Glory to the Newborn King Cover Image

Glory to the Newborn King: Piano Book & Online Audio

$15.95 USD
$15.95 USD
Skip to product information
Glory to the Newborn King Cover Image
Glory to the Newborn King: Piano Book & Online Audio

Glory to the Newborn King: Piano Book & Online Audio

10 Inspiring Solo Piano Arrangements for the Christmas Season

Arranged by Marilynn Ham

Level: Advanced

Item: 00-22405
$15.95
Shipped

One moment…

Description
Original introductions and postludes, large colorful chords, octave displacement and rubato are infused into these contemporary arrangements of 10 holiday favorites. Titles: Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella * Ding, Dong, Merrily on High * The First Noel * Hark! The Herald Angels Sing * Huron Carol * It Came Upon the Midnight Clear * O Little Town of Bethlehem * Still, Still, Still * Sussex Carol * What Child Is This?

Glory to the Newborn King: Piano Book & Online Audio isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.

Request This Title

Tell us you want it.

Start Your Free Trial

Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Pages

Sample Audio
1 ItCameUponTheMidnightClear --:--
2 TheFirstNoel --:--

ItCameUponTheMidnightClear

0:00
0:00
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series: Sacred Performer Collections
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 40
ISBN10: 0-7390-3728-5
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-3728-7
UPC: 038081231990
SKU: 00-22405

More about this title

About the Arranger: Marilynn Ham

Marilynn Ham

Marilynn Ham has spent nearly four decades shaping advanced sacred piano repertoire as a tenured faculty member at Bethel College, where she teaches applied piano and mentors musicians in both classical and sacred traditions. Her prolific output, over twenty-five published piano books paired with professional recordings, has established her as one of the country's most sought-after arrangers for concert pianists and church musicians alike. Ham earned her degrees from Northern Michigan University and the University of Wisconsin, and her deep roots in church music stem from her upbringing in a musical Michigan family where her mother's influence at the keyboard proved formative.

Beyond the classroom and recording studio, Ham works nationally as a clinician and workshop leader, bringing her distinctive approach to sacred music to educators across the country. Her career spans two institutions: she taught at Barclay College in Kansas from 1979 to 1989, where she received the Professor of the Year award twice, before joining Bethel College's faculty in 1989. Ham and her late husband Bob, who chaired Bethel's Music Department and directed the college choir, shaped generations of musicians through their combined vision for sacred music education.

Why we love this

These arrangements move far beyond straightforward carol settings. Ham's use of rubato, octave displacement, and unexpected harmonic movements transforms familiar melodies into vehicles for genuine musical storytelling, giving advanced pianists something substantive to sink their teeth into. The original introductions and postludes anchor each piece as a complete artistic statement rather than an accompaniment.

What to expect

These settings honor the quiet reverence of familiar carols while drawing them into a more complex harmonic world. The music feels intimate and contemplative, with moments of orchestral richness achieved entirely through keyboard texture and voicing.

Who it's for

Advanced pianists preparing sacred music for worship settings, concert programs, or holiday services will find these arrangements musically sophisticated and spiritually grounded. College-level applied piano students benefit from studying Ham's approach to contemporary harmonic language within the context of beloved hymnody.

How to get the most out of it

  • Let the rubato breathe naturally in the introductions; these passages establish the emotional temperature for what follows, so resist the urge to rush through them.
  • The colorful chord voicings are most effective when each note has clarity and weight; take care with voicing transitions so the richness doesn't blur into mudiness.
  • Shape the octave displacements deliberately, they're not accidents but compositional gestures that deserve intentional phrasing and dynamic consideration.
  • Balance the original material (introductions and postludes) with the carol melodies; these framing passages should feel essential, not ornamental.

How to use it

Pair individual selections throughout a holiday concert season rather than programming all ten at once, let them anchor preludes, offertories, or moments of reflection between congregational singing. A Christmas Eve service gains particular resonance when one of these arrangements frames the evening's opening or closing spiritual space.

Skills your students will build

  • Rubato and temporal flexibility in performance
  • Advanced chord voicing and harmonic color
  • Octave displacement as a compositional device
  • Maintaining melodic clarity within rich harmonic textures
  • Interpretation of original material (introductions and postludes) in relation to traditional hymn melodies

You May Also Like