Windmills Of Your Mind (arr. Hazel Hannam): SAB Choral Octavo

Hazel Hannam's arrangement respects the intricate melodic line and harmonic richness of Legrand's composition while making it accessible for developing three-part choirs. The SAB voicing preserves the song's sophisticated character without requiring extensive range or splitting the singers uncomfortably, and the five-page format gives the piece room to breathe musically.

The piece evokes the cool, introspective quality of late-1960s film scores: reflective and slightly wistful, with a harmonic vocabulary that keeps listeners slightly off-balance in the most musical way. Singers experience the song as both a challenging puzzle of moving parts and a cohesive emotional statement.

This arrangement suits intermediate to advancing choirs with secure part singers who can handle a moderately complex harmonic texture. It works equally well for concert choirs seeking sophisticated pop repertoire and for directors building a secular program with pieces that challenge without overwhelming.

• Invest in phrase shape over individual note accuracy during early rehearsals. The melody's serpentine quality requires singers to understand where each phrase is going rather than focusing on isolated pitches.
• Balance the textural interplay between sections carefully. In SAB voicing, avoid letting either the soprano or alto line dominate; the arrangement works best when all three parts support one another equally.
• Study Noel Harrison's original recording with your singers, particularly his approach to rubato and lyrical flexibility. His phrasing choices illuminate where the ensemble can afford subtle temporal flexibility without losing ensemble integrity.

Program this as a bridge between your classical and contemporary works, or pair it with other film score arrangements for a sophisticated pop-standards set. The piece works particularly well in spring concerts when audiences appreciate something both familiar and unexpectedly complex.

• Singing layered harmonic textures in SAB voicing
• Interpreting jazz-inflected chord progressions aurally
• Sustaining lyrical phrasing across longer melodic phrases
• Balancing ensemble blend when all three parts are equally important