Erie Canal: 2-Part Choral Octavo

Name: Erie Canal: 2-Part Choral Octavo
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-LG52073
Price: 2.25 USD
Availability: InStock

Arr. Robert DeCormier

Item: 00-LG52073

Need it now?

Buy Digital Version

$2.25

Shipped

One moment…

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Erie Canal: 2-Part 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.

No sample audio found.

No sample videos found.

Series: Alfred Archive Edition: Lawson-Gould Music Publishers

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 8

UPC: 783556011958

SKU: 00-LG52073

More about this title

About the Arranger: Robert DeCormier

Robert DeCormier studied at Juilliard School and built a career spanning classical conducting, folk music, and popular entertainment. He served as music director of the New York Choral Society for seventeen years, worked as conductor and arranger for Harry Belafonte, and guided Peter, Paul and Mary as music director from 1978 to 2010. His work with the Robert DeCormier Singers took him across the United States and Canada in concert tours that established him as a leading interpreter of American vocal music.

Beyond conducting, DeCormier was an associate professor of conducting and ensembles at the Eastman School of Music from 1972 to 1977. He founded the professional vocal ensemble Counterpoint in 2000, which recorded six albums and brought choral workshops to high schools throughout New England and beyond. His arrangements of spirituals, American folk songs, and international material shaped choral repertoire for decades. Recognition came through a Vermont Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts (2002) and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New England Choral Arts Foundation (2006).

Show moreShow less

Why we love this

DeCormier's arrangement respects the melody and spirit of this American standard while making it genuinely singable for developing choirs. A two-part voicing opens the piece to singers still building range and confidence, and the straightforward harmony lets the folk character shine through without requiring advanced part independence.

What to expect

The Erie Canal carries the warmth and labor-song authenticity of 19th-century America. DeCormier's setting keeps that working-people sincerity intact: straightforward, unpretentious, and genuinely moving in its simplicity.

Who it's for

This arrangement works for middle school and early high school choirs, singers new to part singing, and community choirs exploring American folk repertoire. It also suits choral programs building inclusive literature that welcomes voices across the developing range spectrum.

How to get the most out of it

Shape phrases around the natural inflection of the lyrics rather than forcing a metronomic pulse; the text should drive the phrasing.
Balance the parts so the tune remains clear in whichever voice carries it; resist letting accompaniment harmony overshadow the melody.
Keep the tempo conversational and unhurried; this song thrives when it feels like storytelling rather than showpiece.

How to use it

Place this alongside other American folk arrangements to build a concert section rooted in vernacular song, or program it with spirituals and traditional material to explore the choral heritage that shaped American music. Its modest technical demands make it ideal for opening a concert or supporting a themed program around Americana.

Skills your students will build

Part independence in two-part writing
Phrase shaping and text expression in folk idiom
Blending harmony while maintaining melodic clarity
Confidence singing in unison alternatives (many singers may find one part more comfortable before attempting both)