Many congregations are discovering the piano as an excellent instrument to lead congregational singing. This article informs the reader about the intelligent use of the piano in worship.
Rate in the order of appropriateness for public worship:
- Accordion
- Guitar
- Organ
- Piano
- Zither
Asked this question, my hunch is that the majority who are reading this would put the organ in first place, the piano in second. (Actually, all the instruments have been used.) We’d answer that way because of what we’ve experienced; in our churches, the organ has long been the instrument most used in worship.
But for a number of reasons, that prominence may be waning. Many congregations are discovering that the piano provides an excellent alternative to the organ. Some use it only to provide variety and to give the organist a break. Others, especially smaller congregations, have consciously decided to use the piano instead of the organ on a regular basis. They have discovered that piano accompaniment is not only suitable but preferable to organ music for their style of worship.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Whether a pianist can successfully accompany hymns and provide service music for worship depends on a few key factors: the acoustics of the church, the quality of the instrument, and the performance ability of the musician. Although a good instrument under the hands of a competent pianist can produce marvelous orchestrations of tone and articulate, crisp rhythms, the piano has neither the sustaining power nor the instrumentation possibilities of an organ.
However, often the problems people face when using a piano in worship have less to do with the instrument itself than with the apparent lack of appropriate literature: unlike the organ, the piano has no rich heritage of repertory explicitly composed for use in worship. This gap can partially be filled from other sources. For example, pianists have discovered that many classical piano compositions may be appropriately adopted for worship. Musicians need only make judicious choices on the basis of length and style, avoiding pieces that are very familiar and thus easily associated with experiences outside of the worship service.
Other pianists have discovered a wealth of material usable in worship services in the repertory of organ music written for manuals only. This music maintains the dignity of a tradition, creates no tension by association with other styles, and generally supports the aim of worship. Only the sound itself is different: the pianist must decide whether a particular work is too idiomatic for the organ to be used effectively on the piano.
Apart from these two sources for piano worship—judicious selections from classical literature and from organ music for manuals only—pianists face an inadequate supply of commendable material suitable for worship. During the past century, composers in the American populist tradition have attempted to create a body of sacred piano literature, most of it based on hymn tunes. But without the advantage of historical precedent available to the organ, pianists have adapted various models of piano style that may not be appropriate for the worship service: nocturnes, etudes, concertos, and cocktail music have all had an influence.
Most of these efforts at adaptation are unsatisfactory because they are obvious imitations, conjuring up associations outside of worship traditions, calling attention to themselves, forcing hymn tunes to be something they are not, and in effect intruding on worship. If a model for piano style in worship is required at all, a more effective one is organ literature associated with worship. However, due to the inherent differences between the two instruments, this model also has problems.
A most helpful source of suggestions for piano music suitable for church (unfortunately never published and therefore not conveniently at hand) is Richard Cole Shadinger’s dissertation “The Sacred Element in Piano Literature: A Historical Background and Annotated Listing” (Southern Baptist Seminary, 1974).
Another helpful source now available is a ten-volume anthology, compiled and edited by Dr. William Phemister, Chairman of the Piano Department of the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, released by the Fred Bock Music Co. in May l987. The multivolume collection is comprised primarily of music originally composed for the piano. (Exceptions include three organ chorale preludes by Brahms.) Six volumes are devoted to individual composers: Mendelssohn, Brahms, Schumann, Liszt, J. S. Bach, and Beethoven. Of the four remaining volumes, two include seasonal music (Christmas and Lent/Easter), another is a collection of duets (four hands, one piano), and the final volume contains selections by twentieth-century composers. These last two volumes also include some organ transcriptions. While this ten-volume work is designed for church pianists, it also of value to student pianists.
Selecting Music
As with any genre of music, church music’s quality or lack of it is associated with the names of publishers. Their boards establish the standards, which, if consistent, are of great assistance to the individual musician who faces a market of very uneven quality. The Lutheran publishing houses, Concordia and Augsburg, offer an outstanding selection of music for the piano, much of it published as organ music for manuals only. Other very reputable companies include Oxford University Press, Harold Flammer, Inc., and Peters.
In selecting music the musician should take into consideration principles of quality, moderation, and appropriateness. Some more specific, but not exhaustive, suggestions include the following:
- Do not choose music that is too difficult. Unless you can play the music well, you should not play it at all.
- Avoid obvious virtuosity. The music should assist worship and never be confused with a recital performance.
- If the music is based on a hymn, be sure its arrangement does not injure the original character of the tune and associated texts, either by excessive chromaticism or technical demands.
- Avoid any style that has strong associations with music outside of the context of a worship service.
- Avoid banality. Regard the music as an offering to the Lord, and make it the best in style, content, and rendition. Avoid obvious “formulas” for accompaniments, figurations, and modulations.
- Giving careful thought to the place of the music in the liturgy will help you decide whether to choose something quiet and meditative or festive and celebrative. The mood and associated text, if there is one, should be compatible with the church season and/or worship theme.