Christmas a la Fa La La: SATB a cappella Choral Octavo
By Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PO-0000779
$1.75
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
Something new and different for the holidays! This fantastic choral work quotes moments of your favorite carols, all on a "fa la la" text---that is until a bit of the "Hallelujah Chorus" appears near the end. Festive fun for everyone! Can be sung a cappella or with the optional keyboard accompaniment. Accompaniment included on PianoTrax 1 CD (00-31028).
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0000779
More about this title
About the Composer: Jay Althouse
Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was later honored as a Distinguished Alumnus. His career spans both publishing and composition; he spent eight years as a rights and licenses administrator for a major educational music publisher and served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America.
With more than 800 choral works in print, Althouse has established himself as a prolific voice in choral music education across the English-speaking world. He is a writer member of ASCAP and a regular recipient of the ASCAP Special Award. Beyond composition, he has co-written children's musicals with Sally K. Albrecht, compiled respected vocal solo collections, and authored several resources for music classrooms including Ready to Read Music and One-Page Composer Bios. His choral work I Hear America Singing, co-written with Albrecht, was performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at President Obama's Inauguration in 2009.
Why we love this
Althouse has crafted something genuinely clever here: a medley that works because the "fa la la" refrain connects beloved carol moments while maintaining rhythmic and textural cohesion, making the final shift to the Hallelujah Chorus feel earned rather than arbitrary. The piece respects both your singers' musicianship and your audience's familiarity with carols, so the quotes land with recognition rather than relying on novelty alone. For a holiday program that needs festive warmth without sacrificing musical substance, this delivers.
What to expect
Lighthearted and inclusive, with moments of genuine sparkle. The piece invites both singers and listeners into a shared musical memory through familiar carol fragments, building toward a jubilant climax that feels both surprising and inevitable.
Who it's for
This octavo suits high school and adult choirs looking for a holiday selection that combines recognizable joy with musical substance. It works equally well for concert choirs that want a lighter moment or community ensembles seeking a crowd-pleasing closer.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the fa la la sections so they remain bright and rhythmically unified; small ensembles may find singing a cappella easiest if the parts lock onto a unified pulse early in rehearsals.
- Identify each carol quotation with your singers during sectional work so they understand how the text and melody shifts anchor each section.
- Shape the transition into the Hallelujah Chorus to allow the energy to build naturally; this moment is most effective when the preceding fa la la sections feel genuinely unified.
How to use it
Program this as your second-to-last selection on a holiday concert when you want to lift the energy and warm the hall without veering into sentimentality. It pairs well with either a more reverent opening carol or a closing number that sustains the celebratory mood you've established.
Skills your students will build
- Recognizing melodic quotations across repertoire
- Maintaining rhythmic precision in rhythmically active homophonic passages
- Balancing brightness and blend in divisi SATB writing
- Transitioning between contrasting musical moments with cohesion