A Wink And A Smile: SATB Choral Octavo

John Leavitt's arrangement captures the warmth and sophistication of Shaiman's original without overshooting the vocal range or technical demands of a standard SATB section. It's the kind of piece that sounds effortlessly charming in performance but rewards careful attention to blend and phrasing. Programming it signals that your choir has range beyond traditional classical or sacred repertoire.

Charming and urbane, with a touch of nostalgic warmth. The piece carries the quality of a song that sticks with you after one hearing, built on a foundation of honest lyricism and musical craft.

This arrangement works for choirs that want to explore contemporary repertoire with accessible musicality. It suits groups comfortable with pop and film music idioms and offers a refreshing alternative to standard concert fare.

• Treat the melody with a conversational lightness rather than operatic weight. The text and tune benefit from a natural, slightly understated delivery.
• Balance the parts carefully in sections where harmony moves quickly. Each voice contributes to the harmonic color, so clarity matters more than volume.
• Use the rhythmic precision of your section leaders to anchor the ensemble through any syncopation or unexpected phrase lengths.

Include this in a set of lighter, contemporary pieces designed to bookend a concert or provide contrast to more serious works. It also serves as an excellent vehicle for introducing younger singers to sophisticated pop songwriting.

• Balancing parallel harmonic motion across four parts
• Sustaining conversational phrasing over longer phrases
• Blending contemporary pop idioms with choral technique
• Responding to text inflection in a melody-driven arrangement