How Great Is Our God: Piano Book

Fettke understands how to honor beloved hymns while making them sound fresh and contemporary. These arrangements blend traditional harmonic language with modern praise and worship sensibilities, giving pianists rewarding material that connects multiple generations of worshipers. The writing sits comfortably at the early advanced level without sacrificing musical substance or improvisational possibility.

These pieces strike a balance between familiar and fresh. You'll recognize the bones of beloved hymns within modern harmonic progressions and contemporary rhythmic energy. The overall character moves from contemplative reverence to exuberant praise, with moments of intimacy woven throughout.

Pianists at the early advanced level who lead worship or perform in Christian education and church settings will find these arrangements both musically satisfying and spiritually grounded. This collection serves pianists seeking contemporary repertoire that respects hymnic tradition while embracing current worship idioms.

• Balance the melody line against accompanying voices so the primary tune remains audible even in denser arrangements; Fettke often layers harmonies thickly, so careful voicing balance prevents muddy sonorities.
• Lean into the hymn-based moments with reverence and space rather than rushing through them; these passages anchor the pieces and deserve breathing room.
• Vary your registration and dynamic shaping across the 12 selections to highlight how each arrangement treats its source material differently; this prevents the recital from feeling monolithic.
• Prepare the key modulations that appear in several pieces by solidifying your hand position transitions in advance; these lifts energize the music when executed cleanly.

Use this collection to anchor a worship service or recital that spans generations and musical styles. The 12 selections can stand alone as individual pieces or be programmed thematically (grouping hymn-based selections, then contemporary worship songs) to create narrative arc. These arrangements also work well as extended offertory or postlude material in church contexts throughout a season.

• Voice leading and independence between hands, particularly in arrangements with complex inner harmonies
• Stylistic flexibility between hymn-influenced passages and contemporary praise idioms
• Dynamic control and balancing of melody against accompanying textures
• Key modulation execution and hand position management across range shifts
• Interpretive sensitivity to blended musical traditions within single arrangements