Hanukkah Scherzo: SATB Choral Octavo

Lighter than typical choral holiday fare, with the quick-witted character of a ballroom dance filtered through a Jewish musical lens. The piece moves with purpose and intelligence, never condescending to its subject matter, while maintaining the celebratory spirit of the season.

High school and college choirs with solid musicianship and rhythmic confidence. This piece rewards groups comfortable with moderate ranges, part independence, and the energy required to perform a scherzo at concert tempo.

• Keep the rhythmic drive consistent from phrase to phrase. This piece relies on momentum to land its humor, so resist the temptation to pull back at phrase endings.
• Balance the inner voices carefully in the harmonic passages. The soprano and alto lines can easily dominate, but Dean's writing asks the tenor and bass to carry essential harmonic color.
• Clarify diction in the faster sections. The scherzo character depends on text intelligibility, especially when multiple syllables land on rapid note values.

Program this in the second half of a winter concert to provide energy and tonal contrast after slower pieces. It pairs well with other seasonal or secular holiday repertoire and works equally as well in a concert devoted entirely to Hanukkah music as it does in a mixed winter program.

• Maintaining rhythmic independence within ensemble textures
• Sustaining phrase momentum across multiple measures of rests
• Balancing transparent four-part voicing while preserving harmonic color
• Executing the scherzo character with precision and style