In December: SATB Choral Octavo
Music by Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PO-0006505
$2.25
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
You will not find a more hauntingly beautiful piece for your December concerts than this one. The text ("In December we remember our traditions new and old.") focuses on the candle, used as a symbol for ALL December holidays. And the melody, underscored with rich harmonies, is as pensive and thoughtful as the holiday season should be. Your singers and audiences will be touched by its power and simplicity. Beautiful but optional clarinet parts are included in the publication.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Archive Edition: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
8
SKU:
00-PO-0006505
Instrumentation:
Opt. 2 Clarinets
More about this title
About the Composer: Jay Althouse
Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus. Early in his career, he worked for eight years as a rights and licenses administrator at a major educational music publisher and served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America. His output as a choral composer is substantial: more than 800 works for choirs of all levels are currently in print and widely performed across the English-speaking world.
Althouse is a writer member of ASCAP and a frequent recipient of the ASCAP Special Award for his compositions. Beyond original choral works, he has co-written children's musicals with Sally K. Albrecht, compiled respected vocal solo collections including Folk Songs for Solo Singers, and authored or co-written instructional resources such as The Complete Choral Warm-up Book, Accent on Composers, Ready to Read Music, and One-Page Composer Bios. His choral composition I Hear America Singing, co-written with Albrecht, was performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. He currently serves on the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America.
Why we love this
Althouse crafts a piece that honors the season's spiritual depth without tethering itself to any single tradition. The text's focus on candlelight as a universal symbol for Chanukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa lets singers and audiences find themselves in the music regardless of their background. The combination of melodic accessibility and harmonic richness makes this both emotionally resonant and musically substantial.
What to expect
The piece settles into an introspective space that feels both solemn and hopeful. Althouse's harmonies are rich enough to hold the ear without becoming heavy, and the melody carries the kind of quiet dignity that makes audiences listen in genuine stillness.
Who it's for
Any SATB choir preparing a December concert that reaches beyond a single holiday tradition will find this valuable. It works equally well in secular, religious, and interfaith concert contexts and sits comfortably alongside more energetic seasonal fare.
How to get the most out of it
- Let the text be your expressive guide. The language about remembering traditions new and old invites singers to inhabit a reflective, almost reverent quality rather than reaching for dramatic intensity.
- Clarinet parts need not be present to create impact, but if you have players available, they add textural depth to the sustained harmonies without overwhelming the vocal line.
- Balance the SATB voices carefully so that no single part dominates the harmonic texture. The richness Althouse builds depends on all four voices sitting in proper relationship to each other.
How to use it
Program this as a reflective anchor in your December concert, ideally in the first half where it can set a thoughtful tone. Its pensive character pairs well with more festive selections later in the set, giving the audience emotional variation across the concert arc.
Skills your students will build
- Singing sustained, blended harmonies across four parts
- Expressing emotional restraint and introspection through vocal line
- Balancing melody and harmony to ensure textural clarity
- Learning the cultural significance of shared symbols across different December traditions