|
Are you looking for great preludes to play at church that are of intermediate difficulty? In this article I am going to share selections from my Piano at Daybreak series that create a welcoming worship atmosphere for your congregation. I’ll share links to YouTube and the sheet music along the way so you can hear and purchase the ones you like. But remember, you’ll get a much better deal purchasing the complete collections instead of individual arrangements on sheet music websites. Let’s get started! What is a prelude, and how do I pick one?A prelude is a piece of music played by the organist or pianist at the beginning of a church service. From my 20+ years of experience playing in churches, I have identified a variety of factors to consider when picking a prelude. One is the stylistic preference of your congregation, your leadership (such as a priest or pastor) and of course, you the musician! Does your church like jazzy preludes, classical masterpieces, a simpler contemporary sound, or a mix of all of the above? Another consideration is length: is a short prelude preferred, or a long one, and do you ever need to improvise to fill time? The church calendar is another important consideration: does your selection fit with the readings or the sermon, liturgy, or with the season generally, be it Lent, Easter, Advent, Christmas, or any of the others. You might also play a prelude that uses the same tune as one of the hymns of the day. There are other considerations, but I think these are the most important. My hymn arrangement prelude selectionsMy first selection is my new age arrangement Be Thou My Vision which is based on the tune SLANE. This is a highly popular hymn and makes for a perfect prelude throughout the church year. My arrangement is meditative, and it begins in a minor key which makes it a poignant selection for Lent or Advent. It does move to a major key for the repeat of the tune, symbolizing hope and the restoration of ‘vision.’ It is intermediate in difficulty and just over 2 minutes long. Next is an arrangement of Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Another famous hymn, my arrangement is in a meditative new age style of intermediate difficulty. I expanded the tune rhythmically from 3/4 to 4/4 time, and the left hand gently flows underneath the melody which sings high above with folksy embellishments. The interlude is passionate, and then it modulates from Bb to G major. It is just under 3 minutes in length. Holy, Holy, Holy is a hymn based on the tune NICAEA. My arrangement is in a gentle new age style and makes for a lovely opening to a sacred service. It has a simple aesthetic with melodic decorations that allow you to play with expression. It is one of the easier arrangements in my Piano at Daybreak collection, but still considered intermediate difficulty, and is about two and half minutes in length. My next recommendation is It Is Well With My Soul, which is a slow and expansive setting that is about 3 and a half minutes long. The left hand gently flows and syncopates like a river, and after a beautiful interlude it modulates from Ab to Db. It is an easy one if you need a prelude that can be sight-read. My arrangement of Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee is another personal favorite from my Piano at Daybreak collection, and not just because it is a famous tune written by Beethoven. The meditative left-hand accompaniment is a 5-bar pattern that creates space around the melody and contrapuntally complements the melody. The interlude is what I consider a light fantasia as elements of the melody are developed in new modes and key areas. The melody actually doesn’t fully repeat a second time, which leaves you wanting more - perhaps a good quality for a prelude! Now let’s look at some selections from Piano at Daybreak Volume 2. The first one in the collection, All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name, has somewhat jazzy harmonies with the broken 7th-chords in the left hand and the use of a flat 7 chord throughout the beginning, this pattern returns in the ending improvisation. It is a joyful prelude selection that is about 2 and a half minutes. I think my setting of All Things Bright and Beautiful is another great choice for a prelude if you’re looking for something with slightly more energy. It is one of the few Piano at Daybreak arrangements that opens with the left hand in the lower register for your typical full piano sound, and the high right-hand melody and expanded rhythm creates a feeling of openness. It is just under 3 minutes in length. Judging by the title of the hymn alone, you know an arrangement of Come, Christians, Join to Sing is going to probably be an appropriate prelude if the arranger knows what they are doing. My arrangement of the hymn makes for an upbeat prelude and has all the hallmarks of my contemporary new age style, including fun, folksy embellishments and improvisations. This one is just over 2 minutes long. He Leadeth Me is simple and slow, with embellishments decorating the melody. This one is a little longer at three an a half minutes, so you may like this one if some of my other picks are too short. Another good prelude pick is my arrangement of I Love to Tell the Story. It is set in compound meter, giving it a gentle lilt. You can really let the piano sing at measure 24 where the melody is repeated at mezzo-forte dynamic in C major. The melody gently drifts away towards the end for a softer finish, but there isn’t an extended improvisation at the end of this arrangement. At around 3 minutes it is the perfect length for a prelude, and is intermediate in difficulty. Well, I have shared ten recommendations in this article for piano preludes for church. Thanks for reading! There are many more in my hymn arrangement collections that would be appropriate for preludes, so be sure to check those out. Please also check out my articles covering upbeat postludes for piano and hymn arrangements for intermediate pianists. Also if you're looking for offertories and special music, read on here! Comments are closed.
|
AuthorIan Good is a published composer and arranger. Archives
July 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed