And This Shall Be for Music: SSA Choral Octavo

Johnson's setting captures the lyrical beauty of Stevenson's text without overcomplicating it. The cue-size notes built into the SSA voicing give you real flexibility in rehearsal—you can keep it intimate in three parts or expand into four-part divisi when your singers are ready, making this equally useful for developing and experienced choirs.

Warm, intimate, and genuinely lyrical without sentimentality. Johnson's writing lets Stevenson's imagery breathe, creating moments where the text and music feel inseparable, and singers experience how melody can serve language rather than overshadow it.

Directors programming concert or festival events who want a piece that showcases the warmth and maturity of an SSA ensemble without demanding virtuosic vocal writing. This works equally well for school choirs seeking beautiful poetry-based repertoire and community or church singers who value melodic clarity and expressive substance.

• Balance the soprano melody against the alto and second soprano parts; Johnson's writing ensures all three voices contribute to the harmonic interest, so avoid letting the top line dominate.
• Explore the optional SSAA divisi in the cue notes during rehearsal before deciding whether your ensemble will benefit from that expanded texture, or keep the pure SSA blend throughout.
• Shape phrases according to the poetic sense of Stevenson's text rather than obvious musical cadences; this encourages singers to sustain emotional connection beyond structural moments.

Pair this with other secular choral works built on literary texts to create a thematic concert around poetry and music. Its accessible vocal range and expressive character also make it an excellent bridge piece in a program that moves between lighter fare and more challenging contemporary works.

• Balancing three independent vocal lines without hierarchical dominance
• Interpreting text-driven phrasing in secular choral music
• Managing optional divisi transitions between SSA and SSAA voicings
• Sustaining legit legit tone across mid-range tessitura