Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive: SATB Choral Octavo

Robert Page's arrangement captures the infectious optimism of Arlen's original without requiring your singers to navigate complicated vocal writing. The piece sits well across SATB ranges, and the straightforward rhythmic framework means rehearsal time stays focused on interpretation and blend rather than note accuracy. This is the kind of concert opener that leaves an audience smiling.

Bright and propulsive, with the casual swagger of a big band era standard translated into four-part harmony. The melody bounces with natural resilience, and the piece carries an almost conversational warmth that makes listeners feel welcomed rather than lectured to.

Choirs looking for a secular concert piece with genuine cross-generational appeal and a mood that lifts an audience. The arrangement works equally well for community choirs, school choirs at the intermediate level and above, and skilled amateur ensembles.

• Establish the swing feel early in rehearsal by tapping the backbeat; this groove is essential to the piece's character, and it will shape every phrase your singers deliver.
• Balance the alto and tenor lines carefully in measures where they carry countermelody; these voices often get buried when singers prioritize the sopranos and basses.
• Let the text drive the phrasing rather than bar lines. "Ac-cent-tchu-ate" needs rhythmic snap and character, not a metronomic beat.

Open a concert with this to establish an upbeat tone, or place it in a lighter second half program block to break up heavier repertoire. It also works well as part of a "Great American Songbook" themed concert or as a palate cleanser between more introspective pieces.

• Swing rhythm and jazz articulation
• Balancing solo melody with supporting harmony lines
• Phrasing across bar lines based on text and musical shape
• Blend and blend adjustment in SATB texture with mixed rhythmic patterns