What Can I Play on Sunday?, Book 6: November & December Services: 10 Easily Prepared Piano Arrangements: Piano

This collection speaks directly to organists and pianists who staff holiday services but lack the bandwidth for complex preparations. Berry's arrangements honor familiar hymns and carols with fresh voicings and textures while keeping the technical demands realistic for late intermediate players. The inclusion of paired hymn medleys stretches limited preparation time further, allowing one learning session to cover two pieces.

Familiar hymn and carol melodies emerge refreshed through thoughtful harmonic treatment and accompaniment patterns that feel contemporary without straying from the liturgical character. There's an immediacy to these pieces that comes from their purpose: they settle naturally into a worship setting while offering enough harmonic interest to keep the player engaged through multiple services.

Church pianists managing multiple services across the Advent and Christmas season, along with Thanksgiving and All Saints Day observances. These arrangements suit pianists with solid technical skills and reading ability who need quality repertoire they can learn quickly without sacrificing musicianship.

• Balance sustained bass lines with clear right-hand melody. Let the left hand anchor the harmonic foundation without overwhelming the hymn tune, which should always feel singable to a congregation.
• Explore the recorded accompaniment (available separately) during initial learning to hear how the pieces are intended to sit within a service context.
• Pay attention to dynamic markings around borrowed hymn passages, particularly in medleys where the transition between tunes creates natural opportunities to reshape the texture.
• Practice slowly through sections with wider intervallic jumps or hand independence challenges before pushing toward tempo.

Pull individual arrangements into specific Sunday services based on the church calendar rather than planning a single recital. A November service might feature "For All the Saints" and "Now Thank We All Our God with Come, Ye Thankful People, Come," while December services build toward Christmas with "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" in early Advent and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" or "O, How Joyfully! with Joy to the World" closer to Christmas Day.

• Reading and executing accurate voice leading in four-part harmonies
• Managing simultaneous bass patterns and melodic independence between hands
• Interpreting dynamic and textural contrast across multiple sections within a single piece
• Adapting interpretive choices to liturgical context and congregational singing