Embraceable You: SATB Choral Octavo

Jay Althouse's arrangement captures the emotional directness of the original while keeping the vocal writing singable and musical. The nod to Rhapsody in Blue at the end gives singers a moment to connect with Gershwin's genius for orchestral color in purely choral terms. This is a standard that singers genuinely enjoy performing and audiences recognize instantly.

Tender and urbane at once, the piece draws you into an intimate conversation about acceptance and affection. The melody has the unstoppable quality of a great popular song, yet Gershwin's harmonies hint at the concert-hall ambitions lurking beneath the surface. By the end, when that unmistakable Rhapsody gesture appears, the entire emotional arc resolves into something larger than romance alone.

Intermediate to advanced SATB choirs looking for a sophisticated love song that sits comfortably in the jazz-influenced popular repertoire tradition. This works well for groups with solid blend and the ability to handle chromatic harmony and jazz voicings without getting lost.

• Let the legit warmth of the melody shine in the soprano line; resist oversinging or adding jazz inflections that would contradict the song's intimacy.
• Balance the inner voices carefully in the middle sections so the harmonic sophistication comes through without muddying the texture.
• Shape the final phrase that references Rhapsody in Blue with a slight broadening and warmth to signal the shift in character.
• Use rubato sparingly and only where the text naturally suggests emotional weight; Gershwin's music speaks most powerfully when the underlying pulse remains clear.

Program this alongside other twentieth-century standards or American popular songs for a concert celebrating the vitality of Broadway and early jazz idioms. It pairs naturally with other Gershwin arrangements, or it can anchor a set of love songs that span from classical art song to contemporary pop, proving the timelessness of great melody.

• Singing jazz-influenced harmony and chromatic voice leading
• Phrasing and interpretation of American popular song
• Blend and balance in SATB texture with sophisticated inner-voice writing
• Recognizing and responding to harmonic color shifts, especially the Rhapsody in Blue reference