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SongsJoy to the World
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  1. 1
  2. 7,
  3. 6,
  4. 5,
  5. 4,
  6. 3,
  7. 2,
  8. 1,
  9. 5,
  10. 6,
  11. 6,
  12. 7,
  13. 7,
  14. 1
  15. 1
  16. 1
  17. 7,
  18. 6,
  19. 5,
  20. 5,
  21. 4,
  22. 3,
  23. 1
  24. 1
  25. 7,
  26. 6,
  27. 5,
  28. 5,
  29. 4,
  30. 3,
  31. 3,
  32. 3,
  33. 3,
  34. 3,
  35. 3,
  36. 4,
  37. 5,
  38. 4,
  39. 3,
  40. 2,
  41. 2,
  42. 2,
  43. 2,
  44. 3,
  45. 4,
  46. 3,
  47. 2,
  48. 1,
  49. 1
  50. 6,
  51. 5,
  52. 4,
  53. 3,
  54. 4,
  55. 3,
  56. 2,
  57. 1,

The tune “Antioch”, arranged by Lowell Mason in the 1830s. Public domain.

4 strings · C2–A3 open · E5 up the A string in thumb position · Perfect fifths, exactly an octave below a viola. The C string is the deepest note in a string quartet.

Tap a string, or slide along a string and the pitch follows your finger, under a bow that never stops. On a keyboard the letters on the strings are the ones to press — they run down the strings, the A at the top — hold a key and the note holds.

CelloFree · printable · plays in your browser

Joy to the World — Cello Notes

Joy to the World, written out for the cello as every note with its string and how far up it. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the cello waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes57, 8 pitches
  • RangeC3–C4
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo92 bpm · about 25 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a cello play Joy to the World?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the cello, in C major from C3 to C4. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Joy to the World: cello notes

The large line is the note; the small line under it is the string, and how many semitones above its open note to stop it. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

▶ Play it above

Joy to the World — cello notes · tonalics.com

The 8 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 8 and you can play the whole tune.

  • CG·5×3
  • DD·0×7
  • ED·2×13
  • FD·3×8
  • GD·5×8
  • AA·0×6
  • BA·2×5
  • CA·3×7

What to expect on a cello

  • It runs from C3 to C4, an octave, using 8 different notes. That leaves 12 semitones unused below and 16 above.
  • 93% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is an octave, C3 to C4, at note 49.
  • It is played on 3 strings (G, D and A), crossing between strings 11 times.
  • 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.

About the tune

The tune is called “Antioch”. The Boston hymn composer Lowell Mason published it in the 1830s, describing it as “from Handel”; the resemblance is to a few phrases of Messiah rather than to any one piece. It has been sung to Isaac Watts’s 1719 text ever since.

The tune “Antioch”, arranged by Lowell Mason in the 1830s. Public domain. The notes follow Douglas D. Anderson, The Hymns and Carols of Christmas (sequence released to the public domain), cross-checked against 2 other transcriptions. More about Joy to the World →

Joy to the World on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the guzheng or handpan, which do not have the notes.

More songs for the cello

All 36 cello songs · Christmas songs for cello · The online cello on its own

Playing it on a real cello?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The cello tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

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