This lush arrangement of the African American Spiritual Steal Away, skillfully created by Dr. Stephen Coker (Chapman University) should not be overlooked by accomplished church, university, and professional choirs. While conceived to be performed with physical separation between the women and men of the choir, it works as effectively in a standard choral formation. There is consistent divisi (3-part women and 3-part men) throughout and should be equally balanced. Coker’s beautiful choral arrangement is of medium difficulty; there is, however, an aleatoric section that demands adequate rehearsal time to appear expressive but not synchronized, with variations in tempo and style. It’s well worth the time! At 3 mins in length, Steal Away makes a beautiful concert piece as well as choral anthem in sacred settings.
