Your Love Was a River: SSA Choral Octavo

The piece settles into a gentle, flowing motion that evokes pastoral imagery without sentimentality. The melody unfolds with the easy grace of a remembered tune, while the voice parts drift in natural counterpoint, creating a sense of movement and repose at once.

SSA choirs at the high school and early college level benefit most from this piece, though it works equally well for community and church choirs seeking contemporary repertoire with accessible ranges and an accessible learning curve. Directors programming a concert that needs contemporary color without dissonance or extreme technical demands will find this a reliable choice.

• Shape the melodic phrases as you would a folk tune, with gentle peaks rather than dramatic crescendos. Let the text dictate breath placement and phrasing.
• Balance the S1 and S2 lines carefully in moments where they diverge; the accompanist should listen closely to support whichever voice carries the principal melody.
• Work for transparency in the 3/4 meter so the "river" imagery of the text comes through in the flow. Avoid counting; conduct in one when the tempo allows.
• Use the recorded accompaniment (PianoTrax 3, 00-34744) in rehearsal to secure the harmonic framework quickly, then move toward piano-accompanied rehearsals to refine balance.

Pair this with traditional spirituals or folk arrangements to underscore the stylistic kinship between original writing and authentic folk tradition. It also works beautifully as a moment of lyrical contrast on a concert that includes more rhythmically complex or energetic pieces. The 12-page score makes it manageable for shorter rehearsal seasons while the pastoral character gives it year-round appeal.

• Reading and sustaining legit phrasing in 3/4 time
• Blending SSA voicing without doubling the melody
• Tracking independent melodic lines while maintaining harmonic awareness
• Responding to piano accompaniment cues for entrances and harmonic anchoring