Faith (arr. Kohl Kitzmiller): TTBB Choral Octavo

Kohl Kitzmiller's barbershop arrangement transforms a pop classic into a vehicle for close harmony and sophisticated chord voicing that sits beautifully in the TTBB range. The arrangement respects the original's melodic integrity while building something entirely new through the lens of barbershop tradition, giving singers a genuinely contemporary song with serious musical depth. Programming this bridges the gap between the repertoire your singers know and the vocal techniques they need to develop.

Introspective and honest, with the kind of emotional directness that pop music does so well. The barbershop treatment adds warmth and intimacy, turning a song about doubt into something that feels like a conversation happening right in front of you.

Barbershop singers and TTBB ensembles looking for contemporary material with real harmonic substance. Directors programming concerts that mix standard repertoire with songs their singers actually know and care about will find this especially valuable.

• Lock the harmonic function of each chord before worrying about individual line independence; barbershop voicing demands absolute clarity about what role each voice plays in the sonority.
• Shape the melody with conviction through the ensemble rather than highlighting a single voice; the arrangement's power comes from collective ownership of George Michael's iconic line.
• Attend to the natural speech rhythms in the lyric, particularly where the text mirrors conversational phrasing; this keeps the emotional authenticity intact even as the harmony gets complex.
• Balance blend work against the need for each voice part to sing with genuine resonance; these singers shouldn't disappear into a single block of sound.

This works beautifully as a standalone number on a concert featuring secular choral music, or as the emotional centerpiece of a program mixing genres and styles. Consider programming it near the end of a set where your singers have already established their ensemble sound and the audience is fully engaged.

• Barbershop voicing conventions and the functional harmony that underlies them
• Balancing independent melodic line movement with unified harmonic sound
• Singing contemporary repertoire with stylistic authenticity while maintaining classical technique
• Lyrical interpretation and emotional communication in popular song contexts