Organ Exaltation (Revised Edition): Organ Book

Parks has done the heavy lifting here: each arrangement respects the hymn's identity while giving organists genuine musical material to work with. The pedagogical editing means students aren't deciphering unclear notation; they're learning from thoughtfully prepared scores. Church musicians will recognize these tunes immediately and appreciate having full, idiomatic settings that don't oversimplify the harmonic language.

These arrangements breathe with the reverence of their hymn texts while maintaining forward momentum and musical interest. The voicing is warm and full without becoming baroque or overwrought; there's a contemporary accessibility that honors tradition.

Intermediate organists preparing for church services will find a collection of immediately useful, musically satisfying arrangements. Students building their hymn repertoire and interpretive skills benefit from the pedagogical editing and contextual notes. Established church musicians seeking full, accessible settings of standards will return to this book repeatedly.

• Attend closely to the registration suggestions provided; Parks's arrangements assume specific tonal colors, and matching those colors brings his harmonic intentions into focus.
• Balance the melody line against the accompaniment texture. These settings are not one-voice-forward pieces; the interplay between parts creates the richness.
• Take the background information provided for each hymn seriously. Understanding the text and history deepens interpretation and helps you shape phrases with intention.
• Practice hands separately through unfamiliar harmonic passages. Parks uses color and voice-leading that rewards deliberate fingering choices.

Use this collection as your primary resource for hymn services and special liturgical occasions. Pull individual settings for prelude and postlude slots, or sequence several arrangements through a service. The inclusion of both well-known standards and less-often-heard hymns gives you programming flexibility throughout the church year.

• Hymn arrangement interpretation and stylistic consistency
• Intermediate-level pedal technique and coordination
• Voice-leading and harmonic analysis through standard and contemporary hymn settings
• Registration choices and their effect on musical color
• Sight-reading of manuscript hymn variations and uncommon harmonic progressions