Sing Noel: A Christmas Fanfare: SATB Choral Octavo
Music by Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PO-0003810
$2.25
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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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
SKU:
00-PO-0003810
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 composition, publishing administration, and education; he spent eight years as a rights and licenses administrator for a major educational publisher and served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America. As a composer, he has over 800 choral works in print performed across the English-speaking world and is a writer member of ASCAP, a regular recipient of the ASCAP Special Award.
Beyond composition, Althouse has collaborated extensively with his wife Sally K. Albrecht on children's musicals and vocal collections, and co-authored influential resources including The Complete Choral Warm-up Book and Accent on Composers. His instructional books for music classrooms (Ready to Read Music, Sixty Music Quizzes, One-Page Composer Bios) reflect his commitment to music education at all levels. He and Albrecht co-wrote I Hear America Singing, performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at President Obama's inauguration in 2009. Althouse has served on boards for the North Carolina Master Chorale and the Folk Art Society of America, where he has also contributed articles.
Why we love this
Althouse structures this arrangement to give you real flexibility in staging and forces: it works beautifully as a choir-only piece, but the optional brass quintet and percussion (or SoundTrax) elevate it to genuine fanfare territory without requiring either to succeed. The contrapuntal section shows off vocal sophistication while the slower homophonic middle gives you a moment to breathe and demonstrate the ensemble's blend and balance.
What to expect
The piece opens with excitement and momentum, drawing listeners in immediately with its fanfare character. The contrapuntal section adds intellectual interest and harmonic color, while the lush homophonic passage invites the choir to shine with full-bodied warmth before the piece concludes with renewed energy.
Who it's for
This octavo works for intermediate to advanced high school choirs, adult community choirs, and collegiate ensembles looking for a substantive Christmas opener that goes beyond standard carol arrangements. Directors who want a festive, flexible piece that can scale up with brass and percussion or hold its own with voices alone will find this accessible yet musically rewarding.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the brief contrapuntal section carefully; each voice line should maintain independence without overwhelming the others. Consider marking entrances lightly in rehearsal to clarify the polyphonic texture.
- Shape the homophonic middle section with a unified breath and dynamic arc. This slower material relies on choral resonance, so encourage singers to support the legit through sustained vowels.
- If using the optional brass and percussion, establish the fanfare spirit early in rehearsal so the choir understands its role as anchor rather than accompaniment. The ensemble should feel grounded even as the brass adds brilliance.
- Work the text setting with attention to the new words Althouse provided; since this is an arrangement of a familiar carol, singers may default to the original melody's syllable patterns. Clarify the rhythmic relationship between text and music from the start.
How to use it
Program this as the opening number of your Christmas concert to set a festive, sophisticated tone from the first moment. It pairs well with both traditional carols and contemporary holiday settings, and its moderate length (eight pages) makes it an ideal companion piece alongside longer choral works or instrumental selections.
Skills your students will build
- Navigating contrapuntal texture while maintaining rhythmic unity
- Balancing individual voice lines within a polyphonic section
- Creating homophonic blend and resonance through sustained legato singing
- Learning arrangement conventions and how familiar melodies can be reimagined with new text