I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (arr. Deke Sharon): SATB Choral Octavo

Deke Sharon's arrangement captures the sophistication Berlin intended while making the tune sit beautifully in the SATB voice range. The piece works equally well as a concert opener that energizes an audience or as a finale that leaves listeners smiling, giving you programming flexibility without sacrificing musical substance.

Warm, nostalgic, and romantic without being maudlin. The arrangement captures the glow of a winter evening, with lush voicing that feels intimate even when sung by a full choir. Berlin's melody has an irresistible bounce to it, and Sharon's harmonization adds sophistication without losing the emotional directness of the original.

Directors building a secular concert program who want a piece with authentic jazz-age flavor and audience appeal. This works for advanced high school choirs and community choirs with solid blend and rhythmic confidence, but singers at any level will connect with Berlin's timeless melody.

• Balance the rhythmic drive of the accompaniment parts with the lyrical quality of the melody line; the tune should float above the texture, not get buried in harmonic movement.
• Pay attention to the jazz-inflected harmonies in Sharon's voicing, particularly how the inner voices create chromatic color. These details separate a polished performance from a generic one.
• Nail the rhythmic precision in the ensemble sections. The swing-era feel demands crisp articulation and locked ensemble singing, especially in any syncopated passages.
• Treat the text naturally. This is a song about love and warmth, so let the phrasing breathe rather than forcing mechanical diction.

Pair this with other standards from the same era for a concert devoted to American songbook favorites, or use it as a contrast piece in a program that mixes classical and contemporary work. It also serves well as a holiday concert selection given the seasonal reference in the text, lending itself to winter programs that avoid overly religious material.

• singing jazz-inflected harmonies with accurate intonation
• controlling vibrato and blend in close-voiced SATB writing
• executing swing rhythms and syncopation with precision
• balancing inner voice independence with overall ensemble cohesion