Kum Ba Yah

Catch the spirit of African rhythm in this upbeat rendition of the favorite spiritual. Kum ba Yah is a well-known African folk tune, which is a prayer to God. Translated into English, it means "Come By Here." It is most often sung with guitars around a campfire. That's why this handbell arrangement begins very simply and quietly before launching into a very rhythmic version, giving the bell ringers the rare opportunity of each playing complete rhythm patterns rather than alway sharing them with other players. The arranger confesses that he originally wrote this to stimulate excitement in a junior high bell choir he was conduting. It worked! This version hasbeen further developed and expanded for 3-5 octaves.