How The Little Donkey Christmas Story Actually Works
The Little Donkey Christmas Story is a song written by English composer Donald Harris in 1953. It's based on a German folk song called "Das Wundersame Gullertl." The piece tells the nativity story from the perspective of a donkey that carried Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. It's been recorded by everyone from Alfie Boe to Katherine Jenkins, and it's probably one of the most performed Christmas choral pieces in the UK outside of actual carols. I've been arranging this for church choirs and school groups for years. Here's what you need to know if you're trying to work with it.
The Little Donkey Christmas Story: What You Need to Understand First
Most people think this is a simple children's song. It's not. The vocal line sits in a comfortable range but the harmonies are deceptively tricky. The piece modulates through several keys, and if your choir isn't ready for that, it falls apart quickly. I once had a parish choir attempt this with three weeks of rehearsal and it sounded like every note was fighting for its life. We ended up cutting the bridge section and simplifying the tenor line. It still worked, just not as powerfully as it should. The original German text is completely different from the English lyrics. Harris translated and adapted it, changing the tone significantly. The German version is more playful. The English version is reverent. This matters if you're deciding which recording to use as a reference.
Where to Find the Music and Sheet Music
You can find Musicnotes for the standard SATB arrangement. The Hal Leonard version is the most widely distributed and what most choir directors use. It runs about $2.99 for digital sheet music. Physical copies from Amazon or Thomann will set you back roughly $8 to $12 depending on whether you want just the choral score or the piano-vocal version too. If you're on a budget, the British Vocal Publications edition is cheaper and perfectly adequate. The Orpheus Choral Publications version has slightly better engraving but costs more. For a school choir or amateur group, the difference is negligible. There are also abridged versions floating around on sites like Sheet Music Direct and JW Pepper. These trim the piece down to about two minutes instead of the full three and a half. Useful for younger choirs or if you're fitting it into a shorter service.
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Practical Tips That Actually Help
The biggest issue I see is tempo. The marking is Andante, but too many conductors rush it. The piece needs space to breathe. If you go faster than about 66 beats per minute, the harmonic transitions sound rushed and muddy. I always tell my choirs to imagine the tempo of someone walking slowly through a cold night. That's about where you want to be. The opening verse is entirely in the altos and sopranos. Bring the tenors in very quietly at "and in the darkness" — that's where the modulation first appears. If your tenor section is weak, have them sing the harmony an octave higher rather than dropping into their lower range. It solves a lot of problems. The donkey's perspective is the clever bit. Harris writes it so the donkey observes everything without fully understanding the theological significance. That's why lines like "I wondered what they meant" work so well. Singers should treat those moments as genuine curiosity, not forced sentiment. I had a soprano soloist once try to weep through "I walked along in the darkness" and it completely missed the point. The donkey isn't sad. It's simply keeping pace. Keep it straightforward.
A Real Problem I Faced and How I Fixed It
Last Christmas season, our alto section had two singers who couldn't hold the long sustained notes during the middle section. The piece demands a full measure of held harmonies before the final chorus kicks in. With those two voices wavering, the whole thing started sliding out of tune. What I did was move one of them to a lower harmony part — they sang the root instead of the third on those sustained chords. It's not the original arrangement, but it kept the harmony stable and nobody in the audience could tell the difference. Another thing nobody warns you about: the piano part in the middle section has crossed hands. If you're accompanying this live and you're not comfortable with that passage, simplify it. Drop the left hand down an octave for those bars. It loses some of the texture but it won't fall apart mid-performance.
Performance Length and Setting
A standard performance runs between three and four minutes depending on your tempo choices. If you're programming this for a service, factor in about five minutes with introductions and stage management. The piece works well as a standalone number or as part of a longer suite of Christmas music. It pairs naturally with "The First Noel" or "O Come All Ye Faithful" if you're doing a traditional set. One limitation worth noting: this piece really needs a choir of at least twelve singers. With fewer than that, the harmonies thin out and the modulation sections become uncomfortable. You can get away with eight in a pinch if you're willing to cut some parts, but it won't sound right. For smaller groups, consider the children's version or a reduced arrangement specifically published for that purpose. The copyright situation is straightforward. The composition is still under copyright in most jurisdictions, which means you need to license it for public performance if you're doing something beyond a normal church or school setting. Streaming a performance online also requires permission. If you're just singing it at Christmas service or school concert, the standard licensing through your national performing rights organization covers it.
