Let's Fall in Love: SATB Choral Octavo

Jay Althouse's medley captures the essence of Porter's catalog without requiring your singers to stage a full musical. The 28-page arrangement lets you program sophisticated popular music that audiences genuinely want to hear, and the harmonic sophistication keeps singers engaged during rehearsal. This is the kind of piece that sounds impressive without punishing your ensemble's preparation timeline.

Urbane and playful, with the gloss of a professional jazz arrangement and the wit that made Porter famous. The piece swings where it should, lands on clever harmonic moments, and gives singers the chance to feel like they're performing in a real band rather than a traditional choir.

Choirs ready to tackle a piece with real harmonic sophistication and the theatrical confidence to sell a medley format. Your singers should read comfortably in mixed voicing and enjoy popular standards enough to commit to characterful performance. This works especially well for choirs that balance classical repertoire with secular American songwriting.

• Balance the melodic lines carefully across voice parts, since Porter's sophistication often lives in how the voices interact rather than in a single tune carried by sopranos. Listen through the recorded accompaniment first to hear how Althouse voiced each section.
• The medley form requires clear scene changes between songs; use slight tempo shifts and character adjustments to mark each new tune rather than treating it as one continuous piece.
• Articulation and diction shape the style here. Porter's lyrics demand clarity and a touch of theatrical flair; under-singing the text will flatten the arrangement's personality.
• Lock in with the recorded accompaniment early in your rehearsal process so the ensemble can feel the jazz inflections and rhythmic flexibility that make these songs swing rather than plod.

Pair this with other American standards or jazz-influenced pieces to build a concert that demonstrates your choir's range and contemporary relevance. It also works beautifully as a concert closer that leaves audiences smiling and remembering what they heard. Consider programming it where you want a tonal and stylistic shift from your classical repertoire.

• Singing jazz inflections and swing rhythms in a choral context
• Balancing melody and harmony across four independent voice parts
• Interpreting harmonic sophistication (seventh chords, secondary dominants, modal mixture)
• Diction and character work in popular music styles
• Following accompaniment and responding to rhythmic flexibility in a recorded track