God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen: 2-Part Choral Octavo

Moore's arrangement refuses to settle for a standard Christmas carol performance. The 5/4 meter immediately signals that this isn't your typical holiday piece, and the jazz harmony backing the melody creates sophisticated harmonic interest that challenges your singers without overwhelming them. You get accessibility (two parts, smooth unisons) paired with genuine musical personality—something your choir will genuinely want to perform.

Sophisticated and swinging. The 5/4 meter gives the familiar melody a forward-leaning, modern edge, while the jazz harmonies and scat singing create an intimate, cool vibe that feels closer to a jazz combo than a church choir. It's festive without being saccharine.

Two-part choirs that can handle a contemporary harmonic language and want to program something with genuine style at holiday concerts. This arrangement works especially well for groups seeking to move beyond traditional Christmas carols without losing accessibility or the joy of the season.

• Anchor the scat-singing sections in a steady, relaxed groove. These passages only land if your singers feel the jazz pulse underneath, not if they rush or sing rhythmically stiff.
• Work the 5/4 meter as a melodic feature, not a hurdle. Have singers tap or conduct the five-beat pattern until it feels natural; once it does, the hipness of the arrangement becomes apparent.
• Balance the unison singing against the ensemble jazz chords. The unisons should sit forward and sing through; the harmonic backdrop supports without overwhelming the line.
• Use the recorded accompaniment in early rehearsals to lock the groove and meter. Once your singers internalize the feel, you can pull back and let them own the style.

Use this as a stylistic contrast in a holiday concert that mixes traditional and contemporary repertoire. It pairs beautifully with more formal Christmas octavos and works as an energizing closer or midsection accent that keeps audiences engaged. The arrangement's contemporary voice makes it ideal for concerts aimed at younger audiences or communities comfortable with jazz-influenced sacred music.

• Reading and performing in 5/4 meter
• Singing in a jazz idiom with emphasis on groove and swing feel
• Basic scat-singing technique and jazz articulation
• Balancing melody against contemporary jazz chord progressions
• Interpreting rhythmic nuance in unison and ensemble writing