The Closest Thing To Crazy (arr. Martin Cornelissen): SSAA Choral Octavo

Cornelissen's arrangement captures the song's essential vulnerability while giving SSAA voicing genuine harmonic interest. The extended 99-page score provides enough musical substance to justify serious rehearsal time, yet the pop idiom keeps student singers engaged and motivated. This is the kind of arrangement that makes pop repertoire feel artistically legitimate without asking singers to compromise their musicianship.

The piece carries an introspective, almost confessional quality. Melua's original vocal restraint translates into an arrangement that values space and subtlety, with harmonies that deepen the song's emotional truth rather than embellish it. There's an unhurried sophistication here that rewards patient, deliberate singing.

This arrangement serves choirs comfortable with contemporary idioms who want to include thoughtful pop repertoire in a concert. It works equally well for high school and college ensembles seeking material that challenges harmony reading without demanding extreme ranges. Teachers looking to bridge classical and popular music traditions will find this a legitimate choice.

• Protect the atmospheric quality in early sections by resisting the urge to oversing; the power comes from restraint and clarity of tone, not volume.
• Shape the harmonic progression deliberately, bringing out the inner voices during moments when they carry the emotional arc rather than doubling the melody.
• Work with the recorded accompaniment to establish the exact rhythmic pocket, particularly in any syncopated passages where the groove defines the character.
• Balance your sopranos carefully if this voicing splits; the top line will naturally project, so ask them to blend inward while maintaining brightness.

Consider pairing this with other contemporary vocal writing to create a segment that showcases how modern songs can sustain serious musical development. The extended page count suggests this works best as a centerpiece rather than an encore, allowing the arrangement's harmonic sophistication to unfold fully. This is also strong material for concert closers that aim for emotional rather than purely energetic impact.

• Balancing harmonic independence across multiple voice parts without losing text clarity
• Interpreting and sustaining pop-influenced phrasing that differs from traditional choral vowel shaping
• Reading extended harmonic progressions typical of jazz-influenced pop writing
• Controlling vibrato and tonal weight in introspective contemporary repertoire
• Working with recorded accompaniment to understand rhythmic groove and harmonic context