Bell Jubilee includes an hour
of concert and holiday selections recorded by the 2005 Allegro Handbell
Ensemble. This is the group's twelfth album.
From the Insert
"Allegro," as an Italian musical instruction,
means "fast." It was also the name of a toy alligator brought
along on the group’s second tour in 1976. The mascot’s name
stuck, and the ensemble had a name: The Allegro Handbell
Choir.
Begun by John Macdonald in 1967, the group
gained national recognition and made its first European tour
under the leadership of Dwight K. Menard, in whose memory
Elegy (track 13) was commissioned by the musicians who performed
under his direction between 1971 and 1978. A friend of Mr.
Menard, composer William Payn originally titled the work
Tombeau. Other works commissioned and premiered by the ensemble
include With the Angels Let Us Sing (track 10), which was
commissioned in memory of Linda Tice, whose daughter was on tour
with the choir at the time of her mother's death. At the request
of the family, Carl Wiltse included a quote from Silent Night in
his composition.
Michael Surratt was selected to take over the
reins of the Allegro Handbell Choir in 1979. At the time, the
group performed fifty to sixty concerts each year and was
generally regarded as a professional-level ensemble. In 1998,
the ensemble was the recipient of a generous donation of five
octaves of Malmark handchimes, manufactured in Plumsteadville,
Pennsylvania, which complement their five octave set of
Schulmerich handbells, cast in Sellersville, Pennsylvania.
On several of the European tours, there was
confusion about how the group would perform. Audiences would
sometimes ask when the choir would sing. It was finally
determined that, in Europe, the word "choir" specifically
implied a vocal group. For the 2000 Summer Concert Tour, the
group changed its name again and became the Allegro Handbell
Ensemble.
Mr. Surratt has conducted the Allegro Handbell
Ensemble for over 25 years, and the group continues its
educational programs, despite increased demands on time for
today’s high school students. The ensemble performs regularly
for civic, charitable, and community groups, as well as in local
elementary schools and holiday programs.
The Allegro Handbell Ensemble has toured
throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and parts of
Mexico. The group presents a wealth of information about
themselves, their instruments, and other recordings on their
website at www.allegrobells.org.
Track List
Track
Title
Time
Composer, Arranger
1.
Bell
Jubilee
1:15
Ellen Jane Lorenz
2.
Fanfare for Bells
1:16
Mary G.
McCleary
3.
In the
Hall of the Mountain King
2:50
Edvard Grieg,
arr. Michael Keller
4.
Spirit Song
3:08
John
Wimber,
arr. Cynthia Dobrinski
5.
Joshua Fit
the Battle of Jericho
1:45
Spiritual,
arr. Martha Lynn Thompson
6.
Siyahamba
4:32
South
African Freedom Song,
arr. Robert J. Ward
7.
Prisms
2:32
William A. Payn
8.
Cantus Invenilis
2:16
Valerie
W. Stephenson
9.
Nocturne
No. 3
5:06
Michael Helman
10.
Jesus Shall Reign
2:56
John
Hatton,
arr. Anna Laura Page
11.
With the
Angels Let Us Sing "Commissioned for the Allegro Handbell
Choir
in memory of Linda Tice."
3:56
Carl Wiltse
12.
Phantom of the Opera
5:41
Andrew
Lloyd Webber,
arr. Douglas E. Wagner
13.
Hava
Nageela
3:23
Israeli Folk Song,
arr. Douglas Floyd Smith
14
Elegy "Commissioned in memory of Dwight K.
Menard
by the 1971-1979 Allegro Handbell Choirs."
6:17
William A. Payn
15.
Deep River Michael Surratt, piano
3:23
Spiritual,
arr. Janet Linker and Jane McFadden
16.
The Nutcracker
4:33
Peter
I. Tchaikovsky,
arr. Kevin McChesney
17.
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
5:15
Franz Liszt,
arr. Douglas E. Wagner
18.
Now the Green Blade Riseth
2:03
French
Carol,
arr. Kevin McChesney
19.
Bell
Boogie
1:57
James C. Smith
Total Time
64:15
Recording
Credits from the insert
The Ringers (clockwise from
top): Peter Elias, Hillary Bozeman, Brandon
Woodle, Madeline Lubenow, Johnathan Wroble, Ingrid Elias,
Thure Ross, Cara Stevens, Cassie Lubenow, Rebecca Woodle, Kate
Davey, and Anna Tuggle.
The Director: Michael Surratt
Producer
Michael Surrat
Recording Engineer and CD Mastering
Gerald G. LeCompte
Graphic Design and Copy
Daniel Reck, forzandoArts www.forzando.net
Photography Personnel: Bruce Chlevin
Instruments: Schulmerich Carillons, Inc.
Shop forzandoArts 
