1. “Unlikely Company” is a set of five songs (sung two to five at a time) featuring a strange mix of Halloween creatures: the Fay, the Troll, the Frankenstein Monsters, the Banshee and Bug-a-boo.
2. “The Ghost Ship” includes five songs featuring the crew of a Ghost Ship (the Black Pearl, maybe?): the captain, the cook, the first mate, the cabin boy and the navigator.
3. “We’re Back!” includes four songs featuring undead Halloween monsters: the skeleton, the vampire, the mummy and the zombie.

SATB arrangements of these quodlibets are available on this site: Unlikely Company, The Ghost Ship & We’re Back!

These quodlibets were originally available in the “Thirteen for Halloween” songbook which you can get at SongsForTeaching.com. There is also a “Thirteen for Halloween” CD available. These both feature different arrangements of this same Halloween quodlibet. Check out ThirteenforHalloween.com for more fun Halloween music and videos.

American Revolutions Program
Lead Sheets and Song Introductions (PDF):

• 1 The Star Spangled Banner - Sung Acapella
• Stars and Stripes Intro
• 2 Stars and Stripes Forever - Words Only
• Pilgrims Psalms Intro
• 3 Pilgrim Psalms Lead
• Simple Gifts Intro
• 4 Simple Gifts Lead
• Chester Intro
• 5 Chester Lead
• All is Well Intro
• 6 All is Well | Come Come Ye Saints Lead
• Battle Cry of Freedom Intro
• 7 Battle Cry of Freedom | Battle Hymn of the Republic Lead
• Women’s Party Song Intro
• 8 (Part I) The New America
• 8 (Part II) Women’s Party Song Lead
• Liberty Medley Intro
• 9 Liberty Medley Lead
• Flanders Fields Intro
• 10 In Flanders Fields
• The Yankee Doodle Blues Intro
• 11 The Yankee Doodle Blues Lead

The American Revolutions program is based on the album by M Ryan Taylor:

If you’d like to get the additional bonus tracks, Man of La Mancha and The Impossible Dream, you can purchase the compact disc at CDBaby.

About the American Revolutions program:

Join pilgrims, revolutionaries, civil rights activists, suffragettes, abolitionists and veterans through the music that tells their story to make the United States of America a land of unparalleled freedom.

A number of additional songs were inserted in the live version of this program:

• Joshua fit the Battle of Jericho
• How Can I Keep From Singing
• Old Man River
• Man of La Mancha
• The Impossible Dream

• Be Strong and of a Good Courage (PDF)
  Words and Music by M Ryan Taylor
  for Unison children’s voices and piano

About:

I wrote this children’s primary song based on the story of Joshua and Caleb. The third verse applies the story personally to the singers. See Deuteronomy 31:6-8 and Joshua 1:6-9. The setting is march-like, which I felt was appropriate to the admonition to ‘be strong and of a good courage.’

Lyrics by M Ryan Taylor:

When Moses sent twelve for report into the promised land,
Ten men returned and gave their word that Israel could not stand,
“For we shall seem as insects against their giant band.”
Then Joshua spoke and Caleb true, “All Canaan’s in our hand.”

[Chorus]
“Be strong and of a good courage; be brave, be true.
The Lord thy God, he will go with you.
Be not afraid, be not dismayed.”
Though storms may wail, you can face the gale,
for the Shield of Faith will see you through.
“Be strong and of a good courage; be brave, be true.”

When Joshua stood on Jordon’s shore and looked on Jericho,
He thought about the trials met since forty years ago;
How Israel found its courage by wand’ring far and near
‘Til Moses said, “The time has come,” and spoke for all to hear, [Chorus]

When I am faced with challenges that seem to hard to bear,
When I am left to stand alone and no one seems to care
I think about my Savior and his Gethsemane,
I feel his gentle arms and hear the Spirit’s urgent plea, [Chorus]

Performances:

Thank you for reporting all performances of this original work to mryan@choirworks.com (performer, venue, date). This information is essential for my yearly grant applications.

Accompaniment for the original High Voice version:

Accompaniment for Medium Voice:

“Dracula’s Theme Song” was written to go along with the opening credits of the old Bela Lugosi “Dracula” which uses the famous tune from “Swan Lake.” Usually I don’t go putting words to famous tunes, but one night I was watching this film, close to Halloween, and ‘inspiration’ struck. This is completely tongue-in-cheek; I hope it makes you smile as much as I do when singing it. Please be as melodramatic as possible!

Round for 3 by M Ryan Taylor. Includes optional chords for ukulele and baritone ukulele.

Words:

I’m a giraffe,
A giraffe am I;
When I stand on my toes
my nose bumps the sky.

     Pure holiday fun! “The irony here is that even though I wrote this seasonal song all in good fun, I love fruitcake. I’ve had variations I’m not crazy about, so I understand the jokes, but our family’s recipe, which served as the basis for many of the ingredients listed in the song, is absolutely sensational. Christmas wouldn’t be the same without it.” ~ M Ryan Taylor

Ode to a Fruitcake
by M Ryan Taylor

Fruitcake! Fruitcake!
Oh, what a glorious fruitcake!
Nothing quite says, “Merry Christmas, Good Cheer!,”
like a fruitcake.

With raisins, green pineapple, candied orange peel,
an applesauce batter to make a good seal,
the walnuts and hazelnuts, pecans and cherries,
cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves ‘mid dried berries!

Though many may dispute it’s reputation,
the fruitcake is a holiday sensation!
And, though the thought might fill a few with dread,
I proudly declare that the fruitcake is the ultimate queen of quickbread!

Fruitcake! Fruitcake!
Oh, what a marvelous, glorious, beauteous fruitcake!
“Merry Christmas! Good Cheer! Happy New Year!”

Often when I am feeling distressed and am trying to calm my mind, the words of this scripture bring my breathing back to normal:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ~ John 14:27

I was sitting in church one day thinking on these words and the piece that I wrote on them so many years ago, and I thought, “The first section of that would make a nice round.” So, here it is.