What Will Santa Claus Say?: Choral SoundPax

Larry Shackley's arrangement captures Prima's signature irreverence while giving choirs real interpretive challenges. The chromatic harmony keeps singers engaged harmonically, and the swing rhythms make rehearsals energetic without requiring a full jazz ensemble to pull off. It's the rare novelty piece that respects both the musicians and the audience.

A wink and a nudge in musical form. The piece bounces along with unforced charm; its chromatic twists and jazzy rhythmic figures create constant small surprises rather than predictable moments. Audiences hear a songwriter having genuine fun, not a novelty that wears thin by the second verse.

Choirs with intermediate-to-advanced jazz literacy will thrive with this piece. Singers need comfort reading accidentals in close harmony and the ability to hear and sing swung rhythms independently. Directors programming a winter concert that spans styles will find this fills the irreverent, high-energy slot without defaulting to the expected holiday warhorses.

• Lock the rhythmic subdivisions as a section before adding swung eighth notes. Straight sixteenth-note clarity first, then layer the jazz inflection.
• Treat the chromatic voice leading as prominent; these aren't background filler harmonies. Each part should sing its line with the same care you'd give to a soprano melody.
• Use the recorded accompaniment to establish the style's buoyancy and tempo. The groove will settle faster if singers hear it in context rather than building it from a click track.
• Balance ensemble tightness with character; crisp attacks matter for this piece, but so does playfulness in phrasing.

Program this between more formally arranged choral works to shift the concert's energy. It works particularly well in a set that explores jazz and popular music contexts, or as a deliberate tonal contrast if the rest of your program emphasizes classical or sacred repertoire. The 36-page format suggests a piece substantial enough to stand on its own rather than padding a set.

• Reading and executing chromatic voice leading in close harmony
• Swing eighth-note phrasing and jazz rhythmic interpretation
• Ensemble blend across parts with complex harmonic movement
• Stylistic nuance and character in novelty/entertainment music
• Independence in a jazz context while maintaining section cohesion