The Nightingale Cover Image

The Nightingale: Unison / 2-Part Choral Student 5-Pack

$27.50 USD
$27.50 USD
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The Nightingale Cover Image
The Nightingale: Unison / 2-Part Choral Student 5-Pack

The Nightingale: Unison / 2-Part Choral Student 5-Pack

An Enchanting Imperial Tale for Unison and 2-Part Voices, Based on a Story by Hans Christian Andersen

By Andy Beck and Brian Fisher / orch. Steve Herold

Grade: 4 & up

Item: 00-27088
$27.50
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Description
In this classic tale by famous children's writer, Hans Christian Andersen, an emperor's special friendship with a singing nightingale is tested when she flees his beautiful porcelain palace to return to her home in the Chinese forest. Feature your entire chorus as the Citizens of China, your best comedic performers as the royal Courtiers, and a special student as the non-speaking, non-singing Gongkeeper in this 40-minute literature-based musical. The dramatic story is musically and theatrically strong throughout, but especially effective when the Nightingale and the Emperor are reunited at the powerful end.
* Recommended for grades 4 and up.
* Performance time: approximately 40 minutes.
* Staging Notes included.

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Additional Details
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 48
UPC: 038081262956
SKU: 00-27088

More about this title

About the Author: Andy Beck

Andy Beck

Andy Beck directs choral publications at Alfred Music and has composed and arranged more than 450 choral works, vocal resources, and children's musicals that are performed by singers globally. His published resources include the widely adopted choral sight-singing curricula Sing at First Sight and Foundations in Choral Sight Singing, as well as Vocalize!, a collection of 45 vocal warm-ups designed to build technique. Beck holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Ithaca College and a Master's degree in Music Education from Northwest Missouri State University.

Beyond publishing, Beck is an active guest conductor, choreographer, clinician, and commissioned composer for honor choirs across the United States. He maintains his own performance practice as a tenor, directs musical theatre, and sings with the North Carolina Master Chorale Chamber Choir. His dual commitment to composition and music education has shaped a catalog that consistently prioritizes both artistic depth and pedagogical clarity.

Why we love this

Beck and Fisher have created a genuinely engaging musical that doesn't sacrifice dramatic impact for pedagogical simplicity. The nightingale's journey gives you a 40-minute narrative arc with built-in roles for your full chorus, strong comedic moments for character actors, and a powerful emotional payoff that makes the final reunion feel earned rather than contrived.

What to expect

The Nightingale captures the gentle melancholy of Andersen's fairy tale while building theatrical momentum through the Emperor's obsession and eventual loss. The music breathes with the quiet beauty of the nightingale's forest home, then shifts through the golden grandeur of the palace before returning to intimate tenderness when the bird and Emperor reconnect.

Who it's for

This 5-pack serves choral directors working with grades 4 and up who want to deliver a literature-based musical that engages an entire choir while offering clear differentiation for soloists and comedic performers. It's ideal for spring concerts, arts integration units that pair music with storytelling, or any program that can accommodate a 40-minute production.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the Citizens' ensemble sections with clear dynamic arcs; they're not background singers but a vital ensemble character whose reactions drive the drama forward.
  • Invest rehearsal time in the Courtiers' comedic timing and physicality. Their exaggerated reactions to the palace events generate the theatrical energy that carries the middle section.
  • Build the Nightingale's final scenes carefully. The vocal simplicity of unison and 2-part writing makes emotional restraint and expressive phrasing the primary tools for creating the powerful ending described in the score.

How to use it

This works beautifully as a spring concert anchor or as the centerpiece of an integrated humanities unit pairing music, visual art, and literature. The 40-minute runtime also makes it suitable for a dedicated children's or family matinee performance, where younger audiences connect immediately with both the story and the accessible vocal writing.

Skills your students will build

  • Singing sustained, expressive lines in unison and 2-part textures
  • Following dramatic arc and emotional cues within a theatrical narrative
  • Ensemble blend and unified vowel formation in group singing
  • Character development through vocal expression and stage presence
  • Reading and performing stage directions alongside musical notation

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