Sing We Now of Christmas: TTBB Choral Octavo

Althouse transforms a beloved French carol into something unexpected by pairing it with secular, festive text and framing it as a brass fanfare. The arrangement balances architectural contrast—moving between intricate contrapuntal writing and broader homophonic sections—in a way that gives your men's voices real musical substance rather than relegating them to filler material. It's a showstopper that doesn't require extensive rehearsal time to achieve polish.

Festive and grand, with the ceremonial brightness of a fanfare. The piece shifts between moments of intricate vocal interweaving and sweeping, resonant harmony, creating a sense of both celebration and reflection that suits the holiday season without saccharine sentiment.

TTBB choirs looking for a Christmas selection that goes beyond typical caroling fare. This works equally well for established men's choirs seeking repertoire with musical weight and for school choirs ready to tackle mixed meter and contrapuntal texture.

• Bring out the independence of each voice line during the contrapuntal passage by having singers mark their entrances in rehearsal; this clarity will read even without the optional brass parts.
• Let the tempo settle during the homophonic section so the harmonic movement has time to land. Rushing this material loses the majestic quality Althouse built into the writing.
• If performing with the optional brass quintet and snare drum, give the ensemble a full rehearsal together before the performance; the rhythmic drive of the percussion transforms the piece considerably.

Program this as a highlight in a mixed concert that pairs it with chamber works or smaller ensemble pieces; the dramatic breadth gives it weight as an anchor. It also serves well as a finale to a holiday concert, especially if your chorus has the opportunity to collaborate with a brass quintet.

• Singing independent voice lines in contrapuntal writing
• Balancing blend and projection across shifting textures
• Maintaining rhythmic precision in fanfare-style articulation
• Interpreting dynamic contrast between dense and sparse harmonic textures