News & Views Wednesday, July 09, 2025

New Piano Music for Lent and Easter Thursday, February 11, 2010

With Ash Wednesday around the corner, church pianists are looking for fresh materials to play during the upcoming Lent/Easter season. This year, there is a new collection called “Near the Cross” which has ten hymn arrangements for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. This collection includes arrangements by Howard Helvey, Lloyd Larson, Craig Courtney, etc. and has classic hymns like “Were You There” and newer selections such as “The Quiet Heart.”

A new release for Lent/Easter that is appropriate throughout the year is a collection entitled “From the Cross to the Sky.” Arranged by Jeff Bennett, it includes hymns such as “Amazing Grace” and “Be thou My Vision.” Stanton's also recommends last year's new collection called “Palms and Passion Suite” by piano master Mark Hayes.

For the final days of Lent, another favorite is “A Triptych for Holy Week,” by Joel Raney. It contains a deeply moving Good Friday piece called “The Darkest Hour,” combining O Sacred Head Now Wounded/Were You There/Beneath the Cross of Jesus, which is sure to be heartfelt by the congregation.

For more recommendations, contact our keyboard department at 1-800-42-MUSIC ext. 3.