Come Away To The Skies: SATB Choral Octavo

Leavitt's treatment of this traditional hymn strips away unnecessary complexity while preserving the spiritual substance that makes the text resonate. The five-page score gives the arrangement room to breathe, allowing for genuine harmonic development and opportunities for meaningful dynamic and expressive work that lift it well beyond a standard congregational setting.

The music has an inviting, open quality that mirrors the text's message of spiritual welcome. Leavitt's four-part harmony creates warmth and depth, with moments of consonant brightness balanced against passages of reflective fullness.

This arrangement serves choirs at the intermediate level and beyond, including high school and college ensembles, community choirs, and church music programs seeking a hymn treatment that demands genuine musicianship without overwhelming singers. It works equally well for choirs with strong sight-reading skills and those building confidence through repertoire that rewards careful preparation.

• Shape the melodic line with careful attention to text stress; the conviction in a phrase like 'Come away' depends on how naturally the words flow through the music rather than landing metrically predictable.
• Balance the sopranos' sustained higher passages against the foundation of the lower voices; Leavitt's harmony is transparent when all four parts have equal presence.
• Use the proportional phrasing built into the arrangement to create natural momentum; avoid pressing the tempo in moments where harmonic rhythm slows, which only dampens the music's inherent lift.

Situate this in a sacred concert as a centerpiece hymn arrangement that bookends more elaborate works, or pair it with another Leavitt piece to highlight the composer's accessible gift for hymn treatment. It also works beautifully as a closing anthem for services, particularly when your choir is singing to congregational familiarity with the tune.

• Sustaining musical line independence across four parts
• Interpreting harmonic color in hymn arrangement contexts
• Phrasing symmetrical versus asymmetrical melodic phrases
• Balance and blend in transparent choral textures