My Sweetheart

Commissioned by The Bells of Heath (Hackettstown, NJ) and their director Kathryn Twaddell, "My Sweetheart" is a medley of three popular Tin Pan Alley songs Ain't She Sweet, Daisy Bell, and Let Me Call You Sweetheart. Each tune is set in a different style and highlights the bells and choir in a different way.

 

The medley starts with a shimmer of high bells and fragments of the verse of Ain't She Sweet before entering into the song's chorus, which draws from the sound of early 1940s dance bands. Daisy Bell is a handchime feature in a simpler 6/8 meter with rich harmonies, and highlights each section of the choir. The medley concludes with Let Me Call You Sweetheart as a gentle waltz, with LV arpeggios accompanying the melody and embellished by high treble chimes in the chorus. Finally, the opening gesture returns to end the piece with a flourish.

 

"My Sweetheart" is ideal for choirs that have moved past simpler music and are looking for something a bit more challenging as they explore more advanced handbell sounds and techniques.

 

This arrangement is dedicated to my grandmother, the third generation of handbell ringers in my family.

 

Ain't She Sweet: Words by JACK YELLEN, Music by MILTON AGER 1927 (Renewed) WC MUSIC CORP. Used by Permission of ALFRED MUSIC.

 

Techniques used: let vibrate, mallet, martellato, shake, thumb damp

 

Level: 3

 

3 - 4 octaves

 

Duration: 5 minutes

 

Handbells used: 3 octaves (36), 4 octaves (39)

 

Handchimes used: 3 octaves (24), 4 octaves (26)