Rehearsal goes smoothest if everything you need is on the table before the first note gets played. We all have to work on the ringer error side of that individually, but I thought it would be nice to have a central location to store and share knowledge about printing errors in the bells used chart.

Bellerrata expanded from there to incorporate other errata and notes. Errors are bound to happen in any printing industry, no matter how good the editor may be. As an editor myself, I know that far too well! The only way to make sure something is error-free is not to do it at all. Thus, the spirit behind this site is not a desire to point out what’s wrong, but to make the world a little bit more right.

The dream is that when a ringer or conductor buys a new piece, they can check here for any known omissions/errors in the bells used chart (or other errata) and mark it in their music before they begin. The data set I started with in May 2018 consisted of my own notes from two Concert Bells of Fort Worth seasons plus Carl Wiltse’s incredibly helpful notes from Bay View Week of Handbells 2015 & 2016. Now this site hosts notes about pieces I’ve played, pieces other ringers have reported in about, and the odd composer submission. Maybe if I ring long enough and enough people are inspired to pitch in, the dream will come true.

IMPORTANT NOTE: From time to time, publishers may make changes that fix or change old errata. Therefore, whenever possible, I’ll include the edition of the piece which the listing is based on. If your choir is playing off of a different edition than the one listed here, it may not contain the same bells used chart.

This site is the brainchild of one woman, so it probably won’t ever be beautiful and it definitely won’t ever be exhaustive. It’ll most likely grow slowly over time and help you only sporadically… but my view is, “somewhat useful” is a lot better than “not useful.” If you’d like to help out by contributing, feel free!

To make a submission to this site, please email sarahalys at gmail dot com and include the word “Bellerrata” in the subject line of your email. If you submit an erratum, please include the catalog number and publication date of the edition you’re working off of, and make sure to specify whether or not it has been verified by the composer.