A Pleasant Life Cover Image

A Pleasant Life: SSA Choral Octavo

$2.05 USD
$2.05 USD
Skip to product information
A Pleasant Life Cover Image
A Pleasant Life: SSA Choral Octavo

A Pleasant Life: SSA Choral Octavo

Words adapted from poems by Sir Richard Fanshawe and Francis Beaumont, music and new words, by Jay Althouse

Item: 00-46746
makemusic Cloud badge

Need it now?

Buy Digital Version
$2.05
Shipped

One moment…

Related Items

A Pleasant Life: PianoTrax Digital Download

$9.99
View

A Pleasant Life: SATB Choral Octavo

$2.05
View

A Pleasant Life: SAB Choral Octavo

$2.05
View
Description
Practical, timeless advice abounds in this jaunty contemporary choral with texts lifted from Renaissance-era poetry and a translation of ancient verse. The opening melody winds around the tonic triad before the B section breaks into colorful contemporary harmony in a chorale setting. Light, yet legit.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, A Pleasant Life: SSA Choral Octavo comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

Open in the Player

Jump straight in and assign it today.

Start Your Free Trial

Open this title and explore the full library in minutes.
Sample Pages

Sample Audio
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 12
UPC: 038081532011
SKU: 00-46746

More about this title

About the Composer: Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was later honored with the Distinguished Alumni award. His eight-year tenure in rights and licenses administration at a major educational publisher gave him deep insight into what choirs need, and he served a term on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America during that time.

As a composer, Althouse has more than 800 works in print across all choir levels, performed widely throughout the English-speaking world. He is a writer member of ASCAP and a regular recipient of the ASCAP Special Award. Beyond composition, he has co-created children's musicals with his wife Sally K. Albrecht, compiled respected vocal solo collections, co-authored The Complete Choral Warm-up Book and Accent on Composers, and authored several reproducible classroom resources. His choral composition "I Hear America Singing," co-written with Albrecht, was performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. Althouse has served on the boards of the North Carolina Master Chorale and the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America.

Why we love this

Althouse delivers practical, engaging texts drawn from Renaissance poetry and classical translation, wrapped in contemporary harmony that feels both sophisticated and approachable. The piece balances a memorable opening melody rooted in the tonic triad with colorful harmonic writing in the B section, giving you real musical substance without overcomplicating the vocal writing. This is the kind of repertoire that sounds more substantial than it is to prepare, making it ideal for building confidence in developing choirs.

What to expect

Light and wry, with the musical personality of thoughtful advice delivered with a knowing smile. The opening melody settles into familiar harmonic territory before the piece pivots into richer, more surprising harmony that feels both accessible and genuinely interesting to sing.

Who it's for

This octavo works well for developing SSA choirs that want to expand beyond unison writing into genuine three-part harmony without excessive technical demands. It suits high school and community choirs seeking pieces with literary substance and contemporary sound for both concert and festival settings.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the opening melody with gentle phrasing that lets the tonic triad anchor the melody's contour; resist over-emphasizing individual notes and instead sing it as a continuous line.
  • Bring out the harmonic color in the B section by tuning carefully through the chorale-style passages; this is where the piece's contemporary voice emerges most distinctly.
  • Maintain a light articulation throughout to match the piece's jaunty character; clear diction will let the Renaissance-era texts resonate without sounding heavy or overly formal.

How to use it

Program this as a concert opener or a lighter set piece between weightier works; its jaunty character and memorable melody make it perfect for engaging audiences early. The literary quality of the text also works well in thematic programs exploring poetry, wisdom, or the connection between Renaissance and contemporary voices.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading three-part SSA writing with clear voice independence
  • Blending voices through contemporary harmonic textures
  • Shaping melodic lines that center on triadic harmony
  • Performing literary texts with diction and interpretive awareness
  • Tuning through non-traditional harmonic progressions in the B section

You May Also Like