Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey: SAB Choral Octavo

Leavitt's setting honors the warmth of this early 20th-century favorite while writing idiomatic SAB parts that sit naturally in each voice. The arrangement maintains the song's nostalgic charm without demanding virtuosity, making it genuinely singable for developing choirs who still want to deliver something with real character.

Intimate and inviting. There's an old-fashioned tenderness here, nostalgic without being saccharine. The arrangement creates a sense of closeness that draws the audience in rather than performing from a distance.

Any choir with secure SAB readers and a few concerts where you need a moment of genuine warmth. This works equally well for high school and community ensembles looking to program something approachable that still showcases musicality.

• Balance the melody between soprano and alto on the verse sections; the alto line deserves clarity rather than sitting buried beneath the top voice.
• Shape the dynamic arc across phrases instead of treating them as isolated units. This melody rewards gentle pushes toward its peaks.
• Keep the baritone part rhythmically secure as your foundation, especially through any syncopated passages. Confidence in the lower voice lifts everything above it.
• Consider phrasing the text conversationally, as if the singers are actually inviting someone into an embrace rather than delivering lyrics mechanically.

Position this as a concert closer or second-half opener when you want to shift the mood toward something lighter and more personal. It pairs beautifully on a program with other early American repertoire or contemporary arrangements of standards.

• Balancing three-part voicing while maintaining melodic integrity
• Singing through sustained vowels with consistent tone color
• Phrasing lyrical material with textual awareness
• Maintaining ensemble blend across a slower tempo