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I'm excited to share some of my arrangements from my recent sheet music collection, piano by starlight, that your congregation will love to hear as postludes at the end of a service. These arrangements are of intermediate difficulty and won't take too long to learn - you might be able to sight-read them! Of course these selections don't have to be played as postludes, they work well as preludes or in the middle of the service if you're looking for something exciting. I'll share YouTube videos as well so you can preview them - let's get started!
En El Frío Invernal (Cold December Flies Away)
This Christmas carol was new for me, as I hadn't sung many Spanish carols, but it's a fun tune and lends itself well as a postlude. In the beginning, the right hand sparkles while the left hand plays the melody, which paints a picture of cold December winds. Then after an interlude, the second statement of the melody sings over a harmonious left hand, filled with fun embellishments. It ends a sparse treatment in the upper register as the "winds" gently fly away!
Listen below: He Is Born
Based on the French carol Il est né, the carol He Is Born is among my favorites, and I really tried to express the joy of this carol in my arrangement. From the start, the right hand sparkles with cascading chords over the melody. The interlude at measure 27 brings the energy to a new level, and then the second statement at measure 35 is more exciting still with sonorous, contemporary chords. The opening texture returns at the end and it finishes with a twinkle off in the distance.
Listen below: People, Look East
This upbeat setting of People, Look East would work well in any part of a service, but since I'm covering postludes I wanted to include it here. The first statement of the melody has a lot of embellishments that make it exciting and fresh. After an improvisatory interlude, at measure 44 the carol is placed briefly in a minor mode, but it returns to major at the ending improvisation.
Listen below: What Child Is This
What Child Is This is another favorite Christmas carol of mine because of the modal harmony. My arrangement uses what you might call a Classical-era Alberti bass but with new age harmonies. The first statement of the melody is decorated with fun embellishments. A cinematic interlude bridges the modulation from A minor to F# minor where the melody is stated a second time. The refrain of the carol is repeated in the upper register for a sparkling close.
Listen below:
Remember, sheet music for all of these arrangements are available in my collection piano by starlight, and you can also buy the individual arrangements on Sheet Music Plus if you prefer. Be sure to check out my other blogs on my hymn arrangements if you're looking for more ideas for what to play at church, as well as more sheet music to add to your collection.
Piano music for Advent Great piano preludes for Christmas Easy piano pieces for church Great piano postludes for church Piano preludes to play at church Intermediate piano pieces to play at church
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AuthorIan Good is a published composer and arranger. |