In Bethlehem: SATB, a cappella Choral Octavo
Words and music by Sally K. Albrecht and Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PO-0001627
$1.85
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
Celebrate the baby's birth in Bethlehem with this change-of-pace a cappella spiritual, set in a walking tempo with four optional percussion parts (available free at alfred.com/choralparts). Feel and hear the Christmas story come alive!
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0001627
More about this title
About the Composer: Sally K. Albrecht
Sally K. Albrecht has shaped choral music education for over three decades, serving as Director of School Choral, Vocal, and Elementary Publications at major educational publishers, including her tenure at Alfred Music. A prolific composer with more than 600 published choral works and 75 songbooks and musicals in print, she has been honored annually by ASCAP since 1987 for her contributions to music. She has conducted honor choirs at prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center, and taught at Oakland University, Jersey City State College, and Meredith College.
Albrecht holds degrees from Rollins College (B.A. in Music and Theater, 1976) and the University of Miami (M.A. in Drama, 1977; M.M. in Accompanying, 1979). Her collaborative partnership with composer and arranger Jay Althouse has produced celebrated works for educational choirs. In 2021, she received the Distinguished Alumna Award from both the University of Miami Frost School of Music and Rollins College, where she serves on the Board of Trustees. She also chaired the Board of Trustees for the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and received their Pillar of Leadership award.
Why we love this
Albrecht and Althouse have crafted a spiritual that feels genuinely alive without requiring elaborate instrumental support. The walking tempo creates natural momentum for a cappella singing, and the optional percussion parts (freely available) let you scale the arrangement to your rehearsal's needs and confidence level. This is the kind of change-of-pace piece that reminds choirs why a cappella singing matters.
What to expect
The walking tempo creates an intimate, processional quality that honors the Christmas story without sentimentality. A cappella harmonies bloom gradually, inviting singers and listeners into a space of quiet reverence and spiritual reflection. This is meditative singing with warmth, not austerity.
Who it's for
SATB choirs at the intermediate to advanced level who want to program a sacred Christmas piece that stands apart from the typical repertoire. Directors looking for an a cappella option that doesn't demand soloists or complex rhythmic precision will find this accessible and rewarding.
How to get the most out of it
- Establish the walking pulse early in rehearsal so singers feel the steady groove before layering harmonic parts. This rhythm-first approach helps SATB singers lock into the piece's forward motion.
- If you add the optional percussion, let percussionists hear the full choral arrangement first. They need to understand the spiritual's character, not just hit their cues.
- Attend to vowel unity across all four parts in unison passages. A cappella singing exposes any drift in tone color, and the Christmas story deserves clarity.
- Balance the harmony by having singers listen horizontally to their melodic line before thinking vertically about blend. Many spiritual arrangements are stronger when each voice part sings with presence.
How to use it
Place this spiritual as a thoughtful interlude between larger festive numbers in a holiday concert, letting it reset the room's energy. The 12 pages and moderate difficulty make it feasible for mid-year repertoire planning, giving your rehearsal time to deepen its expressiveness before December performances.
Skills your students will build
- Singing sustained harmonic blend in a cappella settings
- Maintaining steady pulse in ensemble contexts without instrumental support
- Balancing spiritual style with clear choral diction
- Listening across voice parts to achieve unified vowel sounds
- Interpreting sacred text through phrasing and dynamic control