Try to Remember: 2-Part Choral Octavo

This arrangement captures what makes The Fantasticks so durable: a melody so elegant it needs almost no embellishment, paired with a structure that keeps your singers engaged. Jay Althouse's choice to present the tune straight, then reimagine it as a light jazz waltz, gives you two distinct interpretive moments in a single piece, and that contrast alone makes the arrangement feel fresh rather than retreaded.

Wistful and warm. The opening melody carries a quality of tender remembrance, and when the jazz waltz emerges, there's a gentle swing that never tips into novelty. This is what yearning sounds like when it's not overwrought; it's nostalgic without being maudlin.

This works for any choir needing accessible repertoire that still offers musical substance. Smaller groups and larger ones both find success here; the 2-part voicing keeps technical demands low while the arrangement's sophistication appeals to singers who want to dig into something real.

• Balance the melody between parts during the opening section; the straightforward voicing depends entirely on blend and intonation to sound graceful rather than sparse.
• Approach the jazz waltz section with rhythmic precision. The syncopation will feel natural only if your singers lock into the accompaniment's groove, so rehearse with the recorded track early.
• Let the text breathing happen naturally with the phrase shape rather than at every bar line. This tune rewards singers who trust the melody's arc.
• Shape the dynamics across the full form rather than within each section. The return to the opening material lands harder if you've gently pulled back energy in the middle passage.

Program this as a palate cleanser in a concert built around more dramatic or rhythmically complex work. The piece also shines as an encore or as a bridge between classical and contemporary repertoire, showing your audience that jazz sensibility and melodic integrity go hand in hand.

• Sustaining long phrases with consistent vowel shape and breath support
• Distinguishing between legit and jazz interpretation of the same melodic material
• Responding to swing rhythm and syncopation in the waltz section
• Blending in open 2-part voicing where tuning and balance matter more than complexity