Late choir director inspired new leaders to crack the code of inter-generational collaboration
BY JOAN CUNDIFF HUBBARD
In 1987, our choir director Jane Armstrong showed up at Perkins First UMC like Mary Poppins with multiple black suitcases and a smile on her face. She had purchased some handbells in honor of her mother, Catherine Bell, and decided to organize a handbell choir (Jane had formerly been a director of the handbell choir at Stillwater First United Methodist Church).
Jane began recruiting immediately and had a way of getting people to agree with just about anything. Before we knew it, we had a handbell choir consisting of about 10 people of various degrees of musical skills. Some of our original members were Dale Armstrong, Joan Hubbard, Paula
Focht, Dora Mercer, Ray Clark, Susan Blubaugh, George Hardin and Jerri Walters.
Carletta Brown, a member of the First Baptist Church, would join us each week for practice. She would skip the services at her church to perform with us. Joining the adult choir later would be Deborah Allensworth, Velda Ewing, Becky Morton, and our pastor Susan Ross
The early years were so much fun. Jane handed us a pair of gloves and a polishing rag, as we did everything we could to protect our shiny new bells. We shared a music stand with our neighbor, which was invaluable. If it appeared our partner was lost, we would shout out the correct measure.
We also had a tendency that, if we missed our time to play our bell, to play it after the fact. That would result in a sour note which caused us all to erupt into laughter. Jane continued to work with us with the patience of Job and when she thought we were travel ready, we would pack up our bells and play for nursing homes. Once we even performed a Christmas concert with the Perkins-Tryon H.S. Band.
I guess Jane decided she needed a new challenge, and she began a program for our youth called Kids Klub. Some of the kids that passed through the youth handbell choir were Joanna and Jordan Hubbard, Darcee and Dusti Blubaugh, Daphne and Ashlee Drake, Aaron Worley, Stephen Vinson, Chelsea Cobb, Kessie and Jessica Brown, and Kristi Hall. After the youth practiced the bells, Jane and her husband Dale would host the kids for swimming and snacks at her house. Her faithfulness and dedication to our adult and youth group never ceased to amaze me and this was on top of her directing our choral choir.
She also performed solo bells and played at my parents’ 50th anniversary party. Kerry Morton, one of our youth, also learned to play solo and played at her father Wendell’s memorial service. Our handbells, under Jane Armstrong’s tutelage, made an impact not only in our church, but our community. The outreach was significant. When Jane passed away, the bells were silent for a few years. There were some half -hearted attempts to “get the band back together” but we had lost the momentum and energy of our fearless leader Jane.
Several years later, we decided that while our church members were not able to commit to a full-time choir, we would revive our bells at Christmas time. Steven Cundiff stepped up as our director and he cheerfully recruited young and old alike. It was not uncommon to have two generations of members playing and at one point Steven was playing with his son, daughters and grandchildren.
Our current choir ranges from age 10 to age 77. Choir members still wear their gloves, still polish the bells, and still, on occasion, hit a sour note. Jane would be so proud.
Handbells across history
According to Handbell Ringers of Great Britain, handbells have been in use since the 1500s, but became popular in the 1700s. Before handbells, musicians would ring swinging tower bells.
Tower bells were very loud, and even practicing them would wake the entire village. To practice without the loud tower - or change - bells, handbells were adopted.
Handbells were a traditional recreation for boys starting around 15 years old from 1890 to 1896. Bands would hold competitions, with rivalries among neighboring communities.
The peak of handbells’ popularity was from 1855 to 1926, when handbell ringers would compete in the British Open. Thousands attended the events, causing trains to have to make special excursion trips just to bring spectators to the grounds.
Winners then went on tour across the world, including the famous Almondberry Ringers’ tour of the United States in 1897 to 1899.
Before that, the Peake Family Ringers brought handbells to the United States in the 1830s. In the next decade, P.T. Barnum brought a group of mustachioed Englishmen - billed as Swiss ringers - for an American tour for one of his many stunts, according. to RiverBells, a community handbell ensemble in Sacramento, California.
A handbell choir can consist of 25 to 97 - or more - bells, with ringers each playing as many as six at a time.
From their beginnings as practice items for change bells - which didn’t have melodies but rather consisted of a series of notes, to the modern music of handbell choirs, handbells have played a part in church music for centuries.
Many United Methodist hymns are interpreted for handbell choirs, and those choirs can include any combination of children, youth, and adults of all ages.