A Swingin' Christmas: SAB Choral Octavo

Althouse brings his characteristic blend of accessibility and musical substance to these Christmas standards. The SAB voicing keeps parts singable for mixed choirs while the jazzy harmonies and swing style give the arrangement genuine personality—this won't sound like every other holiday offering your audiences hear. At 4 1/2 minutes, it's long enough to feel substantial but short enough to fit strategically into a concert without eating up your rehearsal time for larger works.

Playful and swinging, with the warmth of familiar melodies wrapped in contemporary jazz harmonies. There's a wink in the arrangement—nothing stuffy or overly sentimental, just the joy of Christmas delivered with a little rhythmic swagger.

Any mixed choir looking to add festive energy to a holiday concert. This works equally well for community choirs, high school singers, and church choirs seeking repertoire that's genuinely fun to sing without demanding advanced vocal technique.

• Establish the swing feel early in rehearsals. Count off in a relaxed tempo and have the rhythm section lock in before the voices enter; a light bounce makes the difference between swing and straight eighths.
• Balance the three parts by ear rather than volume. SAB voicing can muddy if the alto part isn't heard clearly, so position singers strategically during dress rehearsal and adjust from there.
• Let the recorded accompaniment guide your interpretation first, then trust your choir's instincts. If a section wants to breathe or shape a phrase differently, honor that as long as the swing pocket stays intact.

Program this as a set closer or anchor it in the middle of your holiday concert to shift the mood toward celebration. It pairs naturally with both traditional carols and other contemporary seasonal pieces, and its brevity makes it ideal for sharing the stage with a guest soloist or chamber ensemble without creating programming awkwardness.

• Singing swing style and jazz phrasing
• Balancing three-part SAB voicing with attention to the alto line
• Interpreting rhythmic feel from a recorded accompaniment
• Blending familiar melodies with contemporary harmonic language