They are in order of range, narrowest first, because on a recorderthe 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 recorder plays how many
| Recorder | As written | Moved | Cannot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soprano | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Alto | 11 | 6 | 0 |
| Tenor | 17 | 0 | 0 |
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 · C4–G4 · fifth · 51 notes
Every note has the thumb hole fully closed or fully open — nothing in it needs the pinched thumb. The whole of Jingle Bells for recorder →
2. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
1874 (music in print) · United States · G4–E5 · major sixth · 48 notes
E5 needs the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas for recorder →
3. Up on the Housetop
Benjamin Hanby, 1864 · Ohio, United States · C4–A4 · major sixth · 67 notes
Every note has the thumb hole fully closed or fully open — nothing in it needs the pinched thumb. The whole of Up on the Housetop for recorder →
4. Away in a Manger
James R. Murray, 1887 · United States · G4–G5 · octave · 44 notes
E5, F5 and G5 need the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of Away in a Manger for recorder →
5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
19th century or earlier · England, West Country · G4–G5 · octave · 52 notes
E5, F5 and G5 need the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of We Wish You a Merry Christmas for recorder →
6. Good King Wenceslas
1582 (tune) · Finland and Sweden · G4–G5 · octave · 53 notes
E5, F5 and G5 need the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of Good King Wenceslas for recorder →
7. Joy to the World
Lowell Mason (arranger), 1836 · United States · C4–C5 · octave · 57 notes
Every note has the thumb hole fully closed or fully open — nothing in it needs the pinched thumb. The whole of Joy to the World for recorder →
8. O Come, All Ye Faithful
John Francis Wade (attributed), c. 1743 · England and France · G4–G5 · octave · 61 notes
E5, F5 and G5 need the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of O Come, All Ye Faithful for recorder →
9. The First Noel
1823 (in print) · Cornwall, England · C4–C5 · octave · 72 notes
Every note has the thumb hole fully closed or fully open — nothing in it needs the pinched thumb. The whole of The First Noel for recorder →
10. Deck the Halls
16th century (tune) · Wales · B4–C6 · octave and a semitone · 68 notes
E5, F5, G5, A5, B5 and C6 need the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of Deck the Halls for recorder →
11. Auld Lang Syne
18th century · Scotland · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 56 notes
E5, G5 and A5 need the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of Auld Lang Syne for recorder →
12. O Christmas Tree
16th century (tune) · Germany · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 61 notes
E5, F5, G5 and A5 need the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of O Christmas Tree for recorder →
13. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
18th century or earlier · England · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 67 notes
E5, F5, G5 and A5 need the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen for recorder →
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn, 1840 · Germany and England · G4–A5 · octave and a whole step · 76 notes
E5, F5, G5 and A5 need the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing for recorder →
15. O Holy Night
Adolphe Adam, 1847 · France · C4–E5 · octave and a major third · 95 notes
E5 needs the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of O Holy Night for recorder →
16. Silent Night
Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 · Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria · C4–F5 · octave and a fourth · 46 notes
E5 and F5 need the pinched thumb, the half-covered thumb hole that gives the upper octave. The whole of Silent Night for recorder →
17. Carol of the Bells
Mykola Leontovych, 1916 · Ukraine · E4–A5 · octave and a fourth · 92 notes
G♯4 uses a half-covered double hole. The whole of Carol of the Bells for recorder →
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 recorder 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 recorder songs · Christmas songs on every instrument · The online recorder