Christmas Songs for Lyre — 15 Easy Carols with Tabs & Letter Notes

15 carols and winter songs the lyre can play, easiest first, each with its opening phrase as number tabs with the letter under every note. Open one for the whole tune, a range check for every size, and the song loaded on the online lyre.

They are in order of range, narrowest first, because on a lyrethe 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 lyre 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 lyre plays how many

Size	As written	Moved	Cannot
7-string	2	0	13
10-string	4	1	10
16-string	14	1	0

The carols, easiest first

The large line is the note’s number in the scale. 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

3str. 63str. 63str. 6–3str. 63str. 63str. 6–

It is played on strings 4 to 8 of 16, 5 strings in all. The whole of Jingle Bells for lyre →

2. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

1874 (music in print) · United States · G4–E5 · major sixth · 48 notes

3•str. 133•str. 133•str. 133•str. 132•str. 122•str. 122•str. 121•str. 111•str. 111•str. 111•str. 113•str. 13–

It is played on strings 8 to 13 of 16, 6 strings in all. The whole of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas for lyre →

3. Up on the Housetop

Benjamin Hanby, 1864 · Ohio, United States · C4–A4 · major sixth · 67 notes

5str. 85str. 86str. 95str. 83str. 62str. 51str. 43str. 65str. 8–

It is played on strings 4 to 9 of 16, 6 strings in all. The whole of Up on the Housetop for lyre →

4. Away in a Manger

James R. Murray, 1887 · United States · G4–G5 · octave · 44 notes

5•str. 155•str. 154•str. 143•str. 133•str. 132•str. 121•str. 111•str. 117str. 106str. 95str. 8–

It is played on strings 8 to 15 of 16, 8 strings in all. The whole of Away in a Manger for lyre →

5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

19th century or earlier · England, West Country · G4–G5 · octave · 52 notes

5str. 81•str. 111•str. 112•str. 121•str. 117str. 106str. 96str. 96str. 92•str. 122•str. 123•str. 132•str. 121•str. 117str. 105str. 8

It is played on strings 8 to 15 of 16, 8 strings in all. The whole of We Wish You a Merry Christmas for lyre →

6. Good King Wenceslas

1582 (tune) · Finland and Sweden · G4–G5 · octave · 53 notes

1•str. 111•str. 111•str. 112•str. 121•str. 111•str. 115str. 8–

It is played on strings 8 to 15 of 16, 8 strings in all. The whole of Good King Wenceslas for lyre →

7. Joy to the World

Lowell Mason (arranger), 1836 · United States · C4–C5 · octave · 57 notes

1•str. 117str. 106str. 95str. 84str. 73str. 62str. 51str. 45str. 86str. 96str. 97str. 107str. 101•str. 111•str. 111•str. 11

It is played on strings 4 to 11 of 16, 8 strings in all. The whole of Joy to the World for lyre →

8. O Come, All Ye Faithful

John Francis Wade (attributed), c. 1743 · England and France · G4–G5 · octave · 61 notes

1•str. 111•str. 11–5str. 81•str. 112•str. 12–5str. 8–

It is played on strings 8 to 15 of 16, 8 strings in all. The whole of O Come, All Ye Faithful for lyre →

9. The First Noel

1823 (in print) · Cornwall, England · C4–C5 · octave · 72 notes

3str. 62str. 51str. 42str. 53str. 64str. 75str. 8–

It is played on strings 4 to 11 of 16, 8 strings in all. The whole of The First Noel for lyre →

10. Deck the Halls

16th century (tune) · Wales · B3–C5 · octave and a semitone · an octave lower · 68 notes

5str. 84str. 73str. 62str. 51str. 42str. 53str. 61str. 42str. 53str. 64str. 72str. 53str. 62str. 51str. 47•str. 3

It is played on strings 3 to 11 of 16, 9 strings in all. The whole of Deck the Halls for lyre →

11. Auld Lang Syne

18th century · Scotland · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 56 notes

5str. 81•str. 111•str. 111•str. 113•str. 132•str. 121•str. 112•str. 123•str. 131•str. 111•str. 113•str. 135•str. 156•str. 16––

It is played on strings 8 to 16 of 16, 7 strings in all. The whole of Auld Lang Syne for lyre →

12. O Christmas Tree

16th century (tune) · Germany · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 61 notes

5str. 81•str. 111•str. 111•str. 112•str. 123•str. 133•str. 133•str. 133•str. 132•str. 123•str. 134•str. 147str. 102•str. 121•str. 115str. 8

It is played on strings 8 to 16 of 16, 8 strings in all. The whole of O Christmas Tree for lyre →

13. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

18th century or earlier · England · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 67 notes

6str. 96str. 93•str. 133•str. 132•str. 121•str. 117str. 106str. 95str. 86str. 97str. 101•str. 112•str. 123•str. 13––

It is played on strings 8 to 16 of 16, 9 strings in all. The whole of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen for lyre →

14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Felix Mendelssohn, 1840 · Germany and England · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 76 notes

5str. 81•str. 111•str. 117str. 101•str. 113•str. 133•str. 132•str. 125•str. 155•str. 155•str. 154•str. 143•str. 132•str. 123•str. 13–

It is played on strings 8 to 16 of 16, 9 strings in all. The whole of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing for lyre →

15. Silent Night

Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 · Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria · C4–F5 · octave and a fourth · 46 notes

5str. 86str. 95str. 83str. 6––5str. 86str. 95str. 83str. 6––

It is played on strings 4 to 14 of 16, 11 strings in all. The whole of Silent Night for lyre →

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 lyre 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 lyre songs · Christmas songs on every instrument · The online lyre