version française : Brève historique

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Brief history

Handbells have been a well-kept secret in France for a number of years, but not because nobody was playing them. Deya Marshall has been a proponent of handbells in France for more than twenty years, and she was the first to create a handbell ensemble that played in public. Some years later, an offshoot of Deya’s group called themselves “Les Sonneurs”. They played on and off in public (on Whitechapel bells) and still occasionally use their set of bells to do presentations in various contexts.

Deya has been instrumental in creating an interest in handbells, in the Paris area and in other parts of France - mostly the north - where she has done work with music classes and family groups. She continues to play in public. Her approach to handbell playing is original: she frequently plays as a soloist or with a small group, and works with other instruments. Deya is what could be called a handbell chamber music specialist. There is a family group that plays bells in the south of France, and their approach is also that of the small ensemble.

Fred Gramann invested in handbells at the American Church in Paris in 1981, and began creating a dynamic handbell program there. There is also a very active youth music program at the American Church under the direction of Bonnie Woolley, so now anyone at any age can play handchimes or handbells. The American Church is almost the only place where the general public can play handbells in France.

Fred’s groups at the American Church, as well as Bonnie's, are based on the American ensemble model, with 10 to 14 players in each group. Both the adult handbell choirs and the youth handbell choirs increasingly play in contexts outside of the American Church. Needless to say, the Loire Valley handbell festival led by Fred this past summer as well as a European tour planned for the summer of 2004 are exciting events for handbells in France.

In January 2004, a new ensemble was created, "Les Maîtres Sonneurs". This group is composed mainly of music teachers, whose interest in handbells has led them to undertake a new adventure. Part of the goal of "Les Maîtres Sonneurs" is to promote the use of handbells and handchimes in public school classrooms in France. The hope is that the music teachers will return to their classrooms and start handbell and handchime programs of their own.

In 2003 and 2004, two pilot programs were put in place, in Meudon, at a private school called "La Source", and in the Val d'Oise (northern suburbs) where several primary schools and a high school have begun work on handchimes. The interest at La Source was such that the directrice, Marie-José Maubras-Moreau, immediately approved the purchase of three octaves of handchimes. Two music teachers in the school have begun a handchime program with children aged 7 to 11. In the Val d'Oise, the various handchime ensembles are slated for participation in concerts in June, and Les Maîtres Sonneurs will participate in these and other concerts before summer.

French audiences are fascinated by any form of handbells, and can’t resist coming up to the tables at the end of concerts to ask questions. This has been the case for years, and it is finally time to make this wonderful instrument available to more people in more places.