They are in order of range, narrowest first, because on a erhuthe 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 erhu 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
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 · D4–A4 · fifth · 51 notes
8 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 erhu →
2. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
1874 (music in print) · United States · A4–F♯5 · major sixth · 48 notes
4 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 9 semitones above the open string. The whole of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas for erhu →
3. Up on the Housetop
Benjamin Hanby, 1864 · Ohio, United States · D4–B4 · major sixth · 67 notes
32 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 erhu →
4. Away in a Manger
James R. Murray, 1887 · United States · A4–A5 · octave · 44 notes
8 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 12 semitones above the open string. The whole of Away in a Manger for erhu →
5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
19th century or earlier · England, West Country · A4–A5 · octave · 52 notes
10 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 12 semitones above the open string. The whole of We Wish You a Merry Christmas for erhu →
6. Good King Wenceslas
1582 (tune) · Finland and Sweden · A4–A5 · octave · 53 notes
7 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 12 semitones above the open string. The whole of Good King Wenceslas for erhu →
7. Joy to the World
Lowell Mason (arranger), 1836 · United States · D4–D5 · octave · 57 notes
11 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 erhu →
8. O Come, All Ye Faithful
John Francis Wade (attributed), c. 1743 · England and France · A4–A5 · octave · 61 notes
6 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 12 semitones above the open string. The whole of O Come, All Ye Faithful for erhu →
9. The First Noel
1823 (in print) · Cornwall, England · D4–D5 · octave · 72 notes
15 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 erhu →
10. Deck the Halls
16th century (tune) · Wales · F♯4–G5 · octave and a semitone · in G key, an octave lower · 68 notes
16 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 10 semitones above the open string. The whole of Deck the Halls for erhu →
11. Auld Lang Syne
18th century · Scotland · D4–E5 · octave and a whole step · in G key, an octave lower · 56 notes
11 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 Auld Lang Syne for erhu →
12. O Christmas Tree
16th century (tune) · Germany · D4–E5 · octave and a whole step · in G key, an octave lower · 61 notes
13 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 Christmas Tree for erhu →
13. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
18th century or earlier · England · D4–E5 · octave and a whole step · in G key, an octave lower · 67 notes
14 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 God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen for erhu →
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn, 1840 · Germany and England · D4–E5 · octave and a whole step · in G key, an octave lower · 76 notes
14 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 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing for erhu →
15. O Holy Night
Adolphe Adam, 1847 · France · D4–F♯5 · octave and a major third · 95 notes
28 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 9 semitones above the open string. The whole of O Holy Night for erhu →
16. Silent Night
Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 · Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria · D4–G5 · octave and a fourth · 46 notes
12 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 10 semitones above the open string. The whole of Silent Night for erhu →
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 erhu 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 erhu songs · Christmas songs on every instrument · The online erhu