Nice Work If You Can Get It: SATB Choral Octavo

Jay Althouse's arrangement respects the song's swing DNA while keeping the voicing accessible for mixed choirs at a wide range of skill levels. The two brief solos create moments for emerging soloists to shine without demanding operatic technique, and the tight harmonies offer real harmonic substance without becoming unwieldy. Programming a Gershwin standard signals to audiences that your choir has taste and range.

Effortless sophistication. The melody bounces with that 1930s movie musical ease, but underneath, the harmonies have real wit and warmth. It's the musical equivalent of a well-tailored suit: polished, confident, with just enough swing to keep things from feeling stiff.

Mixed choirs at the intermediate to advanced level who want a standard that audiences know and singers enjoy. This works equally well for high school show choirs, community theater ensembles, and college recreational choirs. The arrangement scales well; your singers will rise to the harmonic demands without feeling overextended.

• Nail the rhythmic precision in the swing figures; this isn't a ballad. The groove lives in crisp articulation and slightly laid-back phrasing of the backbeats.
• Shape the two solo sections so they feel conversational and confident rather than spotlit or nervous. These moments anchor the piece's personality.
• Use the recorded accompaniment in early rehearsals to lock the harmonic framework, but eventually pull it back in the mix so the choir's blend becomes the feature.

Pair this with other Gershwin material or 1930s-40s standards to build a concert around that era of American songwriting, or use it as a bridge piece between classical and contemporary pop arrangements. It works as a concert opener (immediate audience connection) or a program-closing showstopper; the piece has enough presence to anchor either position.

• Swing rhythm interpretation and articulation
• Jazz-influenced harmonic voicing and blend
• Reading syncopated melodic lines across all four parts
• Solo preparation and confident solo delivery in a choral context
• Phrasing and style specificity in a historical idiom