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In my last article I shared some of my favorite arrangements from Piano at Daybreak, Vol. 1. In this post I’m going to pull selections from Piano at Daybreak, Vol. 2 that would be perfect for the intermediate pianist. I’ll share videos and links to the sheet music along the way. Let’s dive in! First up is All Things Bright and Beautiful, which opens very spaciously with the famous melody rhythmically elongated. By doing this, it has a relaxing atmosphere but there’s also room for embellishments. The interlude at measure 51 picks up the pace slightly (without an increase in tempo) and then hymn tune repeats with shorter rhythms more commonly associated with the tune. This section is fun because it was slightly inspired by Grieg’s Wedding Day at Troldhaugen. In Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies, I used a gentle repeating progression in the left hand to colorfully accompany the melody, which serenely floats above. This approach doesn’t work for every hymn tune, but I’m thrilled when it works out the way it does here. It is a lot of fun to improvise above a progression like this, and I'm happy with how the interludes came out. Come, Christians, Join to Sing is an energetic arrangement that would be perfect as a prelude in church. There are many 16th-note embellishments and small scalar figures to add interest, and fun syncopations in the interludes. Come, Come, Ye Saints is a slow march. The interludes use the mixolydian mode, and the leaps in the left hand along with the embellishments in the right hand make this perfect for intermediate pianists. I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say is in a minor key and starts off slowly and expressively. As the piece progresses, the tempo increases. And if you are familiar with the soundtrack to The Piano by Michael Nyman, you’ll probably notice the influence on the last statement of the melody with the broken chords in both hands. I Love to Tell the Story is another good one for intermediate pianists. The left hand remains simple throughout and the right hand is free to play with the melodic decorations throughout. There are scales and other surprises to be found to maintain interest. This arrangement is a perfect prelude or offertory. I have mentioned the influence of George Winston on my arrangements before, and it is very apparent in Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. The left hand undulates between two chords to start, and then the melody comes in with ornamentation. There are gentle syncopations throughout but it is peaceful in mood. My Jesus, I Love Thee is also intermediate in difficulty, bordering on advanced. The notation may look complex at first due to the embellished nature of the arrangement, but just remember this is to be played freely. It is somewhat like a Baroque toccata and the pianist may take expressive liberties. I think of Praise To the Lord, The Almighty as a short fantasy, as the melody being broken up and used in the interlude. The tempo ramps up for the exciting second statement of the melody. The ending returns to the calm of the beginning in the lydian mode. Take My Life and Let It Be is a nice meditative arrangement, and puts the melody high above a gentle repeating progression before continuing on with an improvisatory interlude. After the hymn tune repeats an octave lower, another interlude brings back the opening progression with wider spacing in the left hand. It eventually floats back to the original register from the beginning. That concludes this post on more intermediate arrangements for piano. If you’re interested in more, head on over to my first post covering 10 intermediate arrangements or my selection of easy hymn arrangements for piano. Also check out my post on great piano postludes for church. Remember you’ll get much better value buying the whole book be it Piano at Daybreak or Piano at Starlight! Comments are closed.
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AuthorIan Good is a published composer and arranger. |