Set Me As A Seal: Choral Octavo

Muhly's setting of this text avoids the overly sentimental trap that catches many love song arrangements. The writing is direct and emotionally honest, giving singers a chance to inhabit genuine vulnerability rather than perform stock passion.

The piece carries an intimate intensity, drawing from the sensual poetry of its source text while maintaining emotional clarity. Singers move through moments of restraint and release, building toward something that feels both deeply personal and universally recognizable.

Choirs ready to program contemporary work that feels neither avant-garde nor overly safe. This octavo works for concert choirs seeking repertoire that extends their singers' comfort zone without requiring specialized training.

• Treat the text with literalness in early rehearsals. The theology of the Song of Solomon deserves singers who understand what they're saying, not just what they're singing.
• Balance transparency with warmth in the harmonic language. Muhly's modern sonorities can feel cold if sections aren't singing with real commitment to the phrase.

Pair this with sacred or secular love songs across musical periods to explore how different eras approach devotion and desire. It works beautifully on a contemporary music concert or as a standout contrast in a more traditional program.

• Reading contemporary harmonic language and altered sonorities
• Sustaining lyrical singing in extended phrases without traditional tonal anchors
• Navigating emotional authenticity in secular choral repertoire