Alexander's Ragtime Band: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo
Words and music by Irving Berlin / arr. Teena Chinn
Level: Moderate
Item: 00-PO-0004808
$2.25
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
One moment…
Related Items
Alexander's Ragtime Band: SATB Choral Octavo |
$2.25
|
View | |
Alexander's Ragtime Band: 2-Part Choral Octavo |
$2.25
|
View | |
Alexander's Ragtime Band: SATB Choral Octavo |
$2.25
|
View | |
Alexander's Ragtime Band: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo |
$2.25
|
View | |
Alexander's Ragtime Band: 2-Part Choral Octavo |
$2.25
|
View |
Description
Everywhere you turn this Irving Berlin piece is heard. With Teena Chinn's arrangement, it will create a band of singing instruments second to none.
Alexander's Ragtime Band: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.
Request This Title
Tell us you want it.
Start Your Free Trial
Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Archive Edition: Alfred Pop Choral Series
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0004808
More about this title
About the Composer: Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin (1888-1989) was one of America's most prolific and influential songwriters, composing over 1,000 songs across a career spanning eight decades. Self-taught as a musician, Berlin developed an instinctive ear for melody and an understanding of what audiences wanted to hear, creating standards that defined American popular music from vaudeville through film and Broadway. His ability to write in multiple genres, from ragtime and jazz to waltzes and patriotic songs, made him a cultural force whose work remained constantly in circulation.
Why we love this
This arrangement captures the infectious energy of Berlin's ragtime masterpiece while remaining genuinely singable for a mixed choir at the Grade 3 level. Teena Chinn's voicing maintains the syncopated vitality of the original without sacrificing accessibility, giving your singers a piece that feels fun to perform and immediately recognizable to any audience. It's the kind of repertoire that reminds choirs why they love singing together.
What to expect
Bright, propulsive, and infectiously rhythmic, this arrangement sparkles with the warmth of early 20th-century American popular music. The piece bounces and swings, inviting singers to feel the forward momentum of ragtime while maintaining clear three-part harmony that keeps younger choirs grounded.
Who it's for
This octavo works for any mixed choir at the Grade 3 level seeking approachable, high-engagement repertoire with genuine musical substance. Directors programming a pop or secular concert will find it instantly connects with audiences while requiring realistic rehearsal time from singers with developing sight-reading skills.
How to get the most out of it
- Lock the rhythm section (accompanist and any percussive support) into the syncopated figures before full ensemble rehearsals begin; ragtime rhythms sit differently in the body than straight-eighth styles, and clarity here lifts the entire piece.
- Shape the phrases as if the melody is being delivered by a band rather than a choir; this Berlin classic thrives on instrumental articulation and energy rather than sustained legato singing.
- Emphasize the lyrical moments and dynamic contrasts within the moderate arrangement; resist the urge to blast through at tempo, as the charm of this piece lives in its rhythmic specificity and humor.
How to use it
Program this early in a pop or patriotic concert to establish energy and audience goodwill; its upbeat character and cultural familiarity make it an ideal opener that settles the room. It also pairs well alongside other American standards or lighter secular fare, giving your concert breadth without requiring shifts in the singers' technical approach.
Skills your students will build
- Recognizing and performing syncopated rhythmic patterns in a choral context
- Maintaining rhythmic independence within three-part voicing
- Singing with articulation and swing feel rather than legato approach
- Balancing melody and harmony in popular-style arrangements