Who Could Ask for Anything More?: Choral Octavo SoundTrax CD

Jay Althouse has assembled a medley that feels like a greatest-hits concert rather than a patchwork of snippets. The arrangements respect each song's character while maintaining forward momentum across eight and a half minutes of pure American musical legacy. Your choir gets to perform music that audiences genuinely love while developing musicianship through some of the most sophisticated songwriting in the American tradition.

Sophisticated fun. These melodies sparkle with wit and charm, the harmonies are colorful without being opaque, and the overall effect is one of warmth and joy. Your singers will feel the confidence that comes from performing genuinely great music.

Choirs looking for repertoire that delights both singers and audiences. High school, college, and community choirs with singers who can handle moderate harmonic complexity and want to engage with beloved American standards.

• Balance the vocal lines so that the melody is always clear, especially when harmonic interest increases in the middle sections. These songs depend on tune and lyricism.
• Pay attention to the recorded accompaniment's tempo and phrasing early in rehearsals so your singers lock into the style and feel of each section.
• Let the natural swing and lilt of Gershwin's melodies guide your interpretation rather than imposing excessive rubato. The music breathes on its own.

Perfect for pops concerts, end-of-year celebrations, or any program celebrating American music and culture. The medley format makes it ideal as a closer or bridge piece between classical and contemporary sections of a longer concert.

• Maintaining melodic clarity within four-part harmonic textures
• Stylistic interpretation of American popular song idioms
• Ensemble balance and blend across multiple song transitions
• Rhythmic precision with swing-influenced phrasing