Joy of Christmas

Think of handbells and often Christmas music comes to mind, most likely the popular “Carol of the Bells.”

Emmanuel Lutheran Church, in Murrysville, supports a handbell program that not only performs for Christmas services, but also throughout the year during services. In addition, handbell choir members also like to perform outside the church setting in formats that are more appropriate for some of the more playful pieces they have rehearsed.

Emmanuel’s handbell choirs have performed at community events and festivals, including the Holiday Flower Show at Phipps Conservatory, the Seton Hill Handbell Festival, the Western Pennsylvania Handbell Festival (held at the Church of the Covenant in Washington, Pa.) and various churches and nursing homes in the Murrysville-Export area. In addition, the choirs are members of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers.

This year they are planning to hold their first independent concert, tentatively scheduled for May.

Emmanuel’s handbell choirs director Gary McWilliams noted the long history of bells in cultures across the globe.

“Bells are found in ruins of the earliest cultures known to man on every continent,” he wrote in a recent e-mail. “Their primary purpose was as signaling devices. In medieval Europe, large bells hung in church towers and signaled townsfolk to all major events, including meetings, impending attacks, storms, etc. ”

He added that in England, the tower bells were rung in sequences for entertainment and challenge. “Change ringing” competitions began between neighboring towns and are still practiced in England today.

“To avoid the need to practice change ringing in cold bell towers and to avoid subjecting the townsfolk to practice sessions, small hand-held bells were developed in the 17th century that allowed ringers to practice indoors,” he added. “These bells are the forerunners of modern handbells. Choirs began to be formed specifically for the purpose of ringing music on handbells.”

About 1840, handbell choirs were introduced to the United States by P.T. Barnum, who brought an English choir, but called them the “Swiss Bell Ringers.” Handbell ringing became part of the vaudeville circuit, and grew steadily in the U.S.

In the 1940s, churches began establishing handbell choirs, and handbells began being manufactured in the U.S. in the 1960s. Today, more than 10,000 handbell choirs exist in North America. The AGEHR organization promotes handbell ringing in the U.S.

However, there are a number of organizations that support handbell choirs throughout the year.

McWilliams said Emmanuel Lutheran began its handbell program in February 1997 when the church purchased a three-octave set of Malmark Handbells with memorial donations.

The choir was composed of members with varying degrees of experience, including some who had never played in a handbell choir. McWilliams said he’s been playing handbells since 1969. Many of the members of the handbell program are related to one another and come from very musical families.

Danette Hunter, of Murrysville, is a member of the handbell choir. She plays the D6 and C6 handbells and occasionally the D7 bell. Her parts also include all sharps and flats associated with those notes. At any given time, a player may have four or five notes associated with bells for which they are responsible.

“I started playing in high school in the teen bell choir at my church when I lived in Ohio,” she said. “They didn’t have the (handbell) group at the church when we moved here, but then they got the group together, and I was happy to play again.”

Other members joked that they are considering adopting her because she is one of the few without a family member in the choirs.

Many said they are still getting the hang of the different styles of ringing: rings, plucks, marts and mallets all use different motions to create strikingly different effects. Hunter explained that each piece of music gives directions to the players on how to strike a bell to create the unique sounds that complement the piece’s tone.

Over the years, Emmanuel Lutheran handbell program has expanded to include 30 members who support both a five-octave choir (The Festive Bells) and a three-octave choir (The Rainbow Ringers).

The Festive Bells is an adult choir for members over age 18. The Rainbow Ringers is a youth choir for members in sixth through 12th grades. Both choirs provide music monthly at church services and for special occasions, such as Christmas Eve.

Members of The Festive Bells choir are Sandy Buehner, Kathy Gustafson, Diane McWilliams, Danette Hunter, Karla Gustafson, Denise Sticha, Hattie Rubright, Leslie Hood, Kristi LaVallee, Chrissy Writt, Christine Nicely, Millie Scheiterle, Colleen McWilliams, Leanne Salava, Steve Cehovin, Robert Schlotter, Janet Book, Katie Buehner, Cathy Potter, Mary Whipkey and Gary McWilliams.

Members of The Rainbow Ringers choir are Cara Suni, Emily Hall, Alek Suni, Rachael Smith, Jennifer McWilliams, Samantha Glunt, Allie Neal, Kelly McWilliams, Lexy Dean and Ross Bond.

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