A Child is Born (arr. Hans Reintjes): SAB Choral Octavo

Hans Reintjes has crafted an arrangement that honors Jones's songwriting while making this carol genuinely singable for three-part choirs. The SAB voicing avoids the tedium of pure functional harmony, instead using the arranging space to add depth and color where it counts. This works equally well as a concert closer or a holiday program centerpiece because it never feels slight or seasonal in spirit.

Warm without sentimentality. The piece carries the spiritual weight of its title while refusing to become precious; instead, it settles into a kind of sophisticated tenderness. Jones's melodic gift shines through, creating the sense of a carol that belongs in a concert hall just as much as a holiday service.

Intermediate to advanced high school and collegiate choirs seeking holiday repertoire with genuine musical substance. Singers who've tackled jazz-tinged arranging will recognize and appreciate the sophisticated harmonic language without finding it inaccessible.

• Shape the melody with the freedom it deserves; this is a jazz-influenced piece, so allow rubato in the phrase peaks rather than locking into metronomic time.
• Balance the three parts so the altos can be heard on their sustained harmony notes, which provide much of the arrangement's harmonic richness.
• Let the accompaniment breathe and settle before entrances. Reintjes likely scored space intentionally, and filling silence weakens the arrangement's architecture.

Reserve this for a program's emotional center rather than its opening or closing. It pairs beautifully alongside other mid-century jazz-influenced sacred arrangements, or conversely, it can provide harmonic sophistication when programmed between traditional carols. Consider featuring it on a winter concert focused on American songwriting rather than purely seasonal programming.

• Singing in jazz-influenced harmonic language and suspended chords
• Balancing three independent melodic lines while maintaining ensemble cohesion
• Executing rhythmic flexibility and rubato within a composed structure
• Reading SAB voicing and maintaining part integrity across chord changes