Our Mission
Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble strives to reach higher standards of musical excellence through the use of handbells while incorporating the use of other instruments in order to broaden the exposure of handbells to the performing arts.
Through workshops, conferences, and community outreach programs, PHE promotes the art and education of handbell ringing. The ensemble seeks to educate and encourage public appreciation and interest in handbells through musical performance and to expand the use of handbells in music education.
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WHAT IS RINGING?
Unlike an orchestra or choir in which each musician is responsible for one line of the texture, a handbell ensemble acts as one instrument, with each musician responsible for particular notes as they appear in the music.
English handbells are tuned, with each bell analogous to a key on a piano. The clapper on an English handbell is on a hinge and moves back and forth in a single direction, unlike a school bell in which the clapper swings freely in any direction. Additionally, the shaft of the clapper is rigid, such that the bell may be held with its mouth facing upward.
Beyond simple ringing, numerous techniques specific to handbells have been developed, including placing the thumb against the bell while ringing for a staccato sound, striking the bell against a padded table for a quickly dampened sound, gently touching the rim of the bell against a table after ringing to allow the sound to decay in echo-like stages, and using a variety of mallets to strike bells that are hanging or laid on the table.