They are in order of range, narrowest first, because on a harmonicathe 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 harmonica plays how many
| Tuning | As written | Moved | Cannot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equal tuning | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| Just tuning | 14 | 3 | 0 |
The carols, easiest first
The large line is the hole — a minus means draw, each apostrophe a semitone of bend. A dash holds a note another beat and an underline is half a beat.
1. Jingle Bells
James Lord Pierpont, 1857 · United States · C5–G5 · fifth · 51 notes
The breath changes direction 14 times. The whole of Jingle Bells for harmonica →
2. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
1874 (music in print) · United States · G5–E6 · major sixth · 48 notes
The breath changes direction 18 times. The whole of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas for harmonica →
3. Up on the Housetop
Benjamin Hanby, 1864 · Ohio, United States · C5–A5 · major sixth · 67 notes
The breath changes direction 30 times. The whole of Up on the Housetop for harmonica →
4. Away in a Manger
James R. Murray, 1887 · United States · G5–G6 · octave · 44 notes
The breath changes direction 24 times. The whole of Away in a Manger for harmonica →
5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
19th century or earlier · England, West Country · G5–G6 · octave · 52 notes
The breath changes direction 26 times. The whole of We Wish You a Merry Christmas for harmonica →
6. Good King Wenceslas
1582 (tune) · Finland and Sweden · G5–G6 · octave · 53 notes
The breath changes direction 32 times. The whole of Good King Wenceslas for harmonica →
7. Joy to the World
Lowell Mason (arranger), 1836 · United States · C5–C6 · octave · 57 notes
The breath changes direction 34 times. The whole of Joy to the World for harmonica →
8. O Come, All Ye Faithful
John Francis Wade (attributed), c. 1743 · England and France · G5–G6 · octave · 61 notes
The breath changes direction 42 times. The whole of O Come, All Ye Faithful for harmonica →
9. The First Noel
1823 (in print) · Cornwall, England · C5–C6 · octave · 72 notes
The breath changes direction 50 times. The whole of The First Noel for harmonica →
10. Deck the Halls
16th century (tune) · Wales · B4–C6 · octave and a semitone · an octave lower · 68 notes
The breath changes direction 54 times. The whole of Deck the Halls for harmonica →
11. Auld Lang Syne
18th century · Scotland · G5–A6 · octave and a whole step · 56 notes
The breath changes direction 26 times. The whole of Auld Lang Syne for harmonica →
12. O Christmas Tree
16th century (tune) · Germany · G5–A6 · octave and a whole step · 61 notes
The breath changes direction 24 times. The whole of O Christmas Tree for harmonica →
13. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
18th century or earlier · England · G5–A6 · octave and a whole step · 67 notes
The breath changes direction 50 times. The whole of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen for harmonica →
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn, 1840 · Germany and England · G5–A6 · octave and a whole step · 76 notes
The breath changes direction 40 times. The whole of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing for harmonica →
15. O Holy Night
Adolphe Adam, 1847 · France · C4–E5 · octave and a major third · an octave lower · 95 notes
The breath changes direction 44 times. The whole of O Holy Night for harmonica →
16. Silent Night
Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 · Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria · C5–F6 · octave and a fourth · 46 notes
The breath changes direction 22 times. The whole of Silent Night for harmonica →
17. Carol of the Bells
Mykola Leontovych, 1916 · Ukraine · E4–A5 · octave and a fourth · an octave lower · 92 notes
The breath changes direction 65 times. The whole of Carol of the Bells for harmonica →
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 harmonica 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 harmonica songs · Christmas songs on every instrument · The online harmonica