From l. to r.: Frank Voltz has published a fifth volume of The Harpist’s Hymnal; Joy Slavens offers six arrangements for lever or pedal harp in Cherished Hymns; Cindy Horstman’s original praise song “Show Your Love” was premiered at the 2025 Harp in Worship Conference; and Joyce Weaver has arranged two arias from the Messiah for intermediate harp and flute.

Harpists usually have frequent opportunities to play in worship services. Here are four arrangers who have added to our sacred music. 

Frank Voltz (Chiera Music) has published Volume 5 of The Harpist’s Hymnal for lever or pedal harp. There are five hymns in this latest collection, and four of them require no lever or pedal changes. He has included chord symbols in case you want to improvise, but they are interesting as written and don’t need embellishment. Intermediate level players should find these arrangements within their grasp. Lever harps need only be tuned to G major, as all the pieces are in C, F, or G major. 

“Day by Day” features some arpeggios of mostly sixteenth notes and a short segment that incorporates “drop-2 voicing.” This technique is explained in the performance notes. “I Am Thine, O Lord” uses a stride bass for the left hand on the first page. There are a couple sections where the melody is the first note of eight, mostly downward, cascading sixteenth notes. 

“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” requires a pedal or lever change (C-sharp to C-natural). Both are clearly notated. The left hand plays mainly intervals of tenths. The tempo picks up on the second page, and the left hand plays a slap bass until almost the end when the 4/4 time signature changes to 5/4. A gliss makes a showy finish. 

The first verse of “Kum Ba Yah” is in 3/4. The second verse is in 4/4. The tempo picks up and a slap bass introduces the third verse for a jazzy, toe-tapping rendition to the end. “Wonderful Words of Life” has more of the “drop-2 voicing” using étouffés in the left hand and uses scale glisses very effectively throughout the piece. 

Page turns are manageable, and the typesetting is easy to read. These tasteful, solo arrangements offer variety and will come in handy for worship services. 

Joy Slavens offers an assortment of six Cherished Hymns for lever or pedal harp, available from harpcolumnmusic.com or joyslavensmusic.com. Each hymn begins with an introduction and concludes with a little tag at the end. Lever harps need to be tuned to E-flat.

There are two verses of “My Faith Looks Up to Thee,” with a couple scale glisses and no lever changes. “Fairest Lord Jesus” has three verses, no lever changes, and triplets for a variation in the second verse. Again, there are scale glisses as well as a few harmonics and some étouffés in the left hand. 

A medley of “I Need Thee Every Hour” and “Sweet Hour of Prayer” begins in 3/4 and G major. It changes to 6/8 and C major with some manageable lever changes to transition to “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” The music returns to 3/4 and recaps a portion of the first hymn to the end. 

There is nice voicing in the walking eighth notes in the left hand accompaniment of “It Is Well with My Soul.” Slavens also uses intervals of tenths in the left hand, some arpeggios in triplets, and some scale glisses. There are several lever or pedal changes, and the page turn is a little tricky.

If you’re not familiar with “In the Sweet By-and-By,” you may want to listen to a recording on YouTube. One of the challenges of playing an instrumental solo is to play as if you are singing, emphasizing the melody and giving the fill less dynamic value. In the first verse, the second and third beats of every other measure are fill, but if you’re not aware of that, you may play them as if they are melody. This is not an issue on the second verse. The easiest way to make this clear, of course, is to include the lyrics in the body of the music. Without lyrics, it may help to establish the melody clearly on the first verse and use more fill or variations in subsequent verses. 

You’ll want to play the final selection, “O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee,” at least twice, as it’s only one page and just under one minute long.  

All lever or pedal changes are clearly marked, and the typesetting is easy to read. This is a useful collection to have on hand, as the hymns are sight-readable for intermediate players and suitable for a variety of occasions from church services to funerals.

Cindy Horstman has written and published an original, contemporary praise tune for SATB Choir and pedal harp. “Show Your Love” was premiered at the 2025 Harp in Worship Conference, and the lyrics certainly convey a message of hope for these fractured times. Horstman uses jazz harmonies, a slap bass, and her inimitable style to accompany a choir with an easy groove. 

The piece starts out in G minor with some large, hand-over-hand, rolled chords while the choir states their petition for help. The harp establishes the slap bass and accompanying chords, and the choir sings, sometimes in unison and sometimes in harmony. The title phrase is repeated throughout. Toward the end, the key changes to A minor and the basses repeat the petition for help. 

You can hear the entire piece on harpcolumnmusic.com or on Horstman’s website, cindyhorstman.com. This would be a welcome addition to any non-denominational, contemporary service. 

Joyce Weaver has arranged two arias from Handel’s Messiah for lower intermediate pedal harp and flute (or melody instrument). These beautiful and familiar arias, “How Beautiful Are the Feet of Them That Preach the Gospel of Peace” and “Come Unto Him,” are published by Afghan Press. The set is available as a pdf download or in print.

The flute plays the vocal part throughout both pieces while the harp plays the accompaniment. They are both in 12/8 and B-flat major/G-minor. There are several pedal changes, but they are not notated. Fingering is not included, but should be fairly obvious. The music is not difficult for the intermediate level player, and they are both very appealing arrangements. Add this to your harp and flute repertoire. •