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Peace Like a River: SSA Choral Octavo

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Peace Like a River Cover Image
Peace Like a River: SSA Choral Octavo

Peace Like a River: SSA Choral Octavo

Traditional Spiritual / arr. Victor C. Johnson

Item: 00-51596
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Description
This soulful adaptation of the familiar American spiritual overflows with joy! Opening with a powerful optional solo, Victor C. Johnson's syncopated setting gives every voice part a chance to shine. The full gospel harmonies, rousing key change, and rockin' piano part will raise the roof in school or at church!

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Peace Like a River: SSA Choral Octavo comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Additional Details
Series: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 12
UPC: 038081590967
SKU: 00-51596

More about this title

About the Arranger: Victor C. Johnson

Victor C. Johnson

Victor C. Johnson brings decades of hands-on choral direction to his work as School Choral Editor for Sing!, the educational publishing arm of Choristers Guild. Based in Dallas, he has amassed over 500 published choral works, vocal solos, and keyboard collections that serve ensembles across schools and churches nationwide.

Johnson's conducting experience spans multiple roles: he directed the Academy Singers and Academy Men's Choir at Ft. Worth Academy of Fine Arts from 2000 to 2018, served as Artistic Director of both the Singing Girls of Texas and Children's Choir of Texas, and was appointed conductor of the Dallas Symphony Children's Chorus Mixed Ensemble in 2022. He holds memberships in the American Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, and serves as an ASCAP composer.

Why we love this

Johnson's syncopated treatment honors the spiritual's roots while giving modern SSA choirs genuinely singable parts that never feel simplified. The optional solo entrance grabs attention immediately, and the deliberate key change arrives at exactly the right moment to energize a performance. This is the kind of arrangement that teaches gospel style naturally through actual singing, not instruction.

What to expect

Infectious energy wrapped in the warmth of a familiar spiritual. The opening breathes with restraint before the full arrangement bursts into syncopated harmonies and rockin' piano accompaniment that propels the piece forward with genuine joy.

Who it's for

SSA choirs at the secondary and community levels who want a spiritual arrangement with substantive musical content and ensemble participation. This works equally well for school concert programs, festival entries, and church or community settings where joy and accessibility matter equally.

How to get the most out of it

  • Bring out the rhythmic swing in the accompaniment and let singers feel the groove rather than metronomically execute it; the syncopation should feel conversational, not mechanical.
  • If using the optional solo, choose a vocalist who can deliver with conviction and presence, then support that opening with warm, responsive harmony entries.
  • Shape the key change with a clear preparation in the preceding measures so singers can settle into the new tessitura confidently and sustain the energy lift.
  • Encourage the lower voices (second soprano and alto) to anchor the full gospel harmonies with blend and precision; these parts carry the harmonic richness.

How to use it

Program this as a concert closer or high-energy festival selection where its rousing finale will leave audiences energized. It pairs well alongside spirituals in a broader American music unit or stands powerfully on its own as a statement about hope and community.

Skills your students will build

  • Singing syncopated rhythms with rhythmic precision and stylistic conviction
  • Balancing individual parts within full gospel harmony voicings
  • Executing key modulation while maintaining intonation and ensemble blend
  • Performing with stylistic authenticity in the spiritual and gospel tradition

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