The Water Is Wide Cover Image

The Water Is Wide: SATB Choral Octavo

$1.80 USD
$1.80 USD
Skip to product information
The Water Is Wide Cover Image
The Water Is Wide: SATB Choral Octavo

The Water Is Wide: SATB Choral Octavo

American Folk Song / arr. Jay Althouse

Item: 00-35586
makemusic Cloud badge

Need it now?

Buy Digital Version
$1.80
Shipped

One moment…

Related Items

The Water Is Wide: PianoTrax Digital Download

$9.99
View

The Water Is Wide: SATB Choral Octavo

$1.80
View

The Water Is Wide: SAB Choral Octavo

$1.80
View
Description
Contemporary harmonies shimmer over the rolling piano accompaniment in this superb arrangement of a folk favorite. A must-have! Featured on PianoTrax 3 Accompaniment CD (00-34744).

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, The Water Is Wide: SATB Choral Octavo comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

Open in the Player

Jump straight in and assign it today.

Start Your Free Trial

Open this title and explore the full library in minutes.
Sample Pages

Sample Audio
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 12
UPC: 038081397825
SKU: 00-35586

More about this title

About the Arranger: Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he later received the Distinguished Alumni award. His eight-year tenure as a rights and licenses administrator at a major educational music publisher gave him deep insight into what choirs actually need, and he served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America during that time.

As a composer, Althouse has over 800 choral works in print across all levels, performed regularly throughout the English-speaking world. He maintains membership in ASCAP and is a frequent recipient of their Special Award for compositions. Beyond original work, he has collaborated with his wife Sally K. Albrecht on children's musicals and compiled respected vocal collections including Folk Songs for Solo Singers. His pedagogical contributions span reproducible classroom materials (Ready to Read Music, Sixty Music Quizzes, One-Page Composer Bios) and co-authored references like The Complete Choral Warm-up Book and Accent on Composers. Althouse served on the board of the North Carolina Master Chorale and currently sits on the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America.

Why we love this

Althouse's treatment of this folk standard trades saccharine simplicity for genuine sophistication. The contemporary harmonies paired with a rolling piano part create textural interest that keeps singers engaged without sacrificing the tune's inherent warmth, making it appealing to both competitive festival directors and those seeking repertoire that sounds fresh.

What to expect

The arrangement glimmers with understated elegance. A rolling, shimmering piano accompaniment cradles the folk melody in contemporary harmonic language, creating intimacy without sentimentality. The effect is contemplative and modern while honoring the song's familiar, yearning character.

Who it's for

This arrangement suits intermediate to advanced SATB choirs preparing for festival competition or concert programming. Directors seeking folk repertoire with contemporary sophistication rather than traditional arrangements will find this a strong choice for mixed ensembles with solid fundamentals.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the four voice parts so the melody emerges naturally from the SATB texture rather than sitting isolated on top; the contemporary harmonies deserve to be heard.
  • Work the accompaniment early, either from the PianoTrax recording (00-34744) or live rehearsal, so singers hear how the rolling piano supports the harmonic movement.
  • Shape phrases across the longer lines rather than punctuating at every barline; let the text and melody arc guide your phrasing.
  • Pay attention to vowel consistency in the sustained sections where the contemporary harmonies sit; unified tone makes the arrangement's colors shine.

How to use it

Program this as a recital centerpiece or festival selection for a mixed choir seeking sophisticated folk material. Its length and character work equally well as a concert closer or a thoughtful pairing with other Americana repertoire, offering directors a piece that connects to the folk tradition while sounding entirely contemporary.

Skills your students will build

  • Singing in contemporary harmonic language while maintaining melodic clarity
  • Balancing individual voice parts within a four-part texture
  • Sustaining focused tone through longer harmonic movements
  • Responding to and coordinating with sophisticated piano accompaniment

You May Also Like