Thanksgiving is just around the corner so here are five things that should inspire, help you

“With Grateful Hearts”
Arr. John E. Coates, Daybreak
Here’s a seven-minute service with a little something for everyone—choir, worship leader, praise team and congregation. Coates begins the medley with a bouncy rendition of the classic “Now Thank We All Our God,” translating the typically stately 4/4 into an atypically sprightly 6/8, complete with much two-into-three syncopation. “For the Beauty of the Earth” follows, with calls (worship leader) and responses (choir) blending into a smooth choral treatment of the familiar hymn. An abrupt transition brings us to Denny Cagle’s “Let the Peace of Christ Rule in Your Heart,” which segues nicely into the worship leader’s spoken recitation and the Henry Smith fave, “Give Thanks,” featuring SAT praise team echoes. Finally, Claire Cloninger’s “In Thanksgiving, Let Us Praise Him,” sung to Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Austrian Hymn” tune, with soprano descant, brings the piece to a fitting conclusion, including a stirring reprise of the opening strains. Options include stereo and split-track accompaniment and instrumental pack for chamber orchestra.
www.halleonard.com

“With Thanksgiving and Praise”
Arr. Bruce Greer, Genevox
Genevox’s Packages of Praise series combines two popular choruses with one familiar hymn for five-minute medleys that work extremely well for churches pursuing blended worship. The most recent Package is, er, packaged for Thanksgiving and features Chris Tomlin’s “How Great Is Our God,” the great hymn of testimony “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” and the aforementioned “Give Thanks.” Greer does a nice job with each number, setting “How Great” in an easily singable B-flat, utilizing interesting harmonies on the hymn, and bringing in the congregation to assist the choir on “Give Thanks.” Other highly recommended Packages in the series include “Awesome God” (Rich Mullins’ title song, “You Are Awesome in This Place” and “I Stand Amazed in the Presence”), “Now Is the Time” (“Brethren, We Have Met to Worship,” “Come, Now Is the Time to Worship” and “The Heart of Worship”), and “We Say Yes, Lord” (“Come, Christians, Join to Sing,” “In the Sanctuary,” and “Trading My Sorrows”).
www.lifeway.com

“Hymn of Grateful Praise”
Arr. Mark Hayes, Monarch
Prolific Mark Hayes’ hymn arrangements almost always contain some harmonic eccentricities that bring out new and fresh perspectives on well-known texts. In this treatment of “For the Beauty of the Earth,” Hayes completely resets the melody, taking what usually is sung briskly and energetically and recasting it as a slower, more reflective piece that jumps from C to A and back again. An accompanying part for cello (which could easily be played on low-strings settings on a synth, for those worship leaders without orchestras at their disposal) adds interesting texture.
www.lorenz.com

“It Is Right to Give Thanks”
Carl Freeman, GlorySound
Worship leaders in liturgical settings will recognize the title text, adapted as it is from the Holy Eucharist Rite II. And even those of us in contemporary churches could stand to intone words like this on occasion: “It is right and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere, to give our thanks to You … joining our voices with all the angels and with archangels, and all of heaven, who sing forever this song of glory unto Your name.” “It is Right” features GlorySound’s optional Lite Trax accompaniment CD, making this an excellent choice for ancient-future worship.
www.shawneepress.com

“When I Think about the Lord”
Arr. Russell Mauldin, Word
There are several choral arrangements of this modern-day black-gospel classic, and most of them sound far too stiff and formal to begin to do justice to the stylistic elements that are such a hallmark of the musical expressions of the contemporary African American church. Mauldin’s arrangement gets it right, including the jazzy passing chords (9ths, 11ths and 13ths throughout) from which most arrangements shy away and two modulations to help propel the repetitive lyrics. This arrangement, indeed, “makes me wanna shout!”
www.wordmusic.com

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