Of Thee I Sing, America!: SATB Choral Octavo
Incorporating "America"
Music by Sally K. Albrecht and Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PO-0003950
$2.25
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
Close your next concert in style with this great patriotic original by Jay Althouse and Sally Albrecht. Scored for band with optional chorus, this arragement features a fresh treatment of American in 4/4 time and will provide a high-impact finale for your next program. Choral parts are available in 2-part, 3-part mixed and SATB voicings. InstruPax includes: director's score, 2 trumpets, alto sax, trombone [opt. tuba], snare drum.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Archive Edition: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
8
SKU:
00-PO-0003950
More about this title
About the Composer: Sally K. Albrecht
Sally K. Albrecht has built a career around making choral music that moves both singers and audiences. As a composer, conductor, and clinician, she has published over 600 choral works and created 75 larger musicals and songbooks, earning the ASCAP Special Music Award annually since 1987. She spent more than thirty years leading school choral publications at major educational publishers, including Alfred Music, and has conducted honor choirs at prestigious venues like Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center.
Albrecht holds degrees from Rollins College (B.A., 1976) in Music and Theater, and from the University of Miami (M.A. in Drama, 1977; M.M. in Accompanying, 1979). She has taught at Oakland University, Jersey City State College, and Meredith College, and in 2021 received the Distinguished Alumna Award from both her alma maters. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, she lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where she collaborates with her husband, composer and arranger Jay Althouse.
Why we love this
Albrecht and Althouse craft patriotic music that lands with genuine impact rather than sentiment. The arrangement blends a fresh harmonic treatment with the iconic melody of "America," giving your singers a melody they know and an accompaniment that feels contemporary. This is the kind of closer that sends an audience out feeling energized rather than predictable.
What to expect
Familiar yet reimagined. The melody of "America" sits comfortably in the voice while the harmonic and rhythmic framework beneath it feels contemporary and energized. You sense both reverence for the tradition and confidence in moving it forward.
Who it's for
Choirs of intermediate skill who want a patriotic closer that works equally well with or without a full band accompaniment. Directors seeking a piece that sounds sophisticated but remains accessible to SATB singers will find this particularly useful.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the chorus with the band carefully; the optional chorus means you can emphasize instrumental strength while keeping choral parts supportive, or flip that emphasis depending on your ensemble's strengths.
- Incorporate movement and staging to match the patriotic theme. Albrecht's background in theatrical presentation suggests this piece invites visual as well as musical engagement.
- Lock the rhythm section and snare drum in the band parts; clean percussion articulation will drive the momentum that makes the finale land.
How to use it
Use this as your summer or July 4th concert finale to create a memorable send-off. It also works beautifully as a spring or patriotic-themed program closer, especially when you want to feature both your vocal and instrumental students in a single high-energy arrangement.
Skills your students will build
- Singing in SATB voicing with precision
- Blending chorus with instrumental accompaniment
- Performing patriotic material with musical integrity
- Interpreting familiar melodies with fresh harmonic context