Open the Window, Noah: SATB, a cappella Choral Octavo
(Inspired by a Traditional Spiritual)
Words and music by Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PO-0005957
$2.05
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
Inspired by the much-revered spiritual tradition, this original a cappella piece recounts the biblical story of the Great Flood. On its third attempt, Noah's dove returned with an olive branch, signaling the discovery of dry land. Flexible call-and-response solos are accompanied by a humming choir in the verses, and a jubilant refrain becomes even more thrilling when a treble trio joins at the end!
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Sample Audio
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
8
SKU:
00-PO-0005957
More about this title
About the Composer: Jay Althouse
Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was later honored with the Distinguished Alumni award. His career in music spans both administration and composition; he spent eight years managing rights and licenses for a major educational 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 across the English-speaking world. Beyond his compositions, he has compiled vocal solo collections, co-authored pedagogical resources including The Complete Choral Warm-up Book and Accent on Composers, and written reproducible classroom materials. He is a writer member of ASCAP and a regular recipient of the ASCAP Special Award. Althouse has collaborated with his wife, Sally K. Albrecht, on children's musicals and choral works, including I Hear America Singing, performed at President Barack Obama's 2009 Inauguration. He serves on the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America and resides in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Why we love this
Althouse builds genuine spiritual resonance through simple, elegant voicing and a structural design that engages multiple singers in different ways. The call-and-response framework with humming accompaniment creates natural pacing and vocal variety, while the treble trio entrance at the final refrain delivers a moment of real excitement without demanding virtuosity. This piece works equally well in a concert setting or competition because it sounds warm and connected, not performed.
What to expect
The piece opens with a conversational quality, as if the story is being shared rather than performed. Humming creates an intimate, contemplative backdrop that shifts into something joyful and celebratory as the refrain builds and the treble voices join, creating a sense of genuine hope realized.
Who it's for
This work suits any SATB choir with basic blend and blend-ability, from high school choirs developing their warm tone to adult community and church choirs. The flexible solo passages allow you to feature strong singers or distribute them among several voices, making it adaptable to ensembles of varying levels.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the solo voices clearly against the humming choir in verses; the soloists should project without the choir pushing forward beneath them.
- Shape the refrain with building energy each time it returns, especially when the treble trio enters. Let the harmonic fullness speak rather than forcing volume.
- Maintain steady, unhurried pacing throughout. The spiritual tradition this piece draws from thrives on space and breath, not tempo.
- Encourage the humming section to sing on a neutral syllable with consistent vowel shape and tone color that supports rather than overwhelms the melodic line.
How to use it
This works beautifully in a spiritual or sacred music concert, particularly alongside other settings of biblical texts or American sacred traditions. It also pairs well in a thematic program about water, journeys, or hope. The eight-page length and accessible technical demands make it an excellent piece for spring or festival programming when rehearsal time is limited.
Skills your students will build
- Blending and balancing between solo and tutti voices
- Sustaining tone quality on a neutral syllable (humming)
- Call-and-response independence
- Phrasing and breathing from the spiritual tradition
- Building and controlling dynamic growth across multiple repetitions of a refrain