Yesterday (arr. Tom Gentry): TTBB Choral Octavo

Tom Gentry's barbershop setting captures the bittersweet vulnerability of this McCartney classic while giving men's voices a genuine part in its emotional arc. The flexible voicing options (TB through TTBB) let you choose the right configuration for your ensemble without sacrificing the arrangement's integrity or harmonic color.

Nostalgic and intimate, this setting wraps the timeless melody in warm, ringing harmonies that invite the listener back into memory. The arrangement preserves the song's reflective quality while allowing the barbershop idiom to add richness and emotional depth.

TTBB and men's choirs seeking repertoire that works equally well in concert and social singing settings. This arrangement appeals to singers who want to engage with a universally recognized melody while developing their barbershop and close harmony skills.

• Honor the lyrical weight of the verses by anchoring them in a warm, connected legit tone rather than pushing into barbershop character too early; save the stylistic flourish for the chorus.
• Balance the upper voices carefully during sustained chords so that the lead line cuts through without the rest of the texture thinning out.
• Treat the tag with particular care, as it carries the emotional resolution of the song; resist the urge to rush it.

Pair this with other Beatles arrangements to create a thematic concert set, or use it as a palate cleanser between heavier classical works. Its accessibility and emotional directness make it particularly effective in programs aimed at community audiences or fundraising events.

• Barbershop seventh chords and harmonic function
• Balancing lead lines with supporting voices
• Legit versus stylized tone production in a single arrangement
• Phrase shaping and rubato in close harmony