A Call to Worship: Piano Book

Bober's arrangements strike a rare balance between accessibility and musical substance. Rather than reducing these beloved hymns to simple lead sheets, she crafts piano parts that maintain harmonic integrity while remaining playable by competent pianists, and the inclusion of performance times transforms this from a static collection into a practical tool for service planning.

These arrangements range from contemplative and introspective to spirited and celebratory, honoring each hymn's inherent character while revealing fresh harmonic possibilities. The writing is neither austere nor overly decorative; instead it supports the texts and melodies with sensitive accompaniment that listeners recognize immediately even as pianists discover engaging inner voices and chord progressions.

Church pianists accompanying congregational singing, pianists preparing hymn arrangements for worship settings, and intermediate to early advanced pianists looking for repertoire that deepens their understanding of harmonic language through familiar material. This collection works equally well for those developing their sight-reading fluency in a church context and those preparing pieces for recital or festival performance.

• Pay attention to the marked tempos and dynamics as essential guides to the emotional arc of each piece. A hymn marked "slowly and peacefully" asks for something quite different than one marked "with strength."
• Use the performance times to shape your interpretation thoughtfully; they reflect realistic tempos that work in actual worship settings rather than concert halls.
• Approach the medley as a unified emotional journey rather than three separate pieces. The transitions between movements matter as much as the individual arrangements.
• Listen to how congregational singing sits with your accompaniment. These pieces support voices rather than compete with them, so clarity of harmony matters more than fullness of sound.

Select pieces to anchor different parts of a worship service based on their character and published performance times. A meditation hymn works beautifully during communion; a triumphant processional suits a benediction. For piano recitals, program contrasting pieces from the collection to showcase range of mood and interpretive choice, or perform the medley as a standalone work that demonstrates structural thinking.

• Voicing and harmonic awareness through four-part hymn textures
• Balancing accompanying figures with a singing melody line
• Shaping musical phrases according to text and liturgical function
• Sight-reading fluency in keys and harmonic progressions common to sacred music
• Interpretation of tempo and dynamic markings in service of congregational singing