Following the successful Hymn Prelude Library series for organ comes a comprehensive set of piano preludes for all the hymn tunes in Lutheran Service Book. Not an adaptation of the organ series, this collection features newly composed pieces by dozens of composers who write in a variety of styles and harmonizations. The pieces are useful as preludes and postludes, as music at the offering, for introductions, and during distribution, as well as for those who play hymns at home.
The twelfth and final volume of the Piano Prelude Series is complete, and church musicians now have a newly composed piano prelude for every single hymn tune in Lutheran Service Book. The Piano Prelude Series (2018–24) came on the heels of the Hymn Prelude Library (2012–17), which was a collection of newly composed organ preludes for every hymn tune in LSB.
Kevin Hildebrand, Kantor at Concordia Theological Seminary and St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, was editor of both the Hymn Prelude Library and Piano Prelude Series. I recently had the opportunity to discuss with him both the process of putting together the Piano Prelude Series and its usefulness for the church at large.
“Similar to the organ Hymn Prelude Library, the purpose was to create a distinct, new, idiomatic composition on each hymn tune,” Hildebrand said. “Because the Hymn Prelude Library was well received, we had a good sense of what would be useful and helpful for the most people.”
Whereas a lack of decent repertoire may lead to a resistance to using the piano in a liturgical setting, Hildebrand said the Piano Prelude Series has been a way to incorporate the piano and invite it to come into its own within the church’s musical tradition.
“We need music within the church’s tradition, and the church’s tradition is rich enough for that to happen,” Hildebrand said. “The tradition is alive, and each era and musician contributes to it.”
Church musicians can employ the Piano Prelude Series in a variety of ways. The compositions lend themselves well as prelude, voluntary, and postlude music before, during, and after services. For musicians who accompany hymns on the piano, some preludes can be used as hymn introductions. For musicians who don’t normally use the piano for service music, playing a prelude from the Piano Prelude Series can be a good way to alert the congregation to a hymn tune the musician wishes to introduce to the congregants’ ears.
Aside from Sunday mornings, the Piano Prelude Series can also be beneficial for occasions that call for extensive preservice or attendant music, like weddings and funerals, or at other church-hosted events. Church musicians may also find midweek and seasonal services to be fitting occasions to deploy the Piano Prelude Series.
The Piano Prelude Series can be a tool for students. The preludes in the series feature a variety of compositional styles and techniques and can be a good complement to a student’s repertoire. The series may also be an introduction for pianists to playing for church services. If you know of capable young pianists in your congregation who haven't yet had the experience of playing in a liturgical setting, invite them to learn and play some pieces from the Piano Prelude Series at a service. Perhaps it’s the first step toward an interest in church music!
Or make a concerted effort to feature the piano as a series of preservice music before your Advent or Lenten midweek services. Let your congregation know that you’ll be using the piano or that they’ll get to hear some of the other talented musicians in the congregation. Hopefully, you’ll find that many people love hearing the piano played as a change of pace. To be clear, it doesn’t replace the organ as the primary instrument for leading the church’s song but it complements, enriches, and enhances the church’s living tradition.
When I asked Hildebrand about the feedback he’s received about the Piano Prelude Series, he said it’s been overwhelmingly positive but one observation stands out the most. He said, “What I love to hear the most is ‘This is exactly the right level. It’s filled a need for me and for other musicians at my church.’”
Bring the Piano Prelude Series to your church today. See more from the series by clicking the button below.