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O Holy Night Piano Sheet Music (FREE)

A free piano arrangement of O Holy Night, designed for beginner and intermediate pianists. This O Holy Night sheet music uses basic chords and is a great way to learn a Christmas song to play for family and friends this year!

Keep reading for the history and tips on playing O Holy Night, or scroll down for the sheet music download buttons.

History of O Holy Night

O Holy Night has long been my very favorite Christmas carol. Not only is the melody captivating, but the words have always struck me to the core. So who came up with this amazing Christmas carol anyway?

This carol dates back to France in the 1800’s. As the story goes, a priest requested that a man named Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure write a poem for Christmas mass. His friend,  Adolphe Charles Adams, composed the music to the poem.

The song was to go on many adventures. For example, it became popular in the U.S. during the Civil war, thanks to an abolitionist.

The whole story is quite fascinating. If you are interested in reading more, check out this article.

How Do You Play O Holy Night On Piano?

Like all songs, there are a variety of ways to play O Holy Night on the piano. In my easy sheet music, we will play it by doing the simple melody in the right hand, and chords like C major and G7 in the left hand.

More advanced arrangements add in lots of rich harmony and even improv, but we will stick with the basics today.

This song is in the time signature 6/8, which is a little more confusing than 4/4. You’ll have to remember that the eighth notes get the beat, rather than the quarter notes!

What key is O Holy Night written in?

I have seen O Holy Night written in a variety of keys. Most typically, it is in the key of C major, which is what I have arranged it in here.

However, at my church, we play & sing it in Bb major, which is a little easier on the voice. I’ve also seen it in D major.

What chords will you need to know?

I’ve kept the easy version pretty simple, so there are just a few chords you’ll need to know. Most often throughout the song, you will see C major, F major, and G7. In addition, there are a few other simplified versions of chords like E minor, B major, and A minor.

Is O Holy Night Major or Minor?

I’ve seen this question before, so just to elaborate—O Holy Night is always in a major key. There are minor chords within the song, but overall, the song is major.

Tips For Playing O Holy Night On Piano

As you learn this song, there’s a few things you’ll want to focus on to make the most of your practice time:

  • Make sure your left hand isn’t louder than your right hand. The main part, the melody, is in your right hand so that needs to be loudest!
  • The chorus should be the loudest part of the piece (on the second page). Start off softer and build until you reach that as the climax!
  • Practice this song with AND without the pedal! For the final version, I recommend using pedal as it will add a nice touch. However, when you’re learning it, you’ll want to practice without pedal to make sure you’re playing legato and getting all the notes/chords.

More Christmas Sheet Music:

Interested in learning more piano music for Christmas? I’ve also arranged the following songs in several versions:

O Holy Night Piano Sheet Music

Without further ado, let’s get to the PDF O Holy Night sheet music for you to download!

Easy Version

o holy night free piano sheet music

The PDF below is for an easy version of O Holy Night in the key of C Major. This is a standard key to play O Holy Night in, which is perfect because it is nice and easy! You’ll need to know your C, F, and G7 chords, along with a few other chords like B major and E minor. But don’t worry, I’ve simplified a lot of the chords to keep it easy!

Just one note: O Holy Night does move around a bit more than other carols, just due to the nature of the melody. If you are a true beginner, you may want to start with something even easier, like Deck the Halls.

Full Lyrics

Verse 1
O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Verse 2
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend

He knows our need
To our weakness is no stranger
Behold your king before him lowly bend
Behold your king before him lowly bend

Verse 3
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name

Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim

Conclusion

O Holy Night is truly an amazing Christmas carol (dare I say, it is the best?!) I hope you enjoy learning this easy version of O Holy Night to play at Christmastime! Download your copy of the sheet music and start practicing right away (and check out my best practice tips here!)

And don’t forget to check out O Christmas Tree or Deck the Halls next!