They are in order of range, narrowest first, because on a harpthe 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. 2 carols in the library are not here because the harp does not have the notes: O Holy Night, 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
- Silent Night
Which harp plays how many
| Size | As written | Moved | Cannot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22-string | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 26-string | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 34-string | 15 | 0 | 0 |
The carols, easiest first
The large line is the string’s 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
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of Jingle Bells for harp →
2. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
1874 (music in print) · United States · G4–E5 · major sixth · 48 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas for harp →
3. Up on the Housetop
Benjamin Hanby, 1864 · Ohio, United States · C4–A4 · major sixth · 67 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of Up on the Housetop for harp →
4. Away in a Manger
James R. Murray, 1887 · United States · G4–G5 · octave · 44 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of Away in a Manger for harp →
5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
19th century or earlier · England, West Country · G4–G5 · octave · 52 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of We Wish You a Merry Christmas for harp →
6. Good King Wenceslas
1582 (tune) · Finland and Sweden · G4–G5 · octave · 53 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of Good King Wenceslas for harp →
7. Joy to the World
Lowell Mason (arranger), 1836 · United States · C4–C5 · octave · 57 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of Joy to the World for harp →
8. O Come, All Ye Faithful
John Francis Wade (attributed), c. 1743 · England and France · G4–G5 · octave · 61 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of O Come, All Ye Faithful for harp →
9. The First Noel
1823 (in print) · Cornwall, England · C4–C5 · octave · 72 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of The First Noel for harp →
10. Deck the Halls
16th century (tune) · Wales · B4–C6 · octave and a semitone · 68 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of Deck the Halls for harp →
11. Auld Lang Syne
18th century · Scotland · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 56 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of Auld Lang Syne for harp →
12. O Christmas Tree
16th century (tune) · Germany · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 61 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of O Christmas Tree for harp →
13. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
18th century or earlier · England · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 67 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen for harp →
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn, 1840 · Germany and England · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 76 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing for harp →
15. Silent Night
Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 · Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria · C4–F5 · octave and a fourth · 46 notes
Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune. The whole of Silent Night for harp →
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 harp 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 harp songs · Christmas songs on every instrument · The online harp