66 Festive & Famous Chorales for Band: 2nd E-flat Alto Saxophone Book

Erickson's arrangements preserve the harmonic integrity and melodic character of these beloved chorales while distributing the voices intelligently across the band. The SATB texture scales effortlessly from quartet to full ensemble, making this collection genuinely functional for rehearsal, sectionals, or concert programming without feeling pedagogically thin.

These chorales unfold with the quiet dignity of familiar melodies cast in four-part harmony. Working through them feels meditative yet focused, offering chances to listen inward and hear how your voice locks into the ensemble's architecture without rushing or forcing.

Second alto saxophone players in high school and middle school concert bands seeking focused material for warm-ups, sectional work, and concert performance. This book serves students building consistency in tone production and harmonic listening within a smaller section framework.

• Balance the second alto saxophone part carefully against the first saxophones and clarinet section; these middle voices carry harmonic weight and should project without overwhelming the ensemble.
• Shape phrases with the entire section, not as individual players. Listen across the woodwind choir to ensure sustained tones breathe together and dynamic changes move as one gesture.
• Mark your breathing points in pencil during sectional rehearsal so the entire sax section breathes at identical moments; unified breath attack sharpens the ensemble's unity.
• Treat intonation work systematically, using sustained tones from these chorales to lock intervals with the first saxes and surrounding woodwinds rather than assuming tuning happens in full band.

Open rehearsals with a single chorale as a warm-up tool that addresses intonation and blend in minutes rather than exercises. Pair a few arrangements in a concert program as an interlude between larger works, or use them strategically in a spring pops concert alongside other accessible literature.

• Harmonic awareness and voice-leading listening within the second saxophone part
• Sustained tone production and air support across dynamic range
• Sectional blend and unified breath control with the first alto saxophones
• Intonation matching within chord structures
• Phrasing and musical shaping through chorale arrangements
• Quick score and part reading across 66 different melodies