The handbells have been part of the Chapter House Choir’s Carols by Candlelight concerts since the first concert by the choir in 1965. The original concerts used Andrew Carter’s four octave set of handbells by Shaws of Bradford. Since then, the Chapter House Choir has been gradually building up a set of fine Whitechapel handbells. We are thrilled that some very generous donations in 2018 and 2019 enabled us to order the last few bells needed to complete the three chromatic octaves.
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York Minster December 2022: Photo by Duncan Lomax.
We are also most fortunate to have an extensive library of handbell arrangements, all especially composed for the choir and the vibrant acoustic of the Chapter House of York Minster. The carol arrangements reflect the growing numbers of bells, with early arrangements written for fewer bells.
Most of our arrangers have close connections with the choir!
- Andrew Bunney used to sing in the Chapter House Choir, and his arrangements date from a time when the choir only had two octaves of handbells.
- Phil Redding composed many of his arrangements when his wife Denise led the handbell team.
- John Hastie sang briefly with the choir many years ago. His handbell arrangements were commissioned in recent years and make full use of all the bells.
- The choir founder, Andrew Carter, has provided several very special arrangements which are fun for ringers and audience alike.
Our ringers
The handbell ringers are drawn from the Chapter House Choir. Occasionally a former member of the choir might be invited back to join the handbell team. Several members of the team can ring ‘four-in-hand’, where a ringer holds four bells – two in each hand. Rehearsals usually take place after the main choir rehearsals in the run up to the Christmas Carols by Candlelight concerts. Very occasionally, the handbell ringers take part in other concerts or events, such as the Vespers for St Hildegard by Stevie Wishart. This was part of the York Early Music Festival in July 2013 and took place in York Minster.
Listen to Away in a Manger arranged by John Hastie played at the Carols by Candlelight in 2016
