Music
and
Recordings
The music AHE plays ranges from classic transcriptions and
arrangements to brand-new original compositions reflecting the
ever-broadening range of techniques available for handbells.
Always, we aim to challenge ourselves both technically and
musically. We also perform arrangements by our own members, and
we love to incorporate other instruments, from trumpets to
saxophones to drums.
Compact
Discs
AHE has recorded four of our own CDs. Two CDs are all Christmas music (because nothing says Christmas like bells!) and the other two both have a wide variety of pieces, representative of our broad range.
Serenity
Our most recent endeavour captures that moment of peace
on Christmas Eve when the gifts are wrapped, kids are in
bed, and you can finally pause to reflect on the season.
Tracklist
| Angels We Have Heard On High | arr. Sandra Eithun (3:22) |
| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | Joel Raney, arr. Arnold Sherman (3:41) |
| We Three Kings | John H. Hopkins, arr. Joel Raney (4:45) |
| O Come, O Come, Emmanuel | Joel Raney, arr. Arnold Sherman (5:25) |
| Ding Dong Merrily On High | arr. Fred Gramann (2:13) |
| Festival Prelude on "Deo Gracias" | Sondra K. Tucker (2:43) |
| Let All Mortal Flesh | arr. Cathy Moklebust (6:30) |
| O Little Town Of Bethlehem | Lewis H. Redner, arr. Cathy Moklebust (4:59) |
| Change Ring Prelude on "Divinum Mysterium" | arr. Fred Gramann (3:57) |
| Carol of the Wise Men | arr. Fred Gramann (3:59) |
| The World in Solemn Stillness Lay | Richard S. Willis, arr. Matthew Prins (9:29) |
| Silent Night | Franz Gruber, arr. Sandra Eithun (4:40) |
| Sleigh Ride (Troika from Lt. Kijé) | Prokofiev, arr. Kevin McChesney (2:34) |
| We Three Jazz Kings | John H. Hopkins, arr. Matthew Prins (3:43) |
| Blue Christmas | Bill Hays, Jay Johnson, arr. Hart Morris (3:25) |
| White Christmas | Irving Berling, arr. Cynthia Dobrinski (4:16) |
Towers:
A Synergy of Sound
At over 65 minutes of playtime, our third CD,
Towers: A Synergy of Sound, comprises the best musical
selections from our 2002 to 2005 seasons.
Samples
Below are samples from this CD including Towers, elegantly fluent in spite of its formulaic origins, and Metamorphosis, resolving its initial pensiveness into serenity and carefree jubilation.
(To hear our full-length samples we must ask that you enable Javascript in your browser and install Flash Player 9 or later.)
Tracklist
| Towers | Cathy Moklebust (4:49) |
| Cavatina | Stanley Myers, arr. Bob Avant (3:20) |
| La Paix | Julie Stitt (3:44) |
| Rockin' Jerusalem | André Thomas, arr. Lee Afdahl (2:30) |
| Liberty Bell March | John P. Sousa, arr. James Christensen (1:34) |
| Holiday for Strings | David Rose, arr. Wallace Hornibrook (3:12) |
| Passacaglia | Kevin McChesney (8:45) |
| Winter Bells | Robert Parsons, arr. Clint Hagen (5:01) |
| Arabesque | Claude Debussy, arr. Katsumi Kodama (6:10) |
| Psalm Nine | Carl Wiltse (2:38) |
| Metamorphosis | Michael Helman (6:25) |
| Canticle of Peace | Karen Lakey Buckwalter (6:22) |
| Furioso | Paul McKlveen (3:51) |
| Rêverie | Claude Debussy, arr. Bob Avant (5:04) |
| Synergy | Kevin McChesney (2:47) |
AHE:
Carillon for Advent
Handbell music is especially popular at Christmas-time and so
our second release is filled with just that. This album has
nearly 65 minutes of both traditional carols and modern pop
classics.
Samples
Below are samples from this CD including Ukranian Bell Carol Fantasy, a colorful reimagining of the 20th-century classic, and It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, a meditation on the arrival of Christ.
(To hear our full-length samples we must ask that you enable Javascript in your browser and install Flash Player 9 or later.)
Tracklist
| In Heaven the Bells are Ringing | Douglas E. Wagner (2:27) |
| An English Carol | arr. Arnold Sherman (3:20) |
| The First Noel | arr. Kevin McChesney (4:00) |
| Carillon for Advent | arr. H. Dean Wagner (3:31) |
| O Little Town of Bethlehem | Lewis Redner, arr. Cynthia Dobrinski (3:35) |
| Ukranian Bell Carol Fantasy | set. Cynthia Dobrinski (1:34) |
| The Wexford Carol | arr. H. Dean Wagner (5:03) |
| Feliz Navidad | José Feliciano, arr. David Kent (2:55) |
| A Charlie Brown Christmas | Vince Guaraldi, arr. Kevin McChesney (4:44) |
| Go, Tell it on the Mountain | David R. Kent (3:36) |
| Do You Hear What I Hear? | arr. Tammy Waldrop (4:07) |
| I Wonder as I Wander | John Jacob Niles, arr. Merle Peterson (2:47) |
| The Christmas Song | Tormé and Wells, arr. Douglas Wagner (4:04) |
| Home for the Holidays Medley | arr. Douglas Wagner (3:47) |
| Greensleeves | arr. Cameron Scott Hagler (3:43) |
| It Came Upon the Midnight Clear | Edmund Sears, arr. Arnold Sherman (6:15) |
| Stille Nacht | Franz Gruber, arr. Betty Garee (2:57) |
AHE:
Run Away to Spring
The original AHE CD, Run Away to Spring, features an
eclectic mix of flowing original compositions, American folk
arrangements, and more.
Samples
Below are samples from this CD including Ballade, ebbing and flowing to either side of a percussive interlude, and A Simple Gift, a fantasia on 'Simple Gifts' exploring minor keys, contrapuntal form, and more.
(To hear our full-length samples we must ask that you enable Javascript in your browser and install Flash Player 9 or later.)
Tracklist
| Rondo Exsultate | Douglas E. Wagner (2:17) |
| Suo Gan | Welsh Melody, arr. Jefferey Hall (5:50) |
| Valse Les Adieux | Karen Lakey Buckwalter (5:52) |
| Daystar | Joseph Barnby, arr. Karen Buckwalter (3:12) |
| Ballade | Arnold Sherman (5:23) |
| Wade in the Water | Negro Spiritual, arr. Sandra Tucker (2:06) |
| A Simple Gift | Shaker Tune, arr. Becky Meason (3:13) |
| Run Away To Spring | Patricia Thomson (3:55) |
| Holy Manna | American Folk Hymn, arr. Betty Garee (2:30) |
| Lamento Borincano | Rafael Hernández, arr. Francisco Abad (3:39) |
