What Child is This? Emmanuel! (PDF)
SSAB a cappella
Traditional
Arranged by M Ryan Taylor

This Christmas arrangement combines the Gregorian chant “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” with the Renaissance melody greensleeves for which the words “What Child is This?” were written. I hope and feel this goes beyond a mere medley of tunes; the modality of each enhances the other as well as the combined message.

I’ve set this for intermediate/advanced SSAB choir a cappella. I know this is an unusual combination, but I think very practical. Many SAB choirs are perfectly capable of singing challenging music, but lack the amount of men to do SATB arrangements effectively. Sopranos are usually plentiful. I plan to write more for this kind of choir/quartet in the future.