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Sun Don't Set in the Mornin': SAB Choral Octavo

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Sun Don't Set in the Mornin' Cover Image
Sun Don't Set in the Mornin': SAB Choral Octavo

Sun Don't Set in the Mornin': SAB Choral Octavo

Based on a Southern Folk Hymn

Adapted and arranged, with additional words, by Jay Althouse

Item: 00-24032
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Description
This adaptation of an American folk hymn has a fascinating text: "Sun don't set in the mornin'," and "Water don't rise when the stars glow." But, ultimately, "light shines over the world." A haunting melody and a simple, open-sounding piano accompaniment set the scene.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Sun Don't Set in the Mornin': SAB Choral Octavo comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Additional Details
Series: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 12
UPC: 038081261409
SKU: 00-24032

More about this title

About the Arranger: 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 for eight years as a rights and licenses administrator at a major educational music 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 across all levels, performed widely throughout English-speaking countries.

Althouse is a writer member of ASCAP and a regular recipient of the ASCAP Special Award for his compositions. He has co-written children's musicals with Sally K. Albrecht, assembled influential vocal solo collections, and authored several widely-used classroom resources including The Complete Choral Warm-up Book, Accent on Composers, and Ready to Read Music. His choral work I Hear America Singing, co-written with Albrecht, was performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. Althouse serves on the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America and has contributed to the society's quarterly publication.

Why we love this

The paradoxical opening lines capture listeners immediately, then the arrangement's restraint serves the text perfectly. Althouse uses space and simplicity in the piano writing to let the folk melody breathe, creating room for the emotional arc toward hope that the text promises. SAB voices keep the piece accessible while preserving the dignity of a hymn.

What to expect

Mysterious and introspective at first, the piece unfolds like a spiritual meditation. The piano accompaniment has an open, almost sparse quality that amplifies the haunting melody, creating an atmosphere both ancient and immediate. By the final statements, the accumulated repetition builds quiet certainty rather than loud proclamation.

Who it's for

This octavo works for choirs comfortable with three-part mixed voicing and seeking repertoire that bridges sacred and folk traditions. Ensembles drawn to contemplative, text-centered music will find the paradoxical imagery and ultimate message of hope particularly rewarding.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the phrase "light shines over the world" with a gentle dynamic lift to reflect the textual shift from questioning to affirmation.
  • Balance the harmony carefully in the middle section; the open sonorities depend on blended, supported singing rather than blend through reduction.
  • Work the piano and choir together in rehearsal so the accompaniment doesn't sit beneath the voices but exists in conversation with them.
  • Honor the haunting quality by resisting the urge to rush; allow silence and space between phrases to reinforce the folk character.

How to use it

Program this during a service of lessons and carols, as a standalone concert piece exploring American hymn traditions, or alongside other folk-influenced sacred arrangements to create a cohesive thematic set. Its reflective character makes it an effective closer to a first-half set or a transition piece between contrasting moods.

Skills your students will build

  • Phrasing across longer melodic lines with minimal harmonic movement
  • Blending and balancing three-part harmony in open voicings
  • Interpreting ambiguous or paradoxical text through musical choices
  • Collaborating with piano accompaniment to create textural balance

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