Tell Me, Tell Me!: 2-Part Choral Octavo

Albrecht and Althouse crafted this piece with the understanding that gospel energy requires a foundation singers can trust. The 2-part voicing welcomes every voice in your ensemble while the gospel stacking and pickup licks keep the arrangement fresh enough to surprise even experienced singers. Programming a rousing spiritual that genuinely connects your singers to the joy of the material, rather than simply checking a holiday box, changes how an audience experiences your concert.

This is music that makes standing still nearly impossible. The gospel vocal stacking creates warmth and fullness, while the picked-up rhythmic figures inject an irresistible forward momentum. You'll feel the Nativity story told through the lens of African American spiritual tradition: intimate, celebratory, and alive.

This octavo works best with choirs grades 4 and up who have some rhythmic flexibility and can handle straightforward gospel vocabulary. It's ideal for holiday programming when you want energy and joy without complex harmonic demands.

• Encourage singers to listen closely during the recorded accompaniment; the gospel groove sits behind the vocal line in a way that rewards rhythmic precision and makes sloppiness immediately apparent.
• Work the pickup licks separately so the guys can feel the confidence and swagger these moments demand. These aren't afterthoughts; they're essential to the piece's character.
• If you're using movement and staging (both included), teach those transitions during a full run-through rather than breaking them into isolated rehearsal segments. The piece lives in its physicality.

Close the first half of your Christmas concert with this piece; its infectious energy provides an excellent transition into a second half that might include more reflective or classical selections. It also works beautifully as a concert opener if you want to establish joy and engagement from the first moment.

• Gospel vocal phrasing and diction
• Rhythmic independence in pickup figures
• Ensemble listening within gospel voicing
• Movement integration with singing
• Call-and-response patterns in choral context