The 
Alchemy Handbell Ensemble

"World Festival of Sacred Music DVD"

 

Program

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Fugue a la Gigue – Buxtehude

Ricercare – Frescobaldi

Little Fugue in A Minor – Bach

Bist Du Bei Mir – Stolzel

Canon in D – Pachelbel

Nun Bitten Wir – Buxtehude

Passacaglia in D Minor – Buxtehude

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Toccata Brevis – Gawthrop

Amazing Grace!

6-in-Hand Toccata – Moore

Joshua! – Hascall

Bell Jubilee – Lorenz

Poor Man Lazrus – Hairston

Reverberations – Lloyd

Scherzo on Hyfrydol – Moore

Prisms – Payn

Preformed by:

Boude Moore, Director

Nick Fanton

Cathy Fountain

Eleanor Fountain

Katherine Geeslin

Kelly McClintock

Matt Mueller

Karen Petersen

Annie Roe

This presentation was an official event of the 2005 World
Festival of Sacred Music – Los Angeles, September 17-October 2. www.festivalofsacredmusic.org

HOW TO ORDER
 

Handbells are beautiful!  Each bell is cast of bronze and tuned to a separate pitch.  Struck by fixed clappers, individual bells ring with a tone that is pure, sweet, and clear. Dynamics range from an ethereal whisper to a resounding forte.  Handbell repertoire includes idiomatic compositions, which can be played only on bells, improvisatory peals, and transcriptions of familiar music. 

Handbell music is visual.  The lift, strike, and recovery of each note create a choreography that is descriptive of the music, and beautiful in itself.  White gloved hands weave complex patterns as the bells fly, catching the light.  The beauty of the music is enhanced by the sight of its creation. 

The Alchemy Handbell Ensemble is a group of skilled handbell players from Prince of Peace Episcopal Church in Woodland Hills, California.  Named for the medieval concept of wresting gold from base metals Alchemy refines the art of handbells, ringing Gold from Bronze.  The ringers play in ensembles of three or more as required by the music.  Each player is generally responsible for an independent musical voice, resulting in a repertoire that is contrapuntal in style. 

Alchemy appears throughout Southern California in community concerts, weddings, festive gatherings, and in services at Prince of Peace.  Video programs include The World Festival of Sacred Music – the Americas, recorded in 1999, and Ring Noel, a dazzling array of Christmas music, A CD, Alchemy Christmas, is available on the website www.handbellsatpop.org   In the summer of 2003 Alchemy toured Wales with the Cor Cymraeg De Califfornia.

Director, Boude Moore is a graduate of California State University, Northridge.  He has been organist and music director at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Santa Monica, the United Methodist Church of Sepulveda and since 1988, Prince of Peace Episcopal Church.  There, in addition to leading mixed choir, men’s choir, and brass ensembles, he has developed a handbell program of seven graded ensembles.  Bells participate in every Sunday service, providing the welcoming peal, accompanying hymn, psalm and liturgy and playing communion offerings.  Twelfth Night and Spring concerts are held every year.

Appearing on this program are ringers: Nick Fanton, Cathy Fountain, Eleanor Fountain, Katherine Geeslin, Kelly McClintock, Matt Mueller, Karen Petersen, Annie Roe and

Boude Moore, Director.