They are in order of range, narrowest first, because on a clarinetthe 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
Which clarinet plays how many
| Clarinet | As written | Moved | Cannot |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ clarinet | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| A clarinet | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| E♭ clarinet | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Bass clarinet | 17 | 0 | 0 |
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 · C4–G4 · fifth · 51 notes
It stays below the break, so the register key is never used. The whole of Jingle Bells for clarinet →
2. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
1874 (music in print) · United States · G4–E5 · major sixth · 48 notes
It crosses the break 4 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas for clarinet →
3. Up on the Housetop
Benjamin Hanby, 1864 · Ohio, United States · C4–A4 · major sixth · 67 notes
It stays below the break, so the register key is never used. The whole of Up on the Housetop for clarinet →
4. Away in a Manger
James R. Murray, 1887 · United States · G4–G5 · octave · 44 notes
It crosses the break 8 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of Away in a Manger for clarinet →
5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
19th century or earlier · England, West Country · G4–G5 · octave · 52 notes
It crosses the break 13 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of We Wish You a Merry Christmas for clarinet →
6. Good King Wenceslas
1582 (tune) · Finland and Sweden · G4–G5 · octave · 53 notes
It crosses the break 8 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of Good King Wenceslas for clarinet →
7. Joy to the World
Lowell Mason (arranger), 1836 · United States · C4–C5 · octave · 57 notes
It crosses the break 7 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of Joy to the World for clarinet →
8. O Come, All Ye Faithful
John Francis Wade (attributed), c. 1743 · England and France · G4–G5 · octave · 61 notes
It crosses the break 12 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of O Come, All Ye Faithful for clarinet →
9. The First Noel
1823 (in print) · Cornwall, England · C4–C5 · octave · 72 notes
It crosses the break 18 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of The First Noel for clarinet →
10. Deck the Halls
16th century (tune) · Wales · B4–C6 · octave and a semitone · 68 notes
It sits entirely above the break, with the register key down throughout. The whole of Deck the Halls for clarinet →
11. Auld Lang Syne
18th century · Scotland · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 56 notes
It crosses the break 5 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of Auld Lang Syne for clarinet →
12. O Christmas Tree
16th century (tune) · Germany · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 61 notes
It crosses the break 5 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of O Christmas Tree for clarinet →
13. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
18th century or earlier · England · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 67 notes
It crosses the break 14 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen for clarinet →
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn, 1840 · Germany and England · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 76 notes
It crosses the break 5 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing for clarinet →
15. O Holy Night
Adolphe Adam, 1847 · France · C4–E5 · octave and a major third · 95 notes
It crosses the break 23 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of O Holy Night for clarinet →
16. Silent Night
Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 · Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria · C4–F5 · octave and a fourth · 46 notes
It crosses the break 8 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of Silent Night for clarinet →
17. Carol of the Bells
Mykola Leontovych, 1916 · Ukraine · E4–A5 · octave and a fourth · 92 notes
It crosses the break 21 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument. The whole of Carol of the Bells for clarinet →
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 clarinet 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 clarinet songs · Christmas songs on every instrument · The online clarinet