They are in order of range, narrowest first, because on a cellothe distance between a tune’s lowest and highest note decides more about how hard it is than its speed does. Jingle Bells covers the least ground and is the one to start with; Carol of the Bells covers the most.
- Jingle Bells
- Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
- Up on the Housetop
- Away in a Manger
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Good King Wenceslas
- Joy to the World
- O Come, All Ye Faithful
- The First Noel
- Deck the Halls
- Auld Lang Syne
- O Christmas Tree
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- O Holy Night
- Silent Night
- Carol of the Bells
The carols, easiest first
The large line is the note. A dash holds a note another beat and an underline is half a beat.
1. Jingle Bells
James Lord Pierpont, 1857 · United States · C3–G3 · fifth · 51 notes
6 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 5 semitones above the open string — it never leaves the bottom of the neck. The whole of Jingle Bells for cello →
2. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
1874 (music in print) · United States · G3–E4 · major sixth · 48 notes
8 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 7 semitones above the open string — it never leaves the bottom of the neck. The whole of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas for cello →
3. Up on the Housetop
Benjamin Hanby, 1864 · Ohio, United States · C3–A3 · major sixth · 67 notes
17 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 5 semitones above the open string — it never leaves the bottom of the neck. The whole of Up on the Housetop for cello →
4. Away in a Manger
James R. Murray, 1887 · United States · G3–G4 · octave · 44 notes
5 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 10 semitones above the open string. The whole of Away in a Manger for cello →
5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
19th century or earlier · England, West Country · G3–G4 · octave · 52 notes
7 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 10 semitones above the open string. The whole of We Wish You a Merry Christmas for cello →
6. Good King Wenceslas
1582 (tune) · Finland and Sweden · G3–G4 · octave · 53 notes
7 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 10 semitones above the open string. The whole of Good King Wenceslas for cello →
7. Joy to the World
Lowell Mason (arranger), 1836 · United States · C3–C4 · octave · 57 notes
13 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 5 semitones above the open string — it never leaves the bottom of the neck. The whole of Joy to the World for cello →
8. O Come, All Ye Faithful
John Francis Wade (attributed), c. 1743 · England and France · G3–G4 · octave · 61 notes
2 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 10 semitones above the open string. The whole of O Come, All Ye Faithful for cello →
9. The First Noel
1823 (in print) · Cornwall, England · C3–C4 · octave · 72 notes
20 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 5 semitones above the open string — it never leaves the bottom of the neck. The whole of The First Noel for cello →
10. Deck the Halls
16th century (tune) · Wales · B3–C5 · octave and a semitone · 68 notes
0 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 15 semitones above the open string. The whole of Deck the Halls for cello →
11. Auld Lang Syne
18th century · Scotland · G3–A4 · octave and a whole step · 56 notes
4 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 12 semitones above the open string. The whole of Auld Lang Syne for cello →
12. O Christmas Tree
16th century (tune) · Germany · G3–A4 · octave and a whole step · 61 notes
0 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 12 semitones above the open string. The whole of O Christmas Tree for cello →
13. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
18th century or earlier · England · G3–A4 · octave and a whole step · 67 notes
12 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 12 semitones above the open string. The whole of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen for cello →
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn, 1840 · Germany and England · G3–A4 · octave and a whole step · 76 notes
1 note is an open string, and the highest stop is 12 semitones above the open string. The whole of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing for cello →
15. O Holy Night
Adolphe Adam, 1847 · France · C3–E4 · octave and a major third · 95 notes
22 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 7 semitones above the open string — it never leaves the bottom of the neck. The whole of O Holy Night for cello →
16. Silent Night
Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 · Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria · C3–F4 · octave and a fourth · 46 notes
11 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 8 semitones above the open string. The whole of Silent Night for cello →
17. Carol of the Bells
Mykola Leontovych, 1916 · Ukraine · E3–A4 · octave and a fourth · 92 notes
16 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 12 semitones above the open string. The whole of Carol of the Bells for cello →
Why some Christmas songs are missing
Every tune here is in the public domain, which for Christmas music means carols and 19th-century songs. The 20th-century standards people also think of as Christmas songs are still in copyright, and a cello arrangement of one is a copy of its melody whatever notation it is written in, so they are not published here. Melodies only, too: there are no lyrics on any of these pages.
All cello songs · Christmas songs on every instrument · The online cello