How Like a Winter Cover Image

How Like a Winter: SSA Choral Octavo

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How Like a Winter Cover Image
How Like a Winter: SSA Choral Octavo

How Like a Winter: SSA Choral Octavo

Words by William Shakespeare, music by Ruth Morris Gray

Item: 00-35570
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Description
The sorrowful text from Shakespeare's 97th sonnet is artfully set for choirs with mature musical taste. Sing the liquid phrases with a beautiful line and observe the tempo nuances in order to attain the most expressive performance. Sublime. Featured on PianoTrax 3 Accompaniment CD (00-34744).

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, How Like a Winter: SSA 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 Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 12
UPC: 038081397665
SKU: 00-35570

More about this title

About the Composer: Ruth Morris Gray

Ruth Morris Gray

Ruth Morris Gray holds degrees in piano performance and composition from Biola University and a master's degree in music composition from UC Santa Barbara. She earned her California Single Subject Music Credential at California State University, Northridge, and has served as Director of Choirs at Rosemead High School since 2004, where she also teaches piano.

With more than 100 published choral compositions to her name, Gray brings both technical craft and artistic sensibility to her writing. Beyond her work as composer, teacher, and conductor, she is an active performer and finds creative balance through travel, reading, and cycling.

Why we love this

Gray's setting honors Shakespeare's melancholic text with musical restraint and elegance. The piece demands singers capable of sustaining beautiful vocal lines and responding to subtle tempo shifts, making it ideal for choirs ready to explore interpretive depth beyond technical display. It's the kind of literature that builds musicianship in ways that stretch beyond notes on a page.

What to expect

The music unfolds with quiet sophistication, drawing listeners into Shakespeare's meditation on loss and absence. Phrases flow with natural eloquence, never rushed or overwrought, creating an atmosphere of refined melancholy that lingers after the final note.

Who it's for

This octavo suits SSA choirs with singers who have developed secure intonation and the maturity to sustain introspective music. It works equally well for high school advanced choirs, college ensembles, and community groups seeking concert or festival repertoire with literary substance.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the liquid phrases as single musical thoughts rather than stopping at phrase marks. Let the line breathe but never break momentum.
  • Pay close attention to Gray's tempo indications throughout. The nuances she marks are essential to the emotional arc and should not be glossed over in rehearsal.
  • Balance the SSA voicing so that no single part dominates. The harmonic color depends on blend and equality of tone across all three lines.
  • Consider the textual weight of Shakespeare's winter imagery when approaching dynamics. Restraint often conveys more sorrow than force.

How to use it

Program this as a centerpiece for a concert exploring seasonal themes or Shakespearean texts. Its 12 pages and moderate length make it suitable as a substantial single work or as part of a thematic set that might include other winter-season repertoire.

Skills your students will build

  • Sustaining lyrical vocal lines with consistent tone quality
  • Responding to interpretive tempo markings and their effect on phrasing
  • Balancing three-part harmony to achieve blend without loss of individual line clarity
  • Connecting poetic text to musical expression and emotional authenticity

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