The River: 2-Part Choral Octavo
Traditional Spirituals / arr. Sally K. Albrecht
Item: 00-PO-0003289
$2.25
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-0003289
More about this title
About the Arranger: Sally K. Albrecht
Sally K. Albrecht has shaped choral music education for over thirty years, first as Director of School Choral, Vocal, and Elementary Publications at Alfred Music and through her prolific output as a composer and arranger. Her catalog exceeds 600 published choral works alongside 75 larger musicals and songbooks, work that has earned her consecutive ASCAP Special Music Awards since 1987. She brings clinician expertise to honor choirs nationwide, having conducted at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center.
Albrecht holds degrees from Rollins College (B.A. in Music and Theater, 1976), the University of Miami (M.A. in Drama, 1977, and M.M. in Accompanying, 1979), and has taught choral music at Oakland University, Jersey City State College, and Meredith College. She and her husband, composer Jay Althouse, live in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Her contributions to music education have been recognized with 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 weaves three beloved spirituals into a single arc that feels inevitable rather than assembled, each traditional melody emerging naturally from the whole. The arrangement balances accessibility with musical sophistication, building from intimate opening to the soaring "love like an ocean" climax without ever asking more than a 2-part choir can deliver. The SoundTrax accompaniment captures authentic American roots sound, giving students a model of how these songs should breathe.
What to expect
Intimate and expansive at once. The piece opens like a prayer whispered among friends, then swells into something larger, affirming, and genuinely moving. By the final measures, you feel the weight of tradition carried forward.
Who it's for
Middle and high school choirs seeking a spiritual with genuine depth and a strong central moment. The 2-part voicing welcomes singers still developing range and independence while the sophisticated arrangement respects the intelligence of more experienced ensembles.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the opening with restraint. The gentle beginning only matters if you resist the urge to crescendo too early; let the spiritual unfold at its own pace.
- Feature your strongest singers on the counterlines. These intertwining motives are what distinguish the arrangement, and they deserve clarity and confidence.
- Use the harmonic build toward "love like an ocean" as your rehearsal roadmap. Mark where voices enter, where textures thicken, and where the intensity peaks so students understand the architecture.
- Balance the fade to the ending with intention. The sweet conclusion needs as much ensemble focus as the climax; let it settle rather than drift.
How to use it
Program this alongside other spirituals to showcase how the genre evolves, or use it as the emotional anchor of a concert celebrating American musical roots. It works equally well as the closing number of a program or in a set exploring love and faith across cultures.
Skills your students will build
- Blending multiple melodic lines from different spiritual traditions
- Shaping dynamic arcs across larger formal structures
- Singing sustained counterlines while maintaining independence from the primary melody
- Interpreting stylistic elements of American spiritual performance