Book Reviews
A Practical Guide to Choral Conduct-
ing sheds light on lesser-discussed
subjects and topics relevant to and
useful for all choral musicians, and
provides vital insight into all aspects
of the choral art, and would be a
welcome addition to the bookshelf
of any choral conductor.
Alan Davis
Temecula, CA
74 CHORAL JOURNAL April 2019
Arranging: A Beginner’s Guide
Blake Henson & Gerald Custer
GIA Publications, 2016
278 pages
$18.95
Arranging: A Beginner’s Guide is a
step-by-step method to arranging
for vocal and instrumental ensem-
bles. Blake Henson and Gerald
Custer are both accomplished com-
posers, arrangers, and conductors
who unabashedly target this book
at two audiences: “experienced
and highly skilled musical amateurs
who lead volunteer ensembles like
church choirs, and overextended
music teachers in public schools
whose formal music theory classes
may have taken place a few years
in the past” (xvii). The authors have
one overarching goal: to encourage
all conductors to arrange for their
ensembles, as these leaders have
the best knowledge of their unique
strengths and weaknesses. With this
heartfelt mission as the foundation
of this book, any reader will greatly
benefit from Henson and Custer’s
insights into the art of arranging.
This pragmatic guide is divided
into eight chapters, each including
a discussion of a topic complete
with musical examples, step-by-step
exercises with solutions supplied for
comparison, and an assignment.
The exercises range from arranging
a hymn into a choral anthem with a
descant; transcribing SATB source
material into music for string, brass,
and wind quintets; adding a key-
board accompaniment and an ob-
bligato instrument to a melody;
transforming a lead sheet into an
arrangement; writing introductions,
transitions, modulations, and codas;
and orchestrating a chorale by J. S.
Bach.
One of the strengths of this text
are the easy-to-read chapters that
are not only filled with quickly di-
gestible insights but also great wit
and humor. These make this book
quite enjoyable to read, and sets it
apart from traditional arranging
and music theory tomes. Henson
and Custer display a unique abil-
ity to present arranging concepts
such as voice leading and counter-
point through a lens of practicality.
They avoid the presentation of dry
rules and instead share easy-to-fol-
low guidelines that foster creativity
and exploration, the very goal at
the heart of Henson and Custer’s
writing. Future editions of Arranging
might benefit from the inclusion of
several appendix tables listing com-
mon voice and instrument ranges as
well as instrumental transpositions.
This book is highly recommended
as a go-to source for any musician
who has a desire to step into the
world of arranging for the first time.
John P. Rakes
Warrenville, Illinois
Choral Monuments
Dennis Schrock
New York: Oxford University Press,
2017
464 pages
$55.00 (paperback)
For the third book in his invalu-
able series of choral reference re-
sources, Dennis Schrock provides
the choral community with ex-
tensive research and performance
material for eleven masterworks
Volume 59 Number 9