Top Christmas Arrangements for Pianists

Christmas music offers the opportunity for musicians to share moments of both sparkling exuberance and gentle peace. From the quiet preservice music to joyful hymns, Christmas piano arrangements provide a meaningful way to glorify God through music and create a worshipful atmosphere reflecting the wonder of Christ’s birth. Here are the top four Christmas arrangements to add to your repertoire this Christmas season.

Hymn Tune Variations

For pianists seeking versatile collections, Christmas Piano Variations and Advent Piano Variations by Lee Dengler each include three distinctive variations for three hymn tunes. The Christmas collection highlights the well-known hymn “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly,” “On This Day Earth Shall Ring,” and the tune ES IST EIN ROS in “Lo, How a Rose Is Growing.” The Advent collection bridges the Advent and Christmas seasons with selections suitable for the beginning of the Christmas season, including “Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel,” “Prepare the Royal Highway,” and “Comfort, Comfort Now My People.” The variations for each hymn offer tones from sprightly to pensive, making these collections versatile for various services. These collections give flexibility and depth to your repertoire, making them invaluable resources for the Advent and Christmas seasons, and they are ideal for preludes, offertories, or even personal reflection during the celebration of Christ’s birth.

Christmas for Four Hands

The rich, full-bodied arrangements in Piano Duets for Christmas by Jeffrey Blersch feature carols such as “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “On Christmas Night All Christians Sing,” and “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come,” arranged for four hands at one piano. With styles ranging from contemplative to exuberant, this collection adds warmth and energy to worship services. The relative accessibility of this collection allows two pianists to collaborate in creating robust and complex music for various aspects of the service. Additionally, the duets can serve as a delightful focal point for seasonal concerts or special services.

Unique Piano Stylings

Valerie A. Floeter’s Piano Stylings, Set 4: Hymns for Christmas invites pianists to explore both familiar and rarely-arranged hymns. Highlights include a lively take on “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and an elegant setting of “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.” For those looking to share something fresh with their congregation, “Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light” provides a more unique melody. These expressive settings are easily learned by church musicians and can create beautiful moments of contemplation for a congregation.

Reflecting Love and Joy

Including piano music in your worship services fills the sanctuary with beautiful sound and helps proclaim the message of salvation in Christ. As you prepare for the Christmas season, these arrangements will help you reflect on God’s love and share the joy of Christ’s birth with your congregation.


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Written by

Melody Martin

Melody is a social media and email specialist at Concordia University Irvine and a former copywriting intern at Concordia Publishing House. As an alum of Concordia University Chicago, she holds an English major as well as minors in communications, creative writing, and theology. Her published poetry can be found in various journals, including her alma mater's Motif. She and her husband are torn between mountains and beaches as new Californians, but they always have a good book in tow either way.

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