Piano songs · Intermediate
O Holy Night on piano
O Holy Night is one of the most moving carols there is: a long, singing melody over a rocking accompaniment. Here's the opening, with the melody and the accompaniment to hear.
The tune in letter names, lit as it plays. Right hand in peach, left hand in lilac. Turn off "Both hands" to hear the tune alone.
About the piece
Adolphe Adam, the composer of the ballet Giselle, wrote "Minuit, chrétiens" in 1847 to a poem by Placide Cappeau. The English words, "O Holy Night", are John Sullivan Dwight's translation from 1855.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: E E G G G A A F A C; G G E D C; E F G F D C; E E E G G A A F A C; G G F♯ E B. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, then slow it down with the speed slider and play with it.
How to learn it
- The accompaniment rocks in threes (triplets) under a slower melody. Learn the left hand and the triplets first, so they're automatic.
- The melody sings: play it a little louder than everything else, with the top of your right hand.
- Breathe between phrases. It's written for a singer; let each phrase finish before the next.
- The climax ("Fall on your knees") comes later and climbs high; this opening is the place to start.
Learning O Holy Night? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that runs away. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What are the first notes of O Holy Night?
In C major: E, E, G, G, G, A, A, F, A, C.
Is O Holy Night hard on piano?
It's intermediate: the melody is simple, the challenge is the flowing triplet accompaniment underneath.
More songs to play
Notes checked against the public-domain Mutopia Project edition (mutopiaproject.org). Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.