Choirworks.com Music

  • Bridge Over Troubled Water

    Bridge Over Troubled Water
    Words and music by Paul Simon
    Arranged for SATB choir by M. Ryan Taylor

    Few popular songs have become as enduring a musical expression of comfort, friendship, and selfless support as Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Written for Simon & Garfunkel and released in 1970, the song became one of the defining recordings of its era, with Art Garfunkel’s soaring vocal carrying a message that has continued to resonate across generations: when someone is overwhelmed by the storms of life, another person can offer a steady place of refuge.

    This sensitive and singable SATB arrangement brings that message naturally into the choral setting. The vocal writing builds gradually from intimate, conversational passages into the broad, soaring climaxes that make the original so powerful. Rather than simply reproducing the famous recording, the arrangement allows the choir itself to become the source of the song’s emotional arc, with carefully shaped harmonies, dynamic growth, and opportunities for individual voices to emerge from the ensemble.

    The piano accompaniment is designed as a practical reduction that retains the harmonic language, rhythmic character, and dramatic sweep of the original. It provides enough of the distinctive accompaniment to evoke the familiar song while remaining playable and supportive of an intermediate-level mixed choir.

    “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is especially well suited to programs exploring hope, compassion, friendship, service, resilience, or the ways people carry one another through difficult seasons. It can serve equally well as a concert centerpiece, a pops selection, a graduation or commencement piece, or a reflective closing number.

    Choirworks Radio Singers recorded this performance as an example of the arrangement’s intended sound: a warm, expressive mixed choir with the emotional weight of the text and melody kept at the center.

    CHOIRWORKS RADIO SINGERS

    Choirworks Radio Singers is a recording ensemble founded and directed by composer and choral conductor M. Ryan Taylor. Rather than functioning primarily as a concert choir, the ensemble focuses on creating expressive, human-sounding choral recordings of music old and new.

    Featuring:
    M. Ryan Taylor, director
    Amy Carlin
    Lauren Harrison
    Matthew Carlin
    Matt Lees
    Mikayla Batschi
    Taci Miner

  • Out of Love Comes Victory (Ex Amore Victoria!)

    Out of love comes victory! In this lively Christmas carol, Angels and Shepherds carry on a spirited musical dialogue as they reveals and discover the news of Christ’s birth. The Angels bring their tidings with joyful urgency; the Shepherds respond with a mixture of wonder, questions, and excitement—and finally set off to see the newborn Savior for themselves.

    With a subtle Caribbean flavor, lively rhythmic energy, and a quodlibet-style melody and countermelody, Out of Love Comes Victory offers a fresh and playful way to tell this part of the Christmas story. The recurring Latin refrain, Ex amore amore victoria (“Out of love comes victory”), provides a memorable musical centerpiece, while the familiar words of the Angels—“Glory to God in the highest! / And on earth peace”—bring the conversation to its joyful conclusion.

    The piece began as a selection in a musical written for children’s choir. The music stayed with me long after the original project was finished, and I wanted to give it a life beyond that setting: something fun to sing, rhythmically engaging, and accessible to choirs of many ages while still telling an essential part of the Christmas story.

    Available in 2-part (optional SSAA), SB (optional SATB), and TB (optional TTBB divisi) versions. Improvised percussion is warmly encouraged—try Afro-Cuban or other appropriate percussion, drums, shakers, triangle, finger cymbals, or whatever rhythmic colors suit your ensemble. The result can be as simple or as festive as you like.

    Choir: 2-part (opt. SSAA), SB (opt. SATB), or TB (opt. TTBB divisi)
    Character: Joyful, rhythmic, energetic
    Season: Christmas

    Lyrics

    ANGELS

    Tidings great to relate:
    You have cause to celebrate.
    Hark to this genesis dawning
    of the King of Bliss!

    SHEPHERDS

    Bliss you say? Fear allay?
    Leave our hills without delay?

    ANGELS

    Peace on earth! Men of mirth,
    come to see your Savior’s birth!

    Ex amore amore victoria,
    ex amore amore victoria,
    ex amore amore victoria,
    ex amore amore victoria!

    SHEPHERDS

    Leave our sheep? Leave our sleep?
    For a stable dark and deep?

    ANGELS

    Leave the lamb, ewe and ram,
    come and greet the great I AM.

    SHEPHERDS

    Let us go and bestow
    gifts as only we can show.

    ANGELS

    Heed our call, in the stall
    you will find the Lord of all.

    ALL

    Ex amore amore victoria, (Out of love comes victory,)
    ex amore amore victoria, (Out of love comes victory,)
    ex amore amore victoria, (Out of love comes victory,)
    ex amore amore victoria! (Out of love comes victory!)

    Glory to God in the highest!
    Glory to God in the highest!
    Glory to God in the highest!
    Glory to God in the highest!

    And on earth peace,
    and on earth peace,
    good will toward men!

    SHEPHERDS

    On we speed! Starry lead
    where the goat and oxen feed!
    In the stall, Lord of all!
    Come to heal us great and small!

    ALL

    Ex amore amore victoria, (Out of love comes victory,)
    ex amore amore victoria, (Out of love comes victory,)
    ex amore amore victoria, (Out of love comes victory,)
    ex amore amore victoria! (Out of love comes victory!)

  • El Burrito Sabanero (The Grassland Donkey)

    A joyful Venezuelan Christmas classic with a whole lot of rhythm!

    English Translation

    I’m riding to Bethlehem on my grassland donkey
    If you see me, I’m going to Bethlehem
    I sing with my cuatrico, as my donkey trots along
    If you see me, I’m going to Bethlehem

    Hurry up, my little donkey, we’re almost there!
    Hurry up, my little donkey, we’re going to see Jesus!

    Hugo Blanco’s El Burrito Sabanero is one of the most beloved Christmas songs in the Spanish-speaking world—a cheerful Venezuelan villancico that has become a holiday favorite far beyond its native country. Written in 1972, the song became a sensation when it was recorded by the Venezuelan children’s group La Rondallita, helping turn this irresistibly catchy Christmas song into a favorite throughout Latin America and beyond.

    Blanco himself was a fascinating character. Born in Caracas in 1940, he picked up the Venezuelan cuatro at age 15 and taught himself to play by listening to the radio. He went on to become one of Venezuela’s best-known composers, arrangers, and performers, writing the international hit Moliendo Café as well as numerous other Venezuelan favorites.

    There is something wonderfully appropriate about El Burrito Sabanero becoming famous through the voices of children. Its Spanish text, infectious rhythmic pulse, repeated phrases, and exuberant melody make it a perfect villancico for young, enthusiastic singers. The music practically invites a choir to move!

    This arrangement brings all of that joyful energy right into the hands of the singers. The piece can be performed a cappella, but the optional accompaniment opens up a whole new level of excitement. Piano provides the rhythmic foundation, while optional percussion—cajón, shakers, or similar instruments—can turn the performance into a genuine Latin-inspired celebration. For ensembles with instrumentalists, an improvised guitar and/or bass part can add even more rhythmic drive and give the performance a wonderfully spontaneous feel.

    With its bright energy and instantly memorable melody, El Burrito Sabanero makes an outstanding high-energy Christmas concert closer. It brings a fresh Latin American flavor to the Christmas program while remaining wonderfully accessible to singers, and its infectious rhythms and joyful spirit give young performers every opportunity to sing with personality, confidence, and sheer delight.

    Performance Options

    • SATB choir with piano
    • SATB a cappella
    • Piano + optional percussion
    • Optional improvised guitar and bass
    • Excellent for youth, school, community, and church choirs
    • A particularly effective high-energy Christmas concert finale

    About This Arrangement

    M. Ryan Taylor originally arranged El Burrito Sabanero for the American Fork Children’s Choir, now known as Timpanogos Youth Choirs. The arrangement was first performed at the annual Christmas in the Rotunda celebration at the American Fork Library in Utah County. In 2026, Taylor returned to the piece and created a new piano accompaniment in preparation for a repeat performance in that same venue.

    Taylor holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance (2000) and Master of Music in Composition (2002) from Brigham Young University. He has studied conducting with Mack Wilberg, Ronald Staheli, and Zsuzsanna Mindszenty, and is a Kodály-certified developmental music education specialist. He served for ten years as conductor and artistic director of the American Fork Children’s Choir and currently conducts Timpanogos Singers, Timpanogos Youth Choirs, and Choirworks Radio Singers. His catalog includes dozens of choral works as well as operas, art songs, song cycles, children’s music, hymns, and chamber music, with his choral works performed internationally.

    El Burrito Sabanero is a particularly fitting addition to that body of work: music made for children to sing with rhythm, personality, and pure Christmas joy.

  • The Teddy Bear’s Picnic

    The Teddy Bears’ Picnic • SATB Choir • Children, Animals & Halloween

    There’s something wonderfully mischievous about a teddy bear picnic—and this arrangement brings that playful spirit to life with energy, humor, and plenty of opportunities for a choir to have fun. The familiar melody remains at the center, while the choral writing adds color, rhythmic energy, and playful character that invite singers to really get into the story.

    A Classic with a Surprisingly Long History

    The melody of The Teddy Bears’ Picnic was written by American composer John Walter Bratton in 1907, originally as an instrumental two-step called The Teddy Bear Two-Step. More than two decades later, Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy added the familiar lyrics, turning Bratton’s jaunty instrumental into the woodland adventure we know today.

    Since then, the song has become a true popular-music classic, recorded by artists ranging from Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, to Anne Murray, and Jerry Garcia.

    Perfect for More Than Halloween

    Although arranged by Taylor for the Timpanogos Singers and first performed as part of the choir’s Halloween concert in October 2025, this arrangement is by no means limited to spooky-season programming. Its whimsical woodland atmosphere makes it a natural choice for children’s concerts, animal-themed programs, family concerts, community concerts, youth choirs, and any program that needs a lively dose of fun. It’s lighthearted, memorable, and just mischievous enough to make audiences smile.

  • Mary’s Boy Child

    Mary’s Boy Child • SATB Mixed Choir & Piano • Christmas • Jester Hairston, arr. M. Ryan Taylor

    Jester Hairston’s beloved Christmas spiritual “Mary’s Boy Child” receives a fresh, energetic setting for SATB mixed choir and piano by M. Ryan Taylor. With its infectious Caribbean rhythmic character, memorable melody, and joyful celebration of Christ’s birth, this arrangement brings the warmth and vitality of the spiritual into the modern concert choir.

    The arrangement opens with a clear presentation of the familiar melody before building into increasingly full choral textures. The piano accompaniment provides a strong rhythmic foundation while the voices move between unison and harmonized passages, allowing the character of the original song to remain front and center. The result is a setting that is both immediately recognizable and satisfying to perform.

    At approximately two minutes, Mary’s Boy Child is an excellent choice for a Christmas concert, holiday program, or encore—especially when a choir needs something joyful, rhythmic, and accessible to balance more contemplative seasonal repertoire.

    Jester Hairston was one of the most influential arrangers and champions of African American spirituals and choral music in the twentieth century. His original composition Mary’s Boy Child has become a Christmas favorite, and this new arrangement seeks to preserve its distinctive character while giving mixed choirs a fresh concert setting. If you’d like to learn more about the remarkable life of Hairston, please see this fascinating documentary that was shared with me by a high school choir friend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3Qhoojp5Bw

    Instrumentation: SATB Mixed Choir with Piano Accompaniment
    Difficulty: Moderate
    Duration: Approximately 2:10
    Language: English
    Genre: Christmas / Spiritual
    Composer: Jester Hairston
    Arranger: M. Ryan Taylor
    Copyright: © 2025 NILS-GEORGS MUSIKFÖRLAGS AB

  • This Little Babe

    More video previews for This Little Babe

    This Little Babe is Available on …

    This Little Babe • Christmas • Intermediate

    A fiery new setting of Robert Southwell’s beloved Christmas poem, This Little Babe captures the startling paradox at the heart of the text: the infant Christ comes to conquer not with earthly weapons, but through weakness, tears, and the vulnerability of a newborn child. Driving rhythms, energetic piano writing, and vivid choral textures bring Southwell’s military imagery to life—the battlefield, the shield, the arrows, the trumpet’s alarm—all set against the fragile image of the Christ child in the manger. The result is a Christmas piece that is urgent, dramatic, and powerful. This piece is well suited to Christmas concerts, worship services, and festival programs, especially for choirs looking for a fresh alternative to more familiar Christmas repertoire. Its compact length, rhythmic energy, and strong dramatic arc make it effective as an opener, closer, or high-impact centerpiece.

    FEATURES

    • SATB and TTBB choral settings, plus Low, Medium, and High solo voice settings
    • Choral settings may be performed with piano or a cappella
    • Intermediate difficulty with mixed meter
    • Energetic, rhythmically driven setting suitable for Christmas concerts, worship, and festival performance
    • Approximately 2:06

    COMPOSER’S NOTE

    When I was a young choral singer, I was deeply moved by Benjamin Britten’s famous setting of This Little Babe from A Ceremony of Carols. I was particularly touched by the closing couplet: “If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy, Then flit not from this heavenly boy!” I understood these words to mean that we best “foil our foes” not by joyfully defeating them, but by showing them the joy that Christ offers to all, so that those who were once our foes might become our friends.

    For years, I wanted to sing this text as a soloist, but I was unaware of any solo settings, so I eventually wrote one myself. Once the solo setting was complete, it seemed natural to expand the music for male chorus—a kind of musical counterpart to the treble setting by Britten that had first inspired me. From there, I adapted the work once more for mixed SATB forces, and I was delighted with the result.

    I am pleased to offer This Little Babe in settings for low, medium, and high solo voice, as well as TTBB and SATB chorus, with the choral settings available either accompanied or a cappella. In homage to Britten’s extraordinary and inspiring setting—a work I would never wish to supplant—I have deliberately not created an SSA version. I hope you enjoy this new musical interpretation of Southwell’s remarkable Christmas poem.