For Once In My Life | Tenor Solo with Piano

THE ARRANGEMENT

A few years ago, good friends of mine were getting married and asked if I could arrange this song for their ceremony, to be sung by a tenor with piano accompaniment. I wanted to write a completely new take on this classic song, so decided to set it as a ballad, rather than the popular Stevie Wonder version which is uptempo. I also had a very good pianist and tenor soloist, so consequently, the difficulty of the arrangement is at an advanced intermediate level, with the tenor going up to a Bb and the piano part containing a lot of black notes! I was really happy with how it turned out, but unfortunately couldn’t fly to Australia just for the wedding and they didn’t record it. So now it’s available to purchase, in the hope that someone would enjoy singing it and maybe even send me a recording!

THE SONG

Written for the Motown label, it first was recorded by Barbara McNair, followed by a host of others in a ballad style, until Stevie Wonder pumped up the tempo and reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard charts. It eventually was the title track for his album of the same name, and features the amazing Funk Brothers, most notably James Jamerson for his incredible bass playing on this track, known to be one of the greatest example of his style. Stevie Wonder also provided the harmonica solo on the track.

THE VIDEO

Check out this amazing live version of the song by Stevie Wonder at the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert in 2009. It doesn’t get any better than this!

PRINTING TIPS

Beautifully laid out, the score and parts are easy to read and available NOW for digital download at www.sheetmusicplus.com, thanks to the Arrange Me program at SMP Press. We suggest you print on 80gsm paper, to ensure that the copies last longer in your library. For more printing tips, visit here