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Sing Noel: A Christmas Fanfare: SATB Choral Octavo

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Sing Noel: A Christmas Fanfare Cover Image
Sing Noel: A Christmas Fanfare: SATB Choral Octavo

Sing Noel: A Christmas Fanfare: SATB Choral Octavo

Music by Jay Althouse

Item: 00-11386
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Description
Jay Althouse has created an exciting new arrangement (and text) for this familiar French carol. Use it with or without the optional brass quintet and percussion (or SoundTrax) as the ideal opener for your Christmas concert. Features a brief contrapuntal section and a lush, slower, homophonic middle section. Exciting, quality choral writing.

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Additional Details
Series: Alfred Archive Edition: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 8
UPC: 038081024387
SKU: 00-11386

More about this title

About the Composer: Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he earned the Distinguished Alumni award. Early in his career, he worked in rights and licensing for a major educational publisher and served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America. His output as a composer is staggering: over 800 choral works across all levels remain in print and performed widely throughout English-speaking countries. He holds writer membership in ASCAP and regularly receives their Special Award for contributions to standard choral music.

Beyond composition, Althouse has shaped music education through multiple channels. He co-authored The Complete Choral Warm-up Book and Accent on Composers, compiled widely-used vocal solo collections including Folk Songs for Solo Singers, and created classroom resources like Ready to Read Music and One-Page Composer Bios. His collaborative work with his wife Sally K. Albrecht spans children's musicals and larger projects, including I Hear America Singing, performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at President Obama's 2009 Inauguration. He currently serves on the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America.

Why we love this

Althouse's arrangement reimagines a well-loved melody with fresh energy and smart structural choices. The contrast between the bright contrapuntal opening and the cushioned homophonic middle section gives your singers real textural work to execute, and the optional brass and percussion make this flexible enough to fit your resources without sacrificing impact. It functions as both a concert-opening statement and a piece your singers will enjoy singing.

What to expect

A carol reinvigorated with purpose. The piece opens with textural clarity and musical momentum, then settles into a warmer, more introspective middle section that lets the harmonic writing breathe. It's festive without being lightweight.

Who it's for

Directors programming a Christmas concert opener need variety in their opening statement. This works for SATB ensembles with moderate to strong sight-reading skills and access to optional brass resources, though it stands perfectly well with recorded accompaniment or alone.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the contrapuntal voices early in the piece by having singers feel the independence of their lines during rehearsal; doubling parts in rehearsal can help establish security before pulling back to solo lines.
  • The homophonic section benefits from legit vocal tone and controlled vibrato; coach your singers to think "line" rather than individual words, even as the harmony shifts beneath them.
  • If using the optional brass quintet, rehearse the choir a cappella first so the brass doesn't overwhelm the vocal writing and establish that the singers, not the instruments, drive the piece.

How to use it

Open your Christmas concert with this; its structural arc and optional orchestration let you set an immediate tone that's both approachable and musically substantive. It also pairs well in a program that mixes traditional carols with fresh arrangements, signaling to your audience that you're taking musical storytelling seriously.

Skills your students will build

  • Voice independence in contrapuntal writing
  • Phrase shaping in slower homophonic sections
  • Blending multiple dynamic layers
  • Singing with the optional brass accompaniment or SoundTrax without losing vocal integrity

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