Ride The Chariot (arr. Barbershop Harmony Society): SATB Choral Octavo

This arrangement captures the spiritual energy of a beloved folk hymn while giving your singers genuine barbershop voicing to work with. The Society's command of four-part harmony means every voice has musical purpose, and the familiar melody gives students confidence to focus on blend, balance, and the ringing seventh chords that define the style.

Grounded and soulful, with the kind of harmonic warmth that comes from stacked sevenths and close voicing. There is joy in the familiar melody paired with the richness of four-part harmony, creating a piece that feels both contemplative and energized.

Any SATB choir seeking authentic barbershop repertoire that doesn't demand extensive genre training. This works equally well for choirs new to the style and experienced groups looking for a spiritual number that sits comfortably in the barbershop idiom.

• Lock the vowel shapes within each section before bringing all four parts together; barbershop blend depends on tonal matching across the staff.
• Explore where the parts create those characteristic ringing sonorities by having singers sustain full chords and listen for the acoustic ring that happens when tuning is precise.
• Shape the arrangement's narrative arc by varying dynamics across phrases rather than treating the piece as uniformly full throughout.
• Support tenor and baritone lines with clear text marking so the inner voices maintain independence and don't get swallowed by soprano and bass.

Include this in a concert exploring American roots music or spiritual traditions, where it can sit alongside other folk hymn arrangements. It also serves as an excellent teaching tool for introducing your choir to barbershop voicing within a meaningful, recognizable context.

• Barbershop voice leading and seventh chord tuning
• Blend and balance in four-part close harmony
• Sustaining independent lines while listening to the ensemble sound
• Understanding harmonic function in the barbershop idiom