A Handbell choir is a musical ensemble of 12 to 15 people, each ringing several handbells. A set of handbells is like a big keyboard. Each bell has a different pitch--something like the keys on a piano. There are bells for both white keys [naturals], and black keys [accidentals]. The pitch of the bell is determined by casting and cannot be changed, so bells are never in need of tuning. Many churches and some community groups sponsor handbell choirs. Although handbell ringing began as a way to practice change ringing (see below) now there is a large variety of music composed just for handbell choirs.

The bells also come in a variety of shapes, styles and sizes, from five octaves (85 notes) to two octaves (49 notes). Most churches that have handbell choirs have at least three octave sets--61 notes--although there are a few with larger or smaller sets.

An "English Handbell" indicates the type of bell, not the country in which it is manufactured. There are two major manufacturers of handbells in Great Britain and two in the United States.

Tuning is a critical part of the manufacturing of the English handbell. Each of the manufacturers has a unique formula for emphasizing or de-emphasizing the harmonics to produce their unique sound. English Handbells have either leather or plastic handles.

Handbells were made for the purpose of practicing change ringing, which began centuries ago in the bell towers of Great Britain. A team of ringers would climb the bell tower to go through the mathematical changes of ringing the bells. Rehearsal might take hours. The bell towers for the most part are exposed to the weather, and the ringing room below the bells, where one pulls the ropes, does not usually have climate control. Smaller handbells were created for convenient indoor practice.

Interesting links: http://www.churchbusiness.com/articles/1b1feat3.html http://www.knology.net/~jkearns/faqhandbells.htm