6pence for Mixed Chorus: Choral Octavo

Berkey crafts a piece that respects singers' musicality while inviting unabashed fun. The layering of Schoenberg's sprechstimme, Mozart quotation, and a 'frenzy' on piano creates enough musical substance to hold a concert program, yet the whole work radiates irreverence and playfulness that singers genuinely enjoy rehearsing and performing.

Playful sophistication. The piece opens with an unsettling, deliberate formality (sprechstimme announcing a nursery rhyme) before spinning into exuberant musical mischief. Echoes of Mozart peek through the piano's energetic invention, and the overall effect feels like a musical in-joke told with both care and delight.

This octavo works beautifully for choirs seeking a concert piece that showcases vocal skill without demanding heavy drama. It suits groups comfortable with contemporary vocal techniques and ensembles looking to close a program on a note of wit and warmth.

• Establish clarity on the sprechstimme passage early in rehearsals. Singers need to understand this is heightened speech, not melody, and the distinction will shape how they approach the familiar nursery rhyme melody that follows.
• Coordinate closely with your pianist(s) on the 'romping, crazy version' of the tune. The piano writing drives the energy and character; singers must listen actively to stay aligned with the deliberate chaos.
• If you add ballet dancers, schedule joint rehearsals before performance. The choreography should amplify the musical wit rather than compete with it; clarity about sightlines and entrances prevents distraction from the vocal storytelling.
• Balance the Mozart quotation so it reads as a wink to your audience rather than an interruption. This requires confident ensemble singing and precise ensemble attacks in those moments.

Program 6Pence as a finale or near-finale to showcase your choir's range and personality. It pairs well with more serious choral work earlier in the concert, offering audiences a memorable, human moment that sends them home smiling. The optional addition of dancers makes it strong enough to anchor a spring concert or benefit performance.

• Singing sprechstimme (heightened speech technique)
• Ensemble coordination with complex piano writing
• Listening for and responding to quotations and musical references within a piece
• Balancing humor and musicality in performance
• Rhythmic precision in a playful, non-metric context