Triste SAB

A breezy bossa nova with a cool scat chorus.

Antônio Carlos Jobim’s beautiful, intracate melody is presented through a blend of unison, two-part harmonies, and sustained notes that encourage careful tuning. Three-part harmonies enrich the interludes, and articulated phrases provide energetic contrast.

• Three choruses (head, scat, head).
• SAB score with piano accompaniment and chord symbols.
• 11 pages, approx. 4:30 performance time.

The scat chorus at D is a particular highlight, especially if the choir is confident enough to perform it a cappella. The scat syllables are simple, repetitive, and easy to memorize (doo, dat, dm). Baritones sing a vocal percussion bass line and altos provide the harmonic outline that supports the polymetric soprano melody (inspired by another Jobim song, “Surfboard”). Conductor tip: sopranos may find it helpful to think in three-bar phrases in 3/4.

This piece is an excellent addition to a school or community choir concert.

This arrangement is available at:
sheetmusicplus.com, and