Have You Heard? Cover Image

Have You Heard?: TTBB, <I>a cappella</I> Choral Octavo

$2.25 USD
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Have You Heard? Cover Image
Have You Heard?: TTBB, a cappella Choral Octavo

Have You Heard?: TTBB, a cappella Choral Octavo

A Christmas Spiritual

Music by Jay Althouse

Item: 00-16285
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Description
"Have you heard the story of the baby boy, born in Bethlehem?" From that simple question Jay Althouse has crafted another superb, original Christmas spiritual. It features contrasting dynamics (excellent for teaching phrasing), male and female solos, and a tender middle section which contrasts with the hushed excitement of the opening and closing melody. Includes a descant on the final chorus. A cappella.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Have You Heard?: TTBB, a cappella Choral Octavo comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Additional Details
Series: Alfred Archive Edition: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 8
UPC: 038081136226
SKU: 00-16285

More about this title

About the Composer: Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he later received their Distinguished Alumni award. His career spans both the publishing side of music education and active composition; he spent eight years managing rights and licensing for a major educational publisher and served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America. As a composer, he has over 800 choral works in print across all levels, performed regularly in English-speaking countries and beyond.

Althouse's output extends well beyond composition into pedagogical writing and collaboration. He co-authored The Complete Choral Warm-up Book and Accent on Composers with his wife Sally K. Albrecht, compiled the respected Folk Songs for Solo Singers collection, and created classroom resources including Ready to Read Music and One-Page Composer Bios. His compositions have earned multiple ASCAP Special Awards, and his collaborative choral work I Hear America Singing was performed at President Obama's 2009 Inauguration by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs. Althouse currently serves on the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America.

Why we love this

Althouse knows how to build a spiritual that teaches. The dynamic contrast between the opening's hushed excitement and the tender middle section gives you built-in opportunities for phrasing work without feeling pedagogical to your singers. The inclusion of both male and female solos means every section gets a moment to shine, and that final descant transforms the last chorus from a restatement into something genuinely new.

What to expect

The opening feels like a story unfolding at close range, intimate and inviting. You're drawn inward during that tender middle section, then gradually brought back out to a moment of quiet joy. There's restraint here that makes space for reflection.

Who it's for

TTBB choirs looking for substantial Christmas repertoire that doesn't rely on arrangements of existing melodies. Directors working with male-dominated or male-only ensembles will find the solo writing gives shape to a sacred piece without compromising the ensemble sound.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the opening and closing melody with careful dynamic control. The "hushed excitement" Althouse describes works best when the contrast between your softest and full sound is genuinely dramatic.
  • Balance the solo passages by placing strong voices in the featured roles but ensuring they sit within the texture rather than dominating it. The spiritual form relies on call and response, so soloists should feel like they're conversing with the choir.
  • Prepare the descent early in rehearsals so your sopranos (or highest voices in your voicing) aren't learning new material during dress rehearsal. This line sits exposed and needs confidence.

How to use it

Place this late in a Christmas concert to shift the mood from celebration toward reverence. It works especially well following faster, more rhythmic spirituals or secular holiday fare, offering your audience a chance to settle in. The a cappella texture makes it an ideal closer or standalone moment in a concert.

Skills your students will build

  • Sustained phrasing across longer melodic lines
  • Dynamic nuance and contrast within a single piece
  • Blend and balance in solo-with-choir textures
  • Reading and performing descant lines
  • Intonation and tuning in a cappella singing across changing harmonic movement

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