They are in order of range, narrowest first, because on a mbirathe 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 mbira 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 mbira plays how many
| Tuning | As written | Moved | Cannot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nyamaropa | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Dambatsoko | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Katsanzaira | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Mavembe | 0 | 0 | 15 |
The carols, easiest first
The large line is the key to press, by manual and position. 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
It uses 5 keys across 3 manuals (R, L and B). The whole of Jingle Bells for mbira →
2. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
1874 (music in print) · United States · G4–E5 · major sixth · 48 notes
It uses 6 keys across 2 manuals (R and L). The whole of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas for mbira →
3. Up on the Housetop
Benjamin Hanby, 1864 · Ohio, United States · C4–A4 · major sixth · 67 notes
It uses 6 keys across 3 manuals (L, R and B). The whole of Up on the Housetop for mbira →
4. Away in a Manger
James R. Murray, 1887 · United States · G4–G5 · octave · 44 notes
It uses 8 keys across 2 manuals (R and L). The whole of Away in a Manger for mbira →
5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
19th century or earlier · England, West Country · G4–G5 · octave · 52 notes
It uses 8 keys across 2 manuals (L and R). The whole of We Wish You a Merry Christmas for mbira →
6. Good King Wenceslas
1582 (tune) · Finland and Sweden · G4–G5 · octave · 53 notes
It uses 8 keys across 2 manuals (L and R). The whole of Good King Wenceslas for mbira →
7. Joy to the World
Lowell Mason (arranger), 1836 · United States · C4–C5 · octave · 57 notes
It uses 8 keys across 3 manuals (L, R and B). The whole of Joy to the World for mbira →
8. O Come, All Ye Faithful
John Francis Wade (attributed), c. 1743 · England and France · G4–G5 · octave · 61 notes
It uses 8 keys across 2 manuals (L and R). The whole of O Come, All Ye Faithful for mbira →
9. The First Noel
1823 (in print) · Cornwall, England · C4–C5 · octave · 72 notes
It uses 8 keys across 3 manuals (R, B and L). The whole of The First Noel for mbira →
10. Deck the Halls
16th century (tune) · Wales · B3–C5 · octave and a semitone · an octave lower · 68 notes
It uses 9 keys across 3 manuals (L, R and B). The whole of Deck the Halls for mbira →
11. Auld Lang Syne
18th century · Scotland · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 56 notes
It uses 7 keys across 2 manuals (L and R). The whole of Auld Lang Syne for mbira →
12. O Christmas Tree
16th century (tune) · Germany · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 61 notes
It uses 8 keys across 2 manuals (L and R). The whole of O Christmas Tree for mbira →
13. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
18th century or earlier · England · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 67 notes
It uses 9 keys across 2 manuals (L and R). The whole of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen for mbira →
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn, 1840 · Germany and England · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 76 notes
It uses 9 keys across 2 manuals (L and R). The whole of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing for mbira →
15. Silent Night
Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 · Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria · C4–F5 · octave and a fourth · 46 notes
It uses 11 keys across 3 manuals (L, R and B). The whole of Silent Night for mbira →
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 mbira 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 mbira songs · Christmas songs on every instrument · The online mbira