They are in order of range, narrowest first, because on a dulcimerthe 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; Silent Night covers the most. One carol in the library is not here because the dulcimer does not have the notes: Carol of the Bells.
- 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
Which dulcimer plays how many
| Tuning | As written | Moved | Cannot |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAD | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| DAA | 11 | 5 | 0 |
The carols, easiest first
The large line is the fret, on the melody string unless a string is named. A dash holds a note another beat and an underline is half a beat.
1. Jingle Bells
James Lord Pierpont, 1857 · United States · D4–A4 · fifth · 51 notes
The whole tune is on the melody string, so it can be played with a noter while the other strings drone. The whole of Jingle Bells for dulcimer →
2. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
1874 (music in print) · United States · A4–F♯5 · major sixth · 48 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas for dulcimer →
3. Up on the Housetop
Benjamin Hanby, 1864 · Ohio, United States · D4–B4 · major sixth · 67 notes
The whole tune is on the melody string, so it can be played with a noter while the other strings drone. The whole of Up on the Housetop for dulcimer →
4. Away in a Manger
James R. Murray, 1887 · United States · A4–A5 · octave · 44 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of Away in a Manger for dulcimer →
5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
19th century or earlier · England, West Country · A4–A5 · octave · 52 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of We Wish You a Merry Christmas for dulcimer →
6. Good King Wenceslas
1582 (tune) · Finland and Sweden · A4–A5 · octave · 53 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of Good King Wenceslas for dulcimer →
7. Joy to the World
Lowell Mason (arranger), 1836 · United States · D4–D5 · octave · 57 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of Joy to the World for dulcimer →
8. O Come, All Ye Faithful
John Francis Wade (attributed), c. 1743 · England and France · A4–A5 · octave · 61 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of O Come, All Ye Faithful for dulcimer →
9. The First Noel
1823 (in print) · Cornwall, England · D4–D5 · octave · 72 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of The First Noel for dulcimer →
10. Deck the Halls
16th century (tune) · Wales · C♯4–D5 · octave and a semitone · an octave lower · 68 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of Deck the Halls for dulcimer →
11. Auld Lang Syne
18th century · Scotland · A4–B5 · octave and a whole step · 56 notes
The whole tune is on the melody string, so it can be played with a noter while the other strings drone. The whole of Auld Lang Syne for dulcimer →
12. O Christmas Tree
16th century (tune) · Germany · A4–B5 · octave and a whole step · 61 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of O Christmas Tree for dulcimer →
13. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
18th century or earlier · England · A4–B5 · octave and a whole step · 67 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen for dulcimer →
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn, 1840 · Germany and England · A4–B5 · octave and a whole step · 76 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing for dulcimer →
15. O Holy Night
Adolphe Adam, 1847 · France · D4–F♯5 · octave and a major third · 95 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of O Holy Night for dulcimer →
16. Silent Night
Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 · Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria · D4–G5 · octave and a fourth · 46 notes
It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack. The whole of Silent Night for dulcimer →
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 dulcimer 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 dulcimer songs · Christmas songs on every instrument · The online dulcimer