Bells at Temple Square celebrates a ‘Season of Ringing’

Surrounded by festive Christmas trees, poinsettias and lights in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, the 32 members of the Bells at Temple Square celebrated “A Season of Ringing.” Many of the songs honored the Savior’s birth at Christmastime.

They rang bells with their hands and against the tables, used mallets and sticks to circle the edge of the bells, and used other methods to make a variety of sounds in their music during the concerts on Nov. 22-23. The concert on Nov. 22 was livestreamed and is available to stream on The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square’s YouTube channel and broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, and also on the Gospel Stream app (until Dec. 6).

Geoff Anderson conducted the concert. The Bells at Temple Square’s concert earlier this year, “Joyfully Ringing,” was the finale for conductor LeAnna Willmore, who retired after the concert. She and Anderson, then the associate conductor, directed the June concert.

“A Season of Ringing” ranged from the peaceful Prelude on “Thaxted” to the bellringers wearing sunglasses for the festive “West Indies Carol” and stocking hats for “Up on the Housetop.”

The hourlong concert included a dozen numbers of a variety of genres to celebrate fall, winter and Christmas. The bellringers were accompanied by Tabernacle organists Linda Margetts and Joseph Peeples and a member of the Orchestra at Temple Square.

The program included:

• “Autumn Leaves,” music by Joseph Kosma and arranged by Andrea Handley.
• “Sing Praise to Him,” music from the Bohemian Brethren’s Songbook and arranged by Paul Laubengayer (organ solo by Linda Margetts).
• “Fantasy on King’s Weston,” music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Georg Neumark and H.L. Hassler; arranged by Fred Gramann.
• Prelude on “Thaxted,” music by Gustav Holst; arranged by Michael Helman.
• “Masters in This Hall,” music is a traditional English carol; arranged by Matthew Compton.
• “’Twas the Moon of Wintertime,” music by Jean de Brébeuf; arranged by Sandra Eithun.
• “West Indies Carol,” a folk tune; arranged by Hart Morris.
• Postlude on “Mendelssohn,” music by Felix Mendelssohn; arranged by Sir David Willcocks (organ solo by Joseph Peeples).
• “Brazilian Sleigh Bells,” music by Percy Faith; arranged by Kurt Meyer.
• “Christmas Toys on Parade,” music by Mark Weston; arranged by Jason Krug.
• “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” music by Vince Guaraldi; arranged by Kevin McChesney.
• “Up on the Housetop,” arranged by Arnold B. Sherman.
• “Joy to the World,” music by Lowell Mason; arranged by Alex Guebert.

About the Bells at Temple Square

The Bells at Temple Square was created in March 2005 as part of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square organization. The bellringers are volunteer musicians, like the members of the Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square and Chorale at Temple Square.

The handbell choir’s performances include two yearly concerts, taking part often in the weekly “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcasts of the Tabernacle Choir and having a major role in the choir’s annual Christmas concerts. The bell ensemble rehearses weekly.

The 32-member handbell choir plays on two sets of English handbells and handchimes — one with seven octaves and one with 6½ octaves.

See more photos of the concert below.