As Time Goes By: SATB Choral Octavo

Jay Althouse's arrangement captures the song's nostalgic elegance without sacrificing singability across all voice parts. The inclusion of optional solos and the featured alto saxophone line (in the SoundPax edition) give choirs flexibility to highlight individual singers or create a small-ensemble moment within a larger piece. This is precisely the kind of repertoire that makes concert programming feel fresh and connected to what audiences actually want to hear.

There's an unmistakable warmth to this arrangement, the kind that comes from a melody so perfectly constructed that even new harmonic settings feel inevitable rather than imposed. It carries the bittersweet quality of its original film context: romantic and yearning, yet grounded in a timeless restraint that never slides into sentimentality.

This octavo works for jazz choirs, show choirs, and concert ensembles at the high school and college level. It's equally valuable for mixed-voice community choirs and all-female or all-male groups with strong soprano and alto sections. The optional solo features make it accessible to groups of varying skill levels while remaining engaging for more advanced singers.

• Treat the phrasing with rubato in mind. The melody begs for slight tempo flexibility and breath, particularly at phrase endings; avoid metronomic precision even with the recorded accompaniment.
• Balance the optional solos carefully so they sit inside the choir's texture rather than dominating it. These moments work best when they feel like natural moments of solo reflection, not separate showcase events.
• Shape the harmonies dynamically. This arrangement's strength lies in its well-crafted voicings, which will sing with more character if you bring out the inner voice movement rather than treating all four parts as equal in weight.
• The alto saxophone solo (if using SoundPax) pairs beautifully with a lighter, more playful approach to the choir during that section. Consider how the timbre shift can guide your singers toward a slightly different color and articulation.

This piece shines as a bridge between a concert's first half and a lighter, more contemporary second section. It also works as a elegant closer if you want to end a program on a reflective, universally recognizable note. Consider programming it alongside other American songbook standards or as the centerpiece of a concert themed around film music and popular song.

• Singing jazz-influenced harmonies with proper voice leading and blend
• Shaping lyrical phrasing and managing rubato within ensemble contexts
• Balancing optional solos within a choral texture
• Connecting to mid-century American popular music repertoire and its cultural significance
• Managing optional instrumental parts (alto sax) in conjunction with vocal lines