The River: SAB Choral Octavo
Traditional Spirituals / arr. Sally K. Albrecht
Item: 00-PO-0003288
$1.90
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
This well-conceived spiritual medley opens gently, builds to its peak "love like an ocean" section, and then sweetly fades to the end. Along the way, tuneful counterlines and unexpected pairings intertwine motives from three favorite traditional spirituals. Light instrumentation on the SoundTrax CD sounds distinctly American.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0003288
More about this title
About the Arranger: Sally K. Albrecht
Sally K. Albrecht has shaped American choral music for decades as a composer, arranger, conductor, and clinician with a distinctive focus on choral movement and accessibility. She earned recognition early in her career through an ASCAP Special Music Award (awarded annually since 1987) and has maintained prolific output: over 600 choral publications and 75 larger works including musicals in print. Her conducting experience spans prestigious venues like Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center, where she has led honor choirs and festival ensembles across the country.
Albrecht spent more than thirty years directing school choral, vocal, and elementary music publications at major educational publishers, most recently as Director of School Choral Publications for Alfred Music. She holds degrees from Rollins College (B.A. in Music and Theater, 1976), the University of Miami (M.A. in Drama, 1977; M.M. in Accompanying, 1979), and has taught at Oakland University, Jersey City State College, and Meredith College. A native of Cleveland, she currently resides in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with her husband, composer and arranger Jay Althouse. In recent years, she received the Distinguished Alumna Award from both the University of Miami Frost School of Music and Rollins College, where she serves on the Board of Trustees.
Why we love this
Albrecht crafts this medley with genuine architectural skill; the arc from gentle opening through the soaring "love like an ocean" climax to a tender close gives singers something substantial to shape across the twelve pages. The interweaving of three spirituals through tuneful counterlines and clever voice pairings keeps the texture fresh without overwhelming an SAB ensemble, and the American-inflected accompaniment on the SoundTrax CD anchors the spiritual idiom without overshadowing the singers.
What to expect
The piece opens with quiet reverence, then gradually builds warmth and energy, reaching its emotional peak in a sweeping "love like an ocean" section that feels both intimate and expansive. It settles back into serenity as it concludes, leaving the ensemble and audience with a sense of reflection and gentle resolution rather than spectacle.
Who it's for
This arrangement suits middle school and high school choirs with developing blend and intonation skills; the SAB voicing and moderate range demands keep it accessible while the spiritual source material connects to American cultural study and social-emotional learning. Directors seeking a concert piece that feels substantial but avoids excessive technical difficulty will find this particularly useful.
How to get the most out of it
- Map the three spiritual melodies in rehearsal so singers understand which tune belongs where; this clarity allows them to balance their line against others with intention rather than trying to follow by ear alone.
- Shape the rise toward "love like an ocean" with gradual dynamic growth and slight tempo lift across several phrases; avoid the trap of jumping to forte too early and losing the sense of building momentum.
- Balance the counterlines carefully in the middle section; singers on secondary parts often pull back instinctively, but these unexpected pairings only sing if all three voices carry equal weight and tuning responsibility.
- Let the final fade land softly without rushing; resist the urge to pull back the tempo, which can make the ending feel tentative instead of peaceful.
How to use it
Program this as a standalone spiritual work on a concert devoted to American roots music, or pair it with other Albrecht arrangements and spirituals for a cohesive set. Its moderate length and gentle character make it an effective closing piece for a program that touches on themes of hope, community, or resilience; it also works well as an opening statement if you want to establish a contemplative mood early.
Skills your students will build
- Singing counterlines independently while listening to and balancing against other parts
- Tracing and recognizing melodic motives across multiple spiritual traditions
- Managing dynamic shape across an extended arc (quiet opening through climax to soft close)
- Tuning major and minor intervals within the spiritual idiom
- Responding to light accompaniment without relying on instrumental doubling of every vocal line