Wintertime Cheer: SATB, a cappella Choral Octavo

Althouse takes the madrigal form and strips away the historical preciousness that can bog down early music in a contemporary setting. The blend of period charm (those "fa la la's" feel earned, not forced) with modern harmonic language gives singers something genuinely engaging to execute and audiences something fresh to hear. The optional percussion part adds flexibility for staging without requiring it, and the varied four-part textures within an SATB framework keep the rehearsal process dynamic.

Wintertime Cheer balances playfulness with sophistication. The traditional madrigal text and "fa la la" sections evoke historical warmth, while the crisp harmonic vocabulary and surprising dissonances remind listeners that this is modern writing. There's both brightness and depth here, making it feel celebratory without being simplistic.

This works well for high school and college choirs seeking a piece that honors choral tradition while sounding unmistakably contemporary. It suits groups comfortable with chromatic voice leading and sustained tone; the modern harmonic language requires singers to trust their parts even when they sound unfamiliar against other voices.

• Approach the dissonant harmonic moments as intentional color, not mistakes. Althouse uses them to contrast with the more consonant sections, so let those clashes ring clearly when they appear.
• Balance the "fa la la" refrain so it feels buoyant and rhythmically tight; this lightness plays beautifully against the richer harmonic passages elsewhere in the piece.
• If you use the optional hand drum or tambourine, rehearse the percussionist with the choir from the start so the rhythmic interplay feels integrated, not added on.

This sits naturally in a holiday concert where you want to move beyond standard arrangements, or in a concert exploring madrigal traditions across centuries. It pairs well with pieces that either precede it historically or follow it chronologically, creating a conversation about how choral forms evolve. Its relative brevity (12 pages) makes it an ideal anchor for a thematic set or a strong closer if you want to end on an accessible, engaging note.

• Singing contemporary harmonic language with confidence, including dissonant intervals
• Balancing text clarity in a madrigal setting with sustained polyphonic texture
• Blending four-part SATB writing with varied textural arrangements within a single piece
• Coordinating with optional percussion as an integrated ensemble element, not an accompaniment
• Executing rhythmic precision in both the playful refrain sections and complex harmonic passages