Top-Requested Contemporary Gospel Sheet Music Cover Image

Top-Requested Contemporary Gospel Sheet Music: Piano Book

$12.99 USD
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Top-Requested Contemporary Gospel Sheet Music Cover Image

Top-Requested Contemporary Gospel Sheet Music: Piano Book

10 Hits from the 1970s to Today

Arranged by Carol Tornquist

Level: Easy Piano

Item: 00-42296

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Description
For pianists who love gospel music, this collection offers easy piano arrangements of a wide variety of urban/modern gospel songs. From classics by 1970s gospel pioneers Andraé Crouch and Edwin Hawkins to today's hits by Charles Jenkins, Tamela Mann, and many more, pianists will delight in exploring the inspired melodies and lush chord progressions of these favorite contemporary gospel hits. Titles: Awesome * Break Every Chain * I Won't Go Back * Let the Church Say Amen * Oh Happy Day * Shifting the Atmosphere * Soon and Very Soon * Take Me Back * Take Me to the King * Why We Sing.

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Additional Details
Series: Top-Requested Sheet Music
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 52
ISBN10: 0-7390-9998-1
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-9998-8
UPC: 038081465067
SKU: 00-42296

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 went on to study at the Warren Conservatory of Music before earning her B.S. in Music Education from the State University of New York at Fredonia. Her early career combined classroom vocal music instruction in upstate New York with positions as a Yamaha Music School instructor, giving her deep experience in how students learn and what engages them.

A chance visit to her songwriter brother John W. Thompson in Nashville led to work transcribing piano parts, which launched her into a prolific arranging career spanning more than four hundred solo piano collections. Church pianists and students recognize her arrangements for their craftsmanship, accessibility, and versatility across traditional, blended, and contemporary worship contexts. She has been an Alfred author since 2010 and remains committed to writing resources that work for pianists across all levels.

Why we love this

Tornquist captures the harmonic richness and rhythmic vitality of contemporary gospel without overwhelming pianists at the easy level. These arrangements sit perfectly in worship contexts and recital programs, offering real musical substance while staying accessible enough that students can learn them quickly and perform them confidently.

What to expect

These songs radiate warmth, hope, and conviction. Tornquist's arrangements honor the melodic familiarity of these gospel classics while adding harmonic depth and rhythmic character that feels both grounded and contemporary, whether you're playing through a joyful anthem or a reflective spiritual meditation.

Who it's for

This collection serves pianists at the easy level who want to perform music that matters in their worship communities and personal recitals. Church musicians looking for accessible yet substantive arrangements, students exploring gospel traditions, and pianists eager to connect with contemporary Christian repertoire will all find selections here that engage them musically and spiritually.

How to get the most out of it

  • Listen to recordings of the original songs to absorb the groove and energy. Gospel phrasing relies heavily on feel, so letting the recorded versions inform your interpretation will make these arrangements sing.
  • Pay close attention to the chord symbols and voicings Tornquist provides. They often contain the spiritual and harmonic character of each piece, so honoring her harmonic choices rather than oversimplifying them is key to authentic performance.
  • Shape the dynamics across each song rather than playing at a consistent volume. Gospel music thrives on building intensity and creating space, so find the gentle moments and the climactic ones.
  • Let your left hand establish a steady, confident foundation. These pieces demand rhythmic clarity in the bass to support the melodic content above, especially in the more contemporary arrangements.

How to use it

Build a worship service or recital around these pieces to showcase the breadth of contemporary gospel songwriting across decades. You might also integrate individual selections into mixed recitals or church services where a gospel number strengthens the overall arc of the program.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading and interpreting chord symbols and jazz voicings within a gospel idiom
  • Balancing melodic expressiveness with rhythmic precision in gospel style
  • Understanding harmonic function within lush, contemporary chord progressions
  • Developing left-hand independence and rhythmic groove to support melodic playing
  • Phrasing and dynamics in service of spiritual and emotional content

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