1. Preludio
2. Arioso
3. Notturno
4. Toccata lirica

A Simple Suite was commissioned by Raymond Johnson (church carillonneur) on behalf of First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, for the occasion of the 1993 congress of The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. Ronald Barnes himself gave the premiere performance in what turned out to be the final recital of his life.

"Preludio" features gentle, rippling arpeggios in a moderate tempo. The second movement, "Arioso," is more relaxed in nature, with a song-like melody and the sudden key changes typical of Barnes's writing. "Notturno" is a pensive interlude before the energetic yet gentle toccata lirica.

—The GCNA