Ain't-a That Good, Good News!: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo
Good News * Swing Low, Sweet Chariot * Ain't-a That Good News!
Traditional Spirituals / arr. Sally K. Albrecht
Item: 00-PO-0003630
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Description
Three favorite spirituals are cleverly combined in this mini-medley. Call-and-response arranging makes for memorable interplay between voices, eventually leading to an innovative mash-up. Staging suggestions found on Step One! and at alfred.com/video. Fresh and fun!
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Sample Audio
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0003630
More about this title
About the Arranger: Sally K. Albrecht
Sally K. Albrecht has shaped American choral music for decades as a composer, arranger, conductor, and publishing leader. Since 1987, she has received the ASCAP Special Music Award annually and maintains over 600 choral publications in print, alongside 75 larger works for stage and concert. Her conducting experience spans honor choirs at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center, and she spent more than thirty years directing choral and vocal publications at major educational music houses, including Alfred Music.
Albrecht earned her B.A. from Rollins College in 1976 with degrees in music and theater, followed by an M.A. in drama and an M.M. in accompanying from the University of Miami. She has taught at Oakland University, Jersey City State College, and Meredith College. A native of Cleveland, she lives in North Carolina with her husband, composer and arranger Jay Althouse. In 2021, she received the Distinguished Alumna Award from both the University of Miami Frost School of Music and Rollins College, where she serves on the Board of Trustees.
Why we love this
Albrecht's call-and-response architecture transforms three beloved spirituals into something that sounds fresh without losing the authenticity of the originals. The arrangement builds toward an inventive mash-up finale that gives singers a genuine sense of discovery, and the staging suggestions (available on Step One! and alfred.com/video) make this concert-ready without requiring extra rehearsal time spent on choreography.
What to expect
The medley unfolds with the warmth and directness of traditional spirituals, but Albrecht's clever interweaving keeps the energy moving forward. By the time the mash-up arrives, the piece has built genuine momentum, and what began as three separate songs feels unified and inevitable.
Who it's for
Mixed choirs performing at intermediate to advanced levels will find this arrangement perfectly pitched for festival and contest settings. The SAB voicing makes it accessible to community and school choirs without simplifying the arranging craft or the spiritual tradition.
How to get the most out of it
- Establish the call-and-response dialogue with clear sectional identity. The interplay between voices works best when each part owns its moment rather than blending into the background.
- Pay attention to the text painting in the spiritual traditions embedded here. These melodies carry emotional weight, so phrasing and breath placement should honor that legacy.
- Use the recorded accompaniment to lock the harmonic foundation, especially as the arrangement builds toward the mash-up. This lets singers focus on their inter-voice relationships.
- Stage the piece to amplify the dialogue. Even simple positioning (one section forward, one back) can clarify the call-and-response dynamic and increase audience engagement.
How to use it
This works beautifully as a mid-program lift, where the call-and-response energy and structural novelty reset the audience's attention. It also reads as a strong closer if you want to leave the concert with joy and movement; the staging options make it memorable without requiring a dance background.
Skills your students will build
- Call-and-response phrasing and sectional dialogue
- Blend and balance between three distinct voice parts
- Stylistic understanding of spiritual tradition and text expression
- Rhythmic precision in medley transitions
- Coordination of staging with singing