Try to Remember (from The Fantasticks): SATB Choral Octavo

Jay Althouse's arrangement captures the elegance of the original while making it genuinely singable for mixed ensembles of varying sizes and ability levels. The progression from straightforward melody into a light jazz waltz gives your choir a dynamic arc within a single piece, preventing any sense of stasis while remaining accessible. This is a song that audiences recognize and love, which means your singers get the confidence boost of performing something prestigious without the technical demands that would exclude younger or developing singers.

You begin in a place of wistful remembrance, moving through a simple, transparent melody that feels almost like a folk song. Then the harmonic ground shifts beneath you, and you're floating in a gentle jazz waltz, nostalgic and sophisticated at once, suspended between childhood memory and adult understanding.

This octavo works for virtually any mixed choir, from high school ensembles to adult community groups and everything in between. The straightforward opening is accessible to developing singers, while the jazz waltz section offers satisfying harmonic and rhythmic challenges for more advanced singers.

• Shape the opening section with genuine legit tone, allowing the tune to breathe naturally rather than oversinging. The beauty lies in simplicity.
• Bring the jazz waltz section into focus through lighter articulation and a sense of ease; the rhythm section (or recorded accompaniment) will anchor the harmonic movement, so trust it and let your voices float on top.
• Balance the parts carefully in the jazz section so that moving lines remain clear without dominating the overall texture.
• Pay attention to the transition between sections so it feels intentional and musical rather than abrupt.

Program this early in a concert as a bridge between classical choral material and more contemporary pop or jazz selections. Its theatrical roots make it equally at home in a Broadway-themed concert or as a palate-cleansing moment in a mixed repertoire program. It also works beautifully as a closer, leaving audiences with something memorable and emotionally resonant.

• Singing jazz inflections and interpretation in a classical voicing context
• Maintaining triplet feel and waltz rhythm while navigating chord changes
• Blending legit and lighter vocal production within the same piece
• Reading and balancing moving inner-voice parts in jazz harmony