It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas (arr. Mark Hayes): SSAA Choral Octavo

Hayes brings his signature polished craftsmanship to this holiday standard, creating an arrangement that respects the tune's familiar warmth while adding harmonic sophistication your singers can genuinely sink their teeth into. The SSAA voicing accommodates many choir configurations without sacrificing musical substance, making this a practical choice for winter programs where you need both accessibility and artistry.

Elegant and unhurried, this setting treats the familiar melody with the respect of a classic song while infusing it with Hayes' harmonic depth and attention to vocal color. The arrangement inhabits that musical sweet spot where nostalgia meets genuine artistry, never condescending to the material yet never overshadowing its essential charm.

This arrangement works for high school and college choirs, community ensembles, and church music programs looking for a sophisticated yet singable holiday selection. It suits directors who want substance beyond the standard pop-style arrangements typically programmed for December concerts.

• Balance the inner voices carefully in the harmonic passages; the arrangement depends on hearing all four parts clearly, so resist the temptation to anchor everything in the melody.
• Shape the phrasing across longer phrases rather than stopping at each cadence. Hayes builds momentum through the form, and your singers will feel the architecture more strongly if you conduct with that forward motion in mind.
• Attend to the piano part as a musical partner, not just accompaniment. The keyboard writing has character that supports the singers' interpretation.

Pair this with contrasting holiday repertoire (perhaps something with more rhythmic energy or a traditional carol) to create a varied December program that showcases your singers' ability to handle both contemporary arrangements and classic material. It works equally well as an opener that sets a refined tone for your concert or as a centerpiece that demonstrates your choir's vocal maturity.

• Four-part harmonic thinking and voice independence
• Sustained phrasing across longer musical phrases
• Interpreting Hayes' expressive harmonic language
• Collaborative interpretation with accompanist