Pure & Simple Spirituals Cover Image

Pure & Simple Spirituals: Piano Book

$12.95 USD
$12.95 USD
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Pure & Simple Spirituals Cover Image
Pure & Simple Spirituals: Piano Book

Pure & Simple Spirituals: Piano Book

Arranged by Carol Tornquist

Level: Easy Piano

Item: 00-30045
$12.95
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Description
Spirituals provided the foundation for blues, jazz, and gospel music, and continue to be a rich part of today's musical culture. These solo piano arrangements of favorite spirituals feature lyrics, suggested fingerings, phrasing, pedal markings, and easy-to-read notation. Titles: Ain't-a That Good News? * Deep River * Every Time I Feel the Spirit * Ezekiel Saw the Wheel * Give Me That Old-Time Religion * Go Down, Moses * Go, Tell It on the Mountain * He's Got the Whole World in His Hands * I've Got Peace Like a River * Let Us Break Bread Together * Little David, Play on Your Harp * Michael, Row the Boat Ashore * My Lord, What a Morning! * Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen * Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child * Swing Low, Sweet Chariot * There Is a Balm in Gilead * This Little Light of Mine * Wayfaring Stranger * We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder * We Shall Overcome * Were You There?

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Additional Details
Series: Pure & Simple
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 80
ISBN10: 0-7390-5887-8
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-5887-9
UPC: 038081352220
SKU: 00-30045

More about this title

About the Arranger: Carol Tornquist

Carol Tornquist

Carol Tornquist began playing piano by ear at age four in northwestern Pennsylvania and continued her training through the Warren Conservatory of Music before earning her B.S. in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia. She taught vocal music in upstate New York and worked as an instructor for the Yamaha Music School while developing her arranging craft.

A chance visit to her songwriter brother in Nashville led to a career transcribing piano music, which eventually became a prolific practice spanning more than four hundred solo piano collections. Since joining Alfred in 2010, Tornquist has built a reputation for arrangements that serve church pianists and students across traditional, blended, and contemporary worship settings. Her harmonic and rhythmic choices reimagine familiar melodies while remaining accessible and playable, reflecting her unwavering commitment to creating resources that meet pianists where they are.

Why we love this

Tornquist treats each spiritual as a complete musical statement rather than a reduction. The included lyrics ground each piece in its cultural and spiritual meaning, while the thoughtful fingerings and pedal markings guide pianists toward interpretive choices that honor both the hymn tradition and the piano as a solo instrument. This collection serves equally well in church, studio, and recital contexts.

What to expect

These arrangements honor the emotional depth of spirituals while remaining pianistically straightforward. The settings unfold with warmth and clarity, allowing the familiar melodies to shine while the accompaniment provides harmonic and textural support that feels both grounded and expressive.

Who it's for

Church pianists serving in worship settings will find these arrangements immediately useful for prelude, offertory, or postlude. Piano students at the easy level and adult learners exploring repertoire beyond classical etudes and sonatinas will benefit from the cultural significance and accessibility of these pieces.

How to get the most out of it

  • Honor the lyrics by reading them aloud before playing. These texts carry historical weight and spiritual significance that shapes phrasing and dynamic shape.
  • Follow the pedal markings as written. Tornquist uses the sustain pedal to create resonance and harmonic depth that would otherwise require more complex voicing.
  • Take time with the suggested fingerings, especially in passages that cross voices. They're designed to support legato and smooth voice leading, not just technical efficiency.
  • Let the harmony breathe. Many of these arrangements use richer harmonic language than the original melodies; resist rushing to reveal the inner voices.

How to use it

String together three to five spirituals from this collection for a concert program focused on African American musical heritage, or use individual pieces to frame a service centered on specific spiritual themes. The collection is substantial enough to support a full recital or intimate enough for selecting single pieces to accompany spoken narrative or liturgical moments.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading and interpreting fingering and pedal markings
  • Balancing melody and accompaniment in solo piano texture
  • Understanding harmonic progression and voice leading in spiritual song settings
  • Connecting text and music for expressive interpretation
  • Building hand independence and legato technique in easy-level arrangements

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