The Time Has Come: SATB Choral Octavo

Lantz's gift for writing singable lines that never feel dumbed down shines throughout this piece. The text setting feels natural; your singers won't fight the melody to find the words. The sacred subject matter opens doors for both worship contexts and concert programming without requiring a specialized audience.

The piece carries the contemplative weight of sacred music while remaining warm and approachable. Singers experience something genuinely moving rather than merely executing notes on a page; the emotional arc builds naturally through the eleven pages.

This octavo suits choirs looking for substantive sacred repertoire that doesn't demand virtuosic technical ability. It works equally well in church settings, concert programs, and festival competition lists where meaningful text and accessible voicing are priorities.

• Balance the voices by having singers mark their individual lines during early rehearsals before blending into the full chord; this prevents sopranos from oversinging while inner voices disappear.
• Establish the emotional weight of the text from the first rehearsal rather than leaving interpretation until later. Let singers understand why this moment matters musically.
• Pay attention to phrase breathing as a choir; mark breath points together so the ensemble breathes as one unit rather than scattered throughout measures.

Pair this with other Lantz compositions if you're building a concert around a single composer's vision, or place it as a centerpiece in a thematic concert exploring time and spiritual reflection. Its moderate difficulty level makes it ideal for mid-season programming, after your singers have settled into the academic year but with enough performance time remaining to achieve polish.

• Singing sustained harmonic progressions with rhythmic independence
• Text expression in sacred context
• Blending multiple voice parts while maintaining line clarity
• Phrase shaping and ensemble breath control
• Reading and performing SATB voicings