all genres of music, from ancient times to today. The Music Library is one of the most used UCLA Library spaces and collections, with over 100,000 visitors and over 35,000 items checked out each year. It supports music study and performance at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music(opens in a new tab), UCLA in general and throughout Southern California.
I love judging Solo & Ensemble. I feel that it's a privilege that I get do it. My job is to be the audience of dozens of performances in one day. And then I get to offer advice. Who doesn't love that?
I only do it once a year, however, because it is also exhausting. This year I am scheduled for 62 performances between 8am and 4pm. And I must give appreciation to the Wisconsin School Music Association for coordinating these festivals on such a grand scale. This coming Saturday, March 7 over 30 festivals with over 400 judges will be taking place simultaneously.
INSTRUCTOR VS ADJUDICATOR
My official title is "adjudicator." My job is to listen critically to every performance, and offer positive suggestions on how to improve. This in essence isn't much different than what I do in lessons, though the format is quite different. The big difference is that I have to give this performance a score.
I think I speak for many instructors when I say that we just want all of our students to feel like they've accomplished their goals and that the score they receive at Solo & Ensemble doesn't really matter. However, I'm well aware that from the student's perspective (if I may be so bold) it's all about the score.
THE VIEW FROM THE JUDGE'S TABLE
Kids get so nervous about playing. So for the most part I just try to be really nice. It is a big deal to walk in a room and play in front of somebody who is constantly writing and critiquing you while you play. I sincerely appreciate every performer who plays for me. Whenever I get a chance I try to say things out loud in the room, make jokes, and encourage people (parents included) to relax and not worry. I played Solo & Ensemble when I was a kid, and always appreciated the kind judge.
The schedule is tight. Class B and C solos are allowed six minutes while class A and ensembles are allowed eight minutes. This includes set up, introduction, performance, take down, and discussion with the judge.
I will say that I'm always treated very well by the school. One touching thing to me is the lunch which is brought in by volunteers--presumably parents. I always feel it's so gracious for parents to bring in food to strangers who are critiquing their children's performances. It's a great reminder to me that we are all gathered on this occasion because we care about our kids.
THE PERFORMANCE
There is a real art to judging. On the one hand we're trying to be as objective as possible, and WSMA has done an excellent job of categorizing areas of critique on the rubric form (more on that below). But on the other hand, this is music and in some sense it's all subjective.
So like lessons, I try to "get to know the student" by just listening and watching for a few bars (we're talking about 10-15 seconds of time). Then I just write what I hear. If I hear something off, I look and see if I can notice a cause--especially if it's tone or technique related. If I see something that looks irregular but sounds good, I try very hard not to score it down, but maybe just make a note of it ("Your bow is not parallel to the bridge, but your tone is very strong anyway. Perhaps if you straighten it out, your tone will be even better!").
I write as much as possible on the back of the rubric form and attempt to mark measures when I can, and to be as specific as possible. This is somewhat of a challenge for me because I'm a really slow writer (I can type much faster but the clicking of a keyboard would be distracting). Usually I score when the student is done because then I feel that I have a complete picture--plus I'm such a slow writer that I often have to keep writing during most of the performance to get everything down.
Then I invite the student to the table to talk. First things always is: "Thank you for playing!" (remember I just got a free concert). And then I try to offer critique like this: I say 1.) the things that went well; followed by 2.) what can improve; and 3.) end with how the future will be even better when the good things are combined with the improvements.
THE RUBRIC
I wanted to take a moment to dig in to the scoring categories, since as I said above, the student wants to know the score. There are no secrets here. Follow some of the advice below, and I guarantee you'll improve your score (and consequently play more musically).
There are five categories on the string solo rubric. These categories are similar to other instruments with some obvious differences. For example technique will be different than brass or woodwinds and though tone will be a category on all, the way you achieve a good tone will of course vary by instrument.
TONE
Use more bow. I'll probably write this (this is just a guess) about 75% of the time. Listen to your sound and make every note sing. It doesn't matter if it's a long note or a short note, make it sound great. Take your eyes off the page and just play some nice open strings.
INTONATION
"Intonation" refers to playing in tune (I mention that because a lot of young players don't know what that word means). This is a more challenging category for string players. I play bass--an instrument notorious for intonation issues. Usually this involves slowing it way down and repeating a lot. Chances are if the student is having intonation issues that they don't know what the piece sounds like. I use the rock 'n' roll analogy. You want to play a rock song because you heard it, and you like it. Have you heard the piece you're playing? If not, then that's probably the first step.
Also tone and intonation don't live in silos. A restricted tone will affect the ability to play in tune. So if a player does nothing other than work on tone, there's an awfully good chance intonation will begin to improve.
ACCURACY
Most students spend the vast amount of their practice time concerning themselves with this category. It involves playing the right notes with the right rhythm at a steady tempo. One note about tempo: despite the tempo marking of the tune, you must play at whatever tempo you are capable of, no matter how slow. Think of it from the judge's perspective: