Kyrie: 2-Part Choral Octavo
By Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PO-0000763
$1.75
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
Pickup currently not available
Description
An opening duet leads the way into this lush and musical concert setting of the traditional "Kyrie" text. Beautiful melodies and rich harmonies will make this a favorite any time of year. Excellent choice for festival and contest use. Accompaniment included on PianoTrax 1 CD (00-31028).
Kyrie: 2-Part Choral Octavo isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.
Request This Title
Tell us you want it.
Start Your Free Trial
Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Audio
1
Audio File
--:--
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
8
SKU:
00-PO-0000763
More about this title
About the Composer: Jay Althouse
Jay Althouse earned degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was later honored with the Distinguished Alumni award. His career spans both publishing and composition; he spent eight years managing rights and licenses for a major educational music publisher and served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America. As a composer, Althouse has created more than 800 choral works performed widely throughout English-speaking countries. He holds ASCAP membership and is a regular recipient of the ASCAP Special Award for his contributions to standard music.
Beyond his choral catalog, Althouse has collaborated with his wife, Sally K. Albrecht, on children's musicals and co-authored influential classroom resources including The Complete Choral Warm-up Book and Accent on Composers. He compiled and arranged vocal solo collections such as Folk Songs for Solo Singers and created reproducible materials for music education. His collaborative choral composition I Hear America Singing was performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at President Barack Obama's 2009 Inauguration. Althouse has served on the boards of the North Carolina Master Chorale and the Folk Art Society of America.
Why we love this
Althouse balances accessibility with musical substance here. The opening duet draws singers in immediately, and the harmonic writing that follows rewards careful listening without demanding advanced vocal technique. For festival and contest circuits, this setting provides the kind of text-driven expressiveness that adjudicators respect while remaining genuinely singable for developing choirs.
What to expect
The opening duet has an intimate, conversational quality that gradually expands into warm, full-voiced harmony. The work feels both traditional and contemporary, honoring the sacred text while staying melodically engaging rather than austere.
Who it's for
This octavo works well for intermediate treble choirs or mixed ensembles with stronger upper voices. It suits middle school through adult level singers who have some harmonic awareness but don't require extreme technical demands.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the opening duet by letting the melodies breathe independently before the fuller texture enters; avoid blending the two lines into a single sound.
- Work the harmonies slowly and deliberately at first. Althouse's richness comes from precise tuning and voice independence, not speed.
- Use the PianoTrax accompaniment to establish harmonic clarity during rehearsal, then gradually reduce reliance on it so singers own the harmonic movement.
- Shape the phrases with purposeful dynamic contours that follow the text rather than the bar lines; allow natural text rhythms to guide your interpretation.
How to use it
Program this as an opening or closing selection for a sacred music concert, or place it early in a mixed program where it will establish musical credibility without taxing singers' stamina. Its festival-ready quality makes it ideal for spring concert seasons when contest calendars are tight.
Skills your students will build
- Singing independent melodic lines in two-part texture
- Tuning and balancing four-part harmony from a two-part voicing
- Phrasing and expression within a sacred context
- Reading and performing from an octavo with embedded accompaniment cues