News & Views Saturday, April 27, 2024

With High Delight: Organ Collections for Easter Tuesday, February 20, 2024

recommended by Christopher B., Organ Music Specialist

With High Delight arr. Kenneth Kosche
The title of this collection says it all. These seven settings are imbued with a sense of fun and vitality. The pieces are three to five pages in length. The vibrant, active nature of them precludes sight reading them in public (who does that?) but they are not daunting to learn. Titles include: “Awake, My Heart, with Gladness,” “Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing,” “Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain,” “I Know That My Redeemer Lives,” “Now the Green Blade Rises,” “This Joyful Eastertide,” and “With High Delight.”

Easter Glory! arr. Michael Shea
Energize and enrich the glorious Easter experience with this compendium of exciting and brilliant preludes and postludes, all designed for the musical majesty of our risen Christ. Classic compositions, hymn tune arrangements and original creations leap off of the page in this festive collection – “Welcome, Happy Morning,” indeed! Titles include: “Joy Dawned Again on Easter Day,” “An Easter Fanfare,” “Fling Wide the Gates,” “Christ Is Risen Alleluia,” “Introduction Variation and Finale on St. Kevin,” “Hail to the King,” “He Is Risen He Is Risen,” “The Trumpet Shall Sound,” “The Strife Is O’er,” “The King of Glory,” “Prelude on Llanfair,” “Awake the Dawn Appears,” “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” “Easter Dialogue,” and “Welcome Happy Morning.”

Five Preludes for Easter arr. David Schelat
David Schelat always has a fresh approach (stylistically, rhythmically, or harmonically) to the tunes he uses, and this collection is no exception. If you think, “Oh, not THAT tune again,” you need to take another look because he will surprise you. EASTER HYMN is set to a lilting waltz, LANCASHIRE as an imitative trio, GAUDEAMUS PARITER as a lively dance, GELOBT SEI GOTT as a fugal setting with a cantus firmus in the pedal, and CHRIST IST ERSTANDEN as a baroque slow movement with a solo for cornet registration. Interesting and rewarding to play and hear.

7 Intonations on Hymns for the Easter Season, Volume 2 arr. David Lasky
We answered your requests for more of these extremely useful intonations on Easter hymns. Lasky uses these familiar tunes in intermediate level settings for organ. We’ve also included the optional trumpet parts. Hymn tunes in this volume are “Duke Street,” “Hyfrydol,’” “Hymn to Joy,” “Lasst uns Erfreuen,” “’Mit Freuden Zart,” “Surgit in Haec Dies,” and “Vruechten.” Useable throughout the church year.

Raise the Glad Refrain arr. Kyle Johnson
Kyle Johnson has written a joyful and versatile collection of organ settings for the Easter season that includes an optional trumpet score. Of medium length and difficulty, the pieces could be paired together to create a longer prelude or postlude. Titles include: “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus,” “Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing,” “Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands,” “Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain,” “Day of Delight and Beauty Unbounded,” “I Know That My Redeemer Lives!,” and “The Day of Resurrection.”

Easter with Minimum Pedal arr. Edwin T. Childs
Edwin T. Childs adds to his series of settings for minimum pedal, providing a collection of hymn tunes for the Easter season. Composed as a single stanza, these preludes are suitable as hymn introductions or service music. This collection will appeal to organists who have limited pedal abilities or seasoned organists who need something in a pinch. Titles include: “Long Before the World Is Waking,” “Christ Is Risen, Christ Is Living,” “Christ Is Arisen,” “Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands,” “I Know That My Redeemer Lives,” “Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen,” “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today,” “I Am Content! My Jesus Ever Lives,” “Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain,” “O Sons and Daughters of the King (Good Christian Friends, Rejoice and Sing),” “Alleluia, Alleluia! Hearts to Heaven,” “The Day of Resurrection,” “Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds,” “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, Alleluia,” “Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia,” “All the Earth with Joy Is Sounding,” “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” “These Things Did Thomas Count as Real,” “Our Paschal Lamb, That Sets Us Free,” “If Christ Had Not Been Raised from Death,” “This Joyful Eastertide,” “He’s Risen, He’s Risen,” “He Is Arisen! Glorious Word,” and “Make Songs of Joy.”

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About the Author:
Christopher B. grew up in eastern Kentucky in a musically diverse family, and began playing organ at the age of 12. He majored in vocal performance with minors in keyboards and conducting at Marshall University and later received a Master of Theological Studies in congregational ministry from Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Christopher has served as a church music director and organist for more than 20 years, presently serving as Director of Music and Worship Arts/Organist at Church of the Master United Methodist in Westerville, OH.

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