Count the Stars Cover Image

Count the Stars: SAB Choral Octavo

$2.05 USD
$2.05 USD
Skip to product information
Count the Stars Cover Image
Count the Stars: SAB Choral Octavo

Count the Stars: SAB Choral Octavo

Words and music by Andy Beck

Item: 00-46367
makemusic Cloud badge

Need it now?

Buy Digital Version
$2.05
Shipped

One moment…

Related Items

Count the Stars: PianoTrax Digital Download

$9.99
View

Count the Stars: SATB Choral Octavo

$2.05
View

Count the Stars: SAB Choral Octavo

$2.05
View
Description
This tender song of remembrance features a poignant original text combined with Latin phrases from the Requiem Mass. Close cluster chords, beautifully sculpted phrases, and expressive dynamics leave the listener with a sense of awe and wonder. Not to be missed! This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Count the Stars: SAB Choral Octavo comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

Open in the Player

Jump straight in and assign it today.

Start Your Free Trial

Open this title and explore the full library in minutes.
Sample Pages

Sample Audio
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
Additional Details
Series: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 12
UPC: 038081527468
SKU: 00-46367

More about this title

About the Composer: Andy Beck

Andy Beck

Andy Beck leads the choral publications division at Alfred Music, where he has cultivated a catalog of over 450 works spanning choral arrangements, vocal resources, and children's musicals. His pedagogical contributions include widely adopted sight-singing resources and vocal technique materials that have shaped choral programs across the country. Beck holds degrees from Ithaca College and Northwest Missouri State University, both in music education.

Beyond the publishing office, Beck maintains an active life as a conductor, adjudicator, and clinician working with honor choirs and all-state ensembles throughout the Southeast and beyond. A accomplished tenor, he has performed with the North Carolina Master Chorale Chamber Choir and brings decades of studio singing experience to his work at Alfred since 1992. His dual commitment to choral composition and music education informs every publication he develops.

Why we love this

Beck writes SAB with genuine warmth and singability, and this piece showcases his gift for setting meaningful text to music that feels both accessible and artistically substantial. The blend of original poetry with liturgical Latin creates emotional depth without overcomplicating the voicing, making it ideal for choirs seeking concert or festival repertoire that resonates with audiences. The close harmonies and dynamic sculpting demand focused, expressive singing from your ensemble, which means rehearsing this piece will deepen your singers' musicianship.

What to expect

The piece unfolds like a quiet meditation, drawing listeners into intimate harmonic space. Close cluster chords create a contemplative atmosphere, while expressive phrasing lifts the music into moments of transcendent quiet beauty. The overall effect is one of stillness touched by reverence.

Who it's for

This octavo suits advanced SAB choirs preparing concert or festival programs that balance accessibility with artistic substance. Singers need secure pitch matching and the maturity to sustain beautiful tone through sustained harmonies, though no virtuosic technical demands exist.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the cluster chords by having singers listen inward; these sonorities will feel exposed in rehearsal but bloom beautifully when each voice commits fully to sustained tone and intonation.
  • Shape the original text and Latin phrases as two distinct musical languages, adjusting the color and intensity slightly between them to honor the structural and emotional architecture of the piece.
  • Experiment with dynamic range beyond what appears on the page; Beck's dynamic markings suggest where intensity should live, but your choir's specific acoustics and ensemble size may call for more generous swells and pulls to achieve that sense of awe.

How to use it

Program this as a centerpiece for a concert exploring themes of remembrance and reflection, or pair it with other sacred or secular pieces that benefit from hushed, intimate delivery. The 12-page length fits neatly into a concert arc as a substantial single work that doesn't demand an entire set devoted to one piece.

Skills your students will build

  • Sustaining cluster harmonies with secure intonation
  • Singing with expressive dynamics and dynamic control
  • Phrasing poetic text and liturgical Latin with appropriate textual sensitivity
  • Listening to surrounding voices within close harmonic spacing

You May Also Like