Felix Mendelssohn, 1840
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Sheet Music
EasyF major
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing in F major, as an easy piano arrangement for both hands and as the tune alone for recorder, flute, violin or voice. A bright carol whose second half opens with an octave leap.
Letter notes, kalimba and recorder
The notes light up as they play.
Letter notes for the tune (right hand). Wider notes are held longer.
For a 17-key kalimba in C. 1 is the long middle tine. Moved higher than the original so more notes fit.
Filled holes are covered. C′ and D′ are the high C and D.
How to play it
- Bars 1 and 5 are the same (C, F, F, E), as are bars 2 and 6 (F, A, A, G). Learn the first two bars and you have the opening twice.
- The second half starts in bar 9 with an octave leap from C4 up to C5, the widest jump in the song. Look at it while you finish bar 8.
- Bars 9 and 11 are identical (C, C, C, F) and so are bars 10 and 12 (B flat, A, A, G): the second half repeats one phrase before it climbs.
- The highest note, D5, is in bars 13 and 17. Keep the hand loose and let the line settle back down in bars 14 and 18.
- The left hand plays two notes per bar, one for each half. Keep them soft so the tune stays in front.
At a glance
- Key
- F major
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Tempo
- 100 beats per minute
- Length
- 20 bars, about 0:50
- Range
- C3–D5
- Hands
- Both hands
- Level
- Easy
About Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Charles Wesley wrote the words in 1739, and George Whitefield reworked the opening couplet into the line we know. Since the middle of the 19th century the carol has usually been sung to a melody from Felix Mendelssohn's Festgesang zum Gutenbergfest (1840), written for the 400th anniversary of the printing press. The notes on this page follow a hymn-book setting in the Open Hymnal collection, adapted for the carol by William H. Cummings.
Questions
What key is Hark! The Herald Angels Sing in here?
F major, with one flat (B flat). That is the key of the hymn-book setting, so nothing was moved.
How long is it?
20 bars in 4/4 at 100 beats per minute: about 50 seconds for one pass.
Can I play it on a recorder?
Yes. In F major all 76 notes of the tune fit a soprano recorder without moving the song. Open the Recorder tab for the letter notes and fingering charts.
More free sheet music
Traditional, 15th-century French melody
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
EasyEasy piano · Melody
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Upload a recordingScore source: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Mendelssohn), The Open Hymnal Project (public domain). Easy piano and melody versions arranged by MP3toSheet.