Church-Appropriate Piano Repertoire

[florentin]

What would be some piano repertoire appropriate for church services, besides hymns and religious music arrangements? I am thinking more of a classical repertoire.

I attend a congregational church, and instrumental music is quite appreciated. What do you suggest would be appropriate?

thanx

[pianistimo]

preludes, postludes, bach chorales, vocal music put to piano arrangement (of tunes that people know), and possibly many other chorales and short pieces by mendelssohn, brahms, and contemporary christian composers (would be my choice).  maybe it depends on your congregation and what they are used to hearing, too.  if you accompany a choir, you can get a feel for the music they choose and then sort of augment and 'fill in' when there's no vocal music and the service is getting underway or closing.  in one church i attended, they really appreciated about 5-10 minutes of music that would help people sit down. as i got closer to the service i started playing a few of the hymns and practicing variations on them.  if you're really practiced you can modulate them at the end and get more familiar with your audiences ranges and the best sounds that you can get out of them by determining to start lower than the hymn (often better) and end where it is written.  one book that i have is some organ preludes (contemporary) that can be used for piano.  they have modulations at the end of all, so you can keep repeating if necessary until you fade out.  (libraries have a lot of old hymn books, choral preludes, and organ preludes).

[pita bread]

Scriabin Sonatas # 6, 7, 9

[pianistimo]

oh. yes.  really appropriate!  (smiles and kicks the wall - only to have the shin reverberate shock waves of pain)

[rafant]

I don't know how to write the link, but there is a very complete discussion on this subject in the Bernhard's thread "Sacred music for piano solo", posted on last January 25. Try inserting that headline in the Search option.

On the other hand, I am quite fond with the piano transcriptions of sacred Bach's works by Busoni, Friedman, and specially Wilhelm Kempff, whose CD I recommend earnestly. Angela Hewitt is a pianist of christian roots who also recorded a fabulous CD containing this kind of works.

The 5 or 6 pianists of the baptist church I attend  plays always hymns and that is a bit boring for me. I have the aspiration of contributing to the worship by playing sacred classical works of higher artistic level, but my hour has not arrived yet. Anyway the purpose is to play for God, since I don't believe that the congregation can realizes about the difference.

[quantum]

Scriabin Sonatas # 6, 7, 9

Can I visit your church?



I'd love to play some of Messiaen's Vingt Regards for "Christmas Music".   

What I would really like to do is expand on the music played at my church into some contemporary classical works.  I mean it doesn't have to be as dense as Boulez, but there must be some beautiful unheard of modern classical music out there that is quite appropriate for church services. 

[stevie]

liszt's totentanz

(true)

[BoliverAllmon]

I was told Schubert went over well.

[pita bread]

Can I visit your church?

Only if you would like to attend a black mass and only if you bring three virgins and a cup of your finest wine.

[florentin]

you guys are loosin' it, bad. 

[turner]

Try Schubert's Moment Musicaux No. 6 in A-Flat Maj.

[cfortunato]

Stuff from the Well-Tempered Klavier is good.

[Kassaa]

Complete Alkan Op. 39 etudes.

[dbrainiak914]

Schumann Op. 28 No. 2

Chopin Op. 10 No. 3

[JP]

Baroque is usually well suited..  But anything that isnt too eccentric should be fine..

[alzado]

I am only stating the obvious when I say that churches normally feature organs, not pianos.

As for a selection, how about the Myra Hess version of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

And at this time of year, sacred Christmas music.

[abell88]

I am only stating the obvious when I say that churches normally feature organs, not pianos.

Really depends on the church -- my church has an organ but it is very rarely used.

[florentin]

there's a huge pipe organ at our church, as old as the church - about 100 years. There's no interest on the part of the leadership to fix it. It's just sitting there. I am sure it's worth a lot.