Love Is Here to Stay: SAB Choral Octavo

Mark Hayes delivers an arrangement that honors the song's sentimental core while giving the ending room to swing. The piano writing is characterful enough to hold attention but never competes with the voices; instead, it shapes the emotional arc the choir is singing. This is what a standard arrangement should do: make a familiar song feel fresh without asking singers to do anything beyond their musical reach.

Warm and introspective in the opening, with Hayes's piano accompaniment creating a sense of nostalgic comfort. The swing ending brings unexpected lightness, shifting the emotional register without losing the song's essential tenderness. There's sophistication here, but it never calls attention to itself; the focus stays on the lyrical beauty of Gershwin's melody.

Any mixed choir with strong enough musicianship to sustain a three-part texture across a full 12-page arrangement. SAB voicing works well for choirs with limited baritone depth or for groups building toward more complex literature. This piece rewards singers who already have solid fundamentals in blend and intonation.

• Balance the three parts so that the melody line (soprano) sits naturally on top without the altos and baritones fading into backdrop. The accompaniment is lush enough that ensemble clarity requires intentional voice leading, not just volume.
• Shape the phrasing across the lush opening section with a sense of rubato. This is not a metronomic piece; allow the text and melody to breathe, especially in the early measures where Hayes sets the sentimental mood.
• Approach the transition to the swing ending as a tempo shift, not just a style shift. The lift into lighter articulation will feel natural once the rhythmic energy of the swing section is established.
• Let the piano part anchor the harmonic sophistication. Gershwin's changes are warm and occasionally unexpected; if your singers hear the accompaniment's voice leading, they'll lock into the harmonic intention more securely.

Program this in a set of American standards or as a palate-cleanser between heavier repertoire. The piece works equally well as a concert opener (the familiar melody draws in listeners) or as a second-half anchor in a mixed program. It pairs naturally with other Gershwin arrangements or with mid-century popular song literature.

• Sustaining legit vocal tone across a full-length arrangement without losing energy
• Reading three-part mixed voicing with independent melodic lines in each section
• Responding to piano accompaniment as a guide for phrasing and harmonic direction
• Executing a style shift from ballad to swing while maintaining musical continuity
• Balancing text clarity with the lyrical demands of a developed vocal line