12 of the best Traditional Christmas Carols
Written by Ashleigh Gardner
December 2, 2016
Just in time for the holidays, Performer Stuff delivers the sheet music for your favorite holiday songs. In this article, we feature sheet music for twenty six traditional Christmas carols with origins in England, America, France, and Germany. These carols are ideal for a Christmas drama department benefit or a casual caroling adventure around town. Like a song? Find the sheet music on PerformerStuff.com in the link provided!
“O Holy Night”
In 1843, after a Roquemaure church organ was renovated, the parish priest asked Cappeau to write Christmas poem to commemorate the occurrence. The poem was later translated into English by John S. Dwight and set to music by Adolphe Adam. (Music by Adolphe Adam, lyrics by John S. Dwight and Placide Chapeau.)
“O Tannenbaum”
A traditional German Christmas song, “O Tannenbaum” translates to “O fir tree”. (Tanne means “fir” and baum means “tree in German.) Because of the Western practice of using fir trees as Christmas trees, the song eventually became “O Christmas Tree” in its English translation. (Music by Ernst Anschütz and Heinrich Zarnack, based on a song by Melchior Frank, lyrics by Ernst Anschütz.)
Get the German Sheet Music Here
Get the English Sheet Music Here
“Twelve Days of Christmas”
Traditional English carol that is thought to be French in origin. The earliest publishing of the lyrics can be found in Mirth without Mischief, a 1780 children’s book. There are 12 known variations on the lyrics! Its standard melody is now associated with the 1909 arrangement by Frederic Austin.
“We Wish You a Merry Christmas”
A traditional English carol with origins in the West Country of the United Kingdom. The origin of this carol lies in the practice of wealthy people in the community giving treats to carolers on Christmas Eve.
Find the sheet music here.
“The First Noel”
A Cornish carol often seen written as “Nowell” or “Noël”, this carol’s most recent adaptation can be found in the 1986 book, the New English Hymnal.
“Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem”
Lewis Redner wrote this song after visiting Bethlehem in 1865. The most popular style of the tune is titled “St. Louis”. Other arrangements that may be found are called “Forest Green,” “Wengen,” and “Christmas carol.” (Music by Lewis Redner, lyrics by Phillips Brooks.)
Sheet music below is the “St. Louis” tune of “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
“It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”
Edmund Sears, a preacher in Wayland, Massachusetts, wrote this song during a time of deep depression caused by his anxiety over revolution in England and the recent Mexican American war. The song describes the earth as full of woe with angels in constant watch over humanity. (Music by Richard Storrs Willis, lyrics by Edmund Sears.)
“God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”
This traditional song is one of the world’s oldest extant carols and dates back to the 16th century or earlier. The word “rest” in the title means “to continue, to remain.” Therefore, the song calls for the listener to remain merry throughout the year.
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
Written in 1739, this carol was originally requested to have slow and solemn music. Instead, it was given a more celebratory treatment. (Music by Felix Mendelssohn and William H. Cummings, lyrics by Charles Wesley and George Whitefield.)
“The Holly and the Ivy”
A traditional English folk song from around the early 1700s. Holly and ivy have been a traditional English Christmas decoration since the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Additionally, European Holly was sacred to Druids, and it was widely used in association with the Winter Solstice.
“Away in a Manger”
This song has multiple settings, but the most popular one in America is the version arranged by James Ramsey Murray, called “Mueller”. The other arrangement, most popular in choral groups, is arranged by William J. Kirkpatrick and is called “Cradle Song”.
Get the “Mueller” Version Sheet Music Here
Get the “Cradle Song” Version Sheet Music Here
“I Saw Three Ships”
This traditional song from 17th century England was first published in William Sandys Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern in 1833.
“Joy to the World”
First published in 1719 by writer Isaac Watts, “Joy to the World” is the most published Christmas carol in North America. (Music by George Frederic Handel and well Mason, lyrics by Isaac Watts.)
“Good King Wenceslas”
This song tells the story of a Czech king braving a winter storm with his page to bring gifts to an impoverished peasant on the feast day of Saint Stephen (December 26th). During the journey, the page is about to give up, but the King encourages him to keep going. (Traditional music, lyrics by John Mason Neale and Thomas Helmore.)
“Gloucestershire Wassail”
The “Gloucestershire Wassail” is an old traditional English holiday song dating back to the middle ages. The word “wassail” comes from the Old English was hál; was hál comes from the Anglo Saxon greeting wes þú hál, meaning “be healthful.” “Wassailing” is a traditional English drinking ritual performed to ensure an abundant apple harvest the following year.
“Here We Come A-wassailing”
Different from the “Gloucestershire Wassail”, this tune was reportedly composed in 1850, but the author and composer is unknown. This song celebrates, like the one above, the act of visiting different neighbors houses with blessings of good tidings.
“Silent Night”
The lyrics, written by Austrian Joseph Morr, were originally entitled “Stille Nacht”, and the music was composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber. Morr brought his lyrics to Gruber the morning of December 24, 1818, and asked Gruber to write him a melody. They both sang the song during mass on that evening. (Music by Franz Xaver Gruber, lyrics by Joseph Mohr.)
“Ding Dong! Merrily On High”
The arrangement for this song appeared first (instead of lyrics taken from pre-existing poetry with music added). The song was composed by Jehan Tabourot in the 1500s and was later given lyrics by George Ratcliffe Woodward in 1924. (Music by Jehan Tabourot, lyrics by George Ratcliffe Woodward.)
“Angels We Have Heard On High”
This Christmas carol of French origin is based on a French carol named “Les Anges dans nos campagnes”. The English version we hear today was translated by James Chadwick in 1862. (Traditional French carol, English lyrics by James Chadwick.)
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
The origins for the tune come from 15th century France, with the Latin text first appearing in Germany in 1710. The edition in the following link is from an 1851 publication by Thomas Helmore.
“Jolly Old St. Nicholas”
A poem by Emily Huntington Miller is the basis for the lyrics of this song. The music comes from the the original setting for the song “Jingle Bells” by James Lord Pierpont in 1857. (Music by James Lord Pierpont, lyrics by Emily Huntington Miller.)
“O Come, All Ye Faithful”
Originally titled in latin as “Adeste Fideles,” this carol is attributed to various different authors, but the tune dates back to the 13th century. (Traditional carol, English lyrics by n Francis Wade and William Thomas Brooks.)
“We Three Kings”
This American carol was written in 1857 while John Henry Hopkins, Jr. served as a minister at an Episcopal church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He wrote the song for a Christmas pageant in New York City. (Music and lyrics by John Henry Hopkins.)
“Deck the Halls”
This Welsh carol dates back to the 16th century from a carol called “Nos Galan.” The English lyrics popular today are by Thomas Oliphant. (Traditional Welsh carol, English lyrics by Thomas Oliphant.)
“Jingle Bells”
This American carol was not originally intended to be a Christmas song, but has become one of the most popular Christmas songs in America to date. (Music and lyrics by James Lord Pierpont.)
“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
The lyrics come from a poem written by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow after his son died in the American Civil War and his wife, Francis, died in an accidental fire. The song’s lyrics are mournful and sad, but they carry hope toward the end. (Music by John Baptiste Calkin, lyrics by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.)
“Auld Lang Syne”
A Scottish poem written in 1788 by Robert Burns is the basis for this Christmas and New Year carol. The Scots title can be translated into English as “days gone by” or “old times.” The line “for auld lang syne” may then be read as “for (the sake of) days gone by”. (Traditional Scots melody, lyrics by Robert Burns.)
Want more Christmas tunes? Search Performer Stuff’s library for holiday sheet music, and find the perfect song for the perfect occasion. Stay tuned for our other lists of holiday sheet music, and Happy Holidays from Performer Stuff!
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