How Can I Keep from Singing? Cover Image

How Can I Keep from Singing?: SATB Choral Octavo

$2.05 USD
$2.05 USD
Skip to product information
How Can I Keep from Singing? Cover Image
How Can I Keep from Singing?: SATB Choral Octavo

How Can I Keep from Singing?: SATB Choral Octavo

Quaker Song

Arr. Jay Althouse

Item: 00-40052
makemusic Cloud badge

Need it now?

Buy Digital Version
$2.05
Shipped

One moment…

Related Items

How Can I Keep from Singing?: PianoTrax Digital Download

$9.99
View

How Can I Keep from Singing?: SATB Choral Octavo

$2.05
View

How Can I Keep from Singing?: SAB Choral Octavo

$2.05
View
Description
Singers will cherish this sublime Quaker song, taken from our rich heritage of American folk music. As experienced conductors have come to expect from the gifted arranger, Jay's setting is artful in its simplicity, elegant in its effect.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, How Can I Keep from Singing?: SATB 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.
Sample Pages

Sample Audio
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 8
UPC: 038081447070
SKU: 00-40052

More about this title

About the Arranger: Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he later received the Distinguished Alumni award. His eight-year tenure in rights and licensing for a major educational publisher, combined with service on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America, shaped his deep understanding of what choirs need and how music reaches singers across skill levels.

As a composer, Althouse has over 800 choral works in active performance. His catalog spans children's musicals (co-created with Sally K. Albrecht), vocal collections including Folk Songs for Solo Singers, and instructional resources like The Complete Choral Warm-up Book and Accent on Composers. His work has earned multiple ASCAP Special Awards. Beyond composition, Althouse serves on the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America and has contributed scholarly writing to the organization's publications, reflecting a lifelong commitment to preserving and celebrating American musical traditions.

Why we love this

Althouse finds the heart of a folk melody without overcomplicating it. His voicing honors the directness of the Quaker tune while the part writing remains singable across all four sections, making this arrangement accessible to developing choirs without sacrificing musical substance. Directors will appreciate how elegantly the setting serves the text, allowing the spiritual message of the song to resonate without distraction.

What to expect

Serene yet affirming, this arrangement wraps the familiar melody in warm, supportive harmonies that feel both timeless and immediate. Singers encounter a piece that feels personal, as though they're joining a conversation about faith and resilience that spans generations.

Who it's for

SATB choirs at intermediate and advanced levels seeking repertoire rooted in American musical heritage. Directors building programs that include folk or sacred traditions will find this setting equally fitting for concert performances, worship services, or community collaborations.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the melody with gentle dynamics rather than dramatic swells; the song's power lies in its understated conviction
  • Balance the inner voices carefully during tutti passages so they support rather than obscure the soprano line
  • Encourage singers to connect to the personal faith statement in the text, letting that intention inform their tone quality and phrasing
  • Use the eight-page length to rehearse thoroughly without fatigue; this piece rewards attention to blend and breath placement

How to use it

Program this as a contemplative anchor in a concert pairing sacred and secular American songs, or open a service music program with its quiet declaration of spiritual conviction. The piece also works beautifully in events celebrating folk music traditions or American cultural heritage.

Skills your students will build

  • Balancing inner voices while maintaining soprano line clarity in SATB texture
  • Singing folk melody with musical intention and textual connection
  • Breath management across longer, sustained phrases
  • Blend and tone adjustment in four-part homophonic writing

You May Also Like