The Water Is Wide: SAB Choral Octavo

Name: The Water Is Wide: SAB Choral Octavo
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-47734
Price: 2.05 USD
Availability: InStock

American Folk Song / arr. Greg Gilpin

Item: 00-47734

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Greg suggests performing his moody setting of the enduring folk song “with longing and mystery”---a fitting approach for this creative re-harmonization. A hushed layering of the first four melodic notes provides the gentle introduction and pensive closing for this uniquely wistful arrangement. Rich choral sonorities, with just a touch of dissonance, emerge when the piece arrives at its “love is handsome” peak.

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Series: Alfred Choral Designs

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 12

UPC: 038081544274

SKU: 00-47734

More about this title

About the Arranger: Greg Gilpin

Greg Gilpin is an ASCAP-recognized choral composer and arranger whose work spans concert halls from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York to Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, and internationally to the Sydney Opera House, Royal Festival Hall in London, and Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik. As Director of Educational Choral Publications for Shawnee Press, he shapes the landscape of choral literature while maintaining an active conducting career.

Beyond the concert stage, Gilpin has expanded his creative reach into film scoring (earning Best Score recognition for the short film "Rosie's Rescue" in 2021) and collaborative projects, including the world premiere arrangement of "What Child is This?" with opera singer Angela Brown and the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. A Life Loyal Member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and active member of ACDA and NAfME, Gilpin brings both compositional craftsmanship and deep knowledge of what works in the rehearsal room.

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Why we love this

Gilpin's re-harmonization respects the folk song's essential character while introducing enough harmonic sophistication to keep singers engaged through the performance. The careful balance between restraint (the hushed opening and closing) and expressive richness (the dissonant swell at the emotional peak) gives directors room to shape a memorable reading without fighting against the arrangement itself.

What to expect

The piece unfolds with a hushed, almost submerged quality, as if the familiar melody is being remembered rather than sung fresh. When the harmony shifts at the emotional peak, dissonance pulls the listener forward into a moment of aching beauty before the voices settle back into that pensive opening gesture.

Who it's for

Three-part mixed choirs seeking repertoire with both interpretive depth and contemporary harmonic language. This arrangement suits ensembles ready to move beyond unison folk settings and groups preparing for concert or festival performance.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the opening four-note figure with genuine quiet intensity; this isn't tentative singing but rather a deliberate, intimate statement that establishes the piece's emotional foundation.
Attend closely to the dissonant moments at the "love is handsome" section. These clashes lose their power if the ensemble rushes or blurs the harmonies; clarity in the voices will make the tension sing.
Find the sweet spot between mystery and melancholy in your overall tone. The piece asks for longing without slipping into heaviness, which requires singers to listen across the parts and blend with intention.

How to use it

Program this as a contrast piece alongside more extroverted selections; its introspective quality offers the audience a moment of stillness. The modest length and concert-ready polish make it equally suited to festival competition or a chamber concert focusing on reharmonized folk material.