Sound the Battle Cry Handbell Choir - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.953709

This is a 60 measure arrangement for 4 and 5 octave handbell choirs, of the Christian anthem: "Sound the Battle Cry". The difficulty level of this arrangement is probably 3 or 3+. The fast triplets in the high treble and a fast eighth-note bass run contribute to that difficulty level. It is arranged into three verses (each with chorus) of the original hymn. Each verse has a different style. The last chorus has a half-time ending. In the first verse, the original dotted eighth/sixteenth note combinations are changed to even eights, as a result of the quick tempo making it hard for some handbell choirs to play the original rhythm. In the second verse (in 6/8 time) those same combinations have a triplet feel. Only in the last verse (which is a bit slower than the first) have I used the original dotted eighth/sixteenth note rhythms. This particular hymn lends itself well to using more interesting chords than those used in the original hymn, and I have taken advantage of that. It starts out at the original quick feel. In the second verse it slows, considerably, along with a reduction in the dynamic level. The chorus of that verse is "a tempo". The last verse is meant to be majestic, so is a little slower than the first, and reverts to the original dotted-eighth/sixteenth note rhythms, which are a bit easier at this slower tempo.