Piano songs · Beginner
The First Noel on piano
The First Noel is a gentle carol in three, and its tune climbs one step at a time, up to the high D and back. Here it is as sung in church, the tune on top with the harmony underneath.
this song
The First Noel sheet music
The same notes as the player above, as a piano score: D major, 3/4 time. Press Play and the notes light up as they sound. Free to print or save as a PDF.
How to read the rhythms · how to read the notes
About the piece
A traditional English carol, probably from Cornwall. It was first printed in the 1820s and 1830s by Davies Gilbert and William Sandys, who collected Cornish carols, and it's been sung in its four-part setting ever since. "Noel" comes from the French for Christmas.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: F♯ E D E F♯ G A; B C♯ D C♯ B; A B C♯ D C♯; B A B C♯ D; A G F♯ F♯ E D; E F♯ G A B C♯ D; C♯ B A B C♯ D; C♯ B A B C♯; D A G F♯ F♯ E D; E F♯ G A D C♯ B; B A A D C♯; B A B C♯ D; A G F♯. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, slow it down with the speed slider, or turn on Wait for me and play each note yourself.
How to learn it
- The pickup: it starts before the first beat, with F♯ and E, then lands on a long D.
- Climbing: the tune walks up the D major scale, E F♯ G A, then on up to B, C♯ and D.
- Two sharps: D major, so every F and C is sharp.
- The chorus ("Noel, Noel") is the same climb again: learn the verse and you have the whole carol.
Learning The First Noel on a real piano? 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 The First Noel?
In D major: F♯ E D, E F♯ G A, B C♯ D C♯ B A.
Is The First Noel easy on piano?
The melody is: it moves by step and stays in one key. The four-part hymn version has two notes in each hand.
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.