Amazing Grace for SSAATTBB Choir Cover Image

Amazing Grace for SSAATTBB Choir: SSAATTBB Choral Octavo

$4.90 USD
$4.90 USD
Skip to product information
Amazing Grace for SSAATTBB Choir Cover Image
Amazing Grace for SSAATTBB Choir: SSAATTBB Choral Octavo

Amazing Grace for SSAATTBB Choir: SSAATTBB Choral Octavo

For Soprano Solo and SSAATTBB Choir

Arranged By Eriks Ešenvalds /Words by John Newton (1725-1807)

Item: 98-MB0337
$4.90
Shipped

One moment…

Description
Ešenvalds' arrangement of Amazing Grace was made for Riga Youth Choir, 'Kamer...‘ in 2004. It is a kind of chorale-variation set--the famous tune is never exactly the same each time it is heard. After its initial statement by a solo soprano the melody becomes gradually more embedded in a rich eight-part texture; instead of the usual ascending semitonal key-shifts, descending modulations serve to ratchet up the intensity and lead to an ecstatic peroration in the home key. - from notes by Gabriel Jackson © 2015

Amazing Grace for SSAATTBB Choir: SSAATTBB 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 Pages

No sample pages found.
Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series: Musica Baltica
Publisher: Musica Baltica
Page Count: 12
ISBN10: 0-7066-5844-2
ISBN13: 979-0-7066-5844-5
SKU: 98-MB0337
Instrumentation: Mixed Voices (SSAATTBB)

More about this title

About the Composer: Eriks Ešenvalds

Eriks Ešenvalds is a Latvian composer whose choral works have gained international recognition for their luminous textures and harmonic sophistication. His output spans sacred and secular repertoire, often drawing on Baltic musical traditions and liturgical texts. Ešenvalds has become a staple in the contemporary choral canon, with conductors worldwide drawn to his ability to build immense emotional architecture from carefully layered voices.

His arrangements and original compositions demonstrate deep knowledge of ensemble sonority. Rather than imposing external effects onto familiar material, Ešenvalds lets harmonic language and structural innovation emerge organically from the music itself. This approach has made his work essential for choirs seeking contemporary sacred music that feels both innovative and spiritually grounded.

Why we love this

Ešenvalds treats Amazing Grace not as a tune to be ornamented but as raw material for formal invention. The descending modulations, unconventional for this hymn, create genuine tension rather than predictable lift, and the gradual embedding of the melody within eight-part harmony rewards both careful listening and sustained musicality from your singers. This is a piece that deepens with every rehearsal.

What to expect

Luminous and searching. The piece begins with spiritual simplicity and gradually transforms into something more complex without losing its anchor in the familiar tune. By the end, the harmony feels almost transcendent, as though the hymn has been refracted through light.

Who it's for

Advanced mixed choirs with secure ensemble blend and comfort navigating modern harmonic language. This works particularly well for groups with strong soprano soloists and mature singers who can sustain long phrases without pushing.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the opening soprano solo against the harmonic support emerging beneath it; the early verses should feel exposed and intimate before the texture thickens.
  • Shape the descending modulations as purposeful intensification rather than key changes for their own sake. Each shift should feel inevitable.
  • The peroration demands full commitment to dynamic control across all eight parts; mark internally where each voice reaches its peak intensity so the final cadence lands with genuine ecstasy rather than exhaustion.
  • Rehearse the middle sections where the melody becomes embedded in the texture by isolating each voice part. Singers need to hear how their line relates to the tune even when they're not singing it.

How to use it

Pair this with other Musica Baltica works or with contemporary sacred music for a concert exploring how composers reimagine hymn tradition. It also makes a compelling second-half opener after more traditional repertoire, the shift into Ešenvalds' harmonic world marking a clear programming pivot.

Skills your students will build

  • Balancing soloistic and ensemble roles within the same texture
  • Tracking a familiar melody through complex polyphonic writing
  • Responding to descending modulations with intentional dynamic shaping
  • Eight-part blend and voice independence in dense harmonic contexts
  • Sustaining lyrical phrasing across extended formal structures

You May Also Like