God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen Notes
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen starts A, A E' E' D' C' B A: a leap up, then a walk back down. It's the one minor-key carol here, in A minor, which gives it its darker, older sound, and it still needs no sharps or flats.
Listen and play along
Hear the tune with a steady beat. Turn the tune off to play it yourself on any instrument, with the beat to keep you in time.
- AA, quarter note
- AA, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- CC high, quarter noteBB, quarter noteAA, quarter noteGG, quarter note
- AA, quarter noteBB, quarter noteCC high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- E3E high, dotted half noteAA, quarter note
- AA, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- CC high, quarter noteBB, quarter noteAA, quarter noteGG, quarter note
- AA, quarter noteBB, quarter noteCC high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- E3E high, dotted half noteEE high, quarter note
- FF high, quarter noteDD high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteFF high, quarter note
- GG high, quarter noteAA high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- CC high, quarter noteAA, quarter noteBB, quarter noteCC high, quarter note
- D2D high, half noteCC high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- E2E high, half noteFF high, quarter noteEE high, quarter note
- EE high, quarter noteDD high, quarter noteCC high, quarter noteBB, quarter note
- A2A, half noteC½C high, eighth noteB½B, eighth noteAA, quarter note
- D2D high, half noteCC high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- EE high, quarter noteFF high, quarter noteGG high, quarter noteAA high, quarter note
- EE high, quarter noteDD high, quarter noteCC high, quarter noteBB, quarter note
- A4A, whole note
19 measures of 4/4 after a pickup · 67 notes
Name the notes in the game → Read the tune one note at a time; each right answer plays the note.
Change the notes in Compose → Move notes, change their lengths and hear your own version.
Each box is one measure of four beats. The tune starts on a pickup: the last beat of the first box. A wider note lasts longer. C' is the high C (a ' marks the octave above middle C).
The notes with the words
| Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| God rest ye merry, gentlemen | A A E' E' D' C' B A |
| let nothing you dismay | G A B C' D' E' |
| Remember Christ our Saviour | A A E' E' D' C' B A |
| was born on Christmas Day | G A B C' D' E' |
| to save us all from Satan’s power | E' F' D' E' F' G' A' E' D' |
| when we were gone astray | C' A B C' D' C' |
| O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy | D' E' F' E' E' D' C' B A C' B A |
| O tidings of comfort and joy | D' C' D' E' F' G' A' E' D' C' B A |
A ’ after a letter means the octave above middle C’s: C’ is the C in the third space, A’ the A on the ledger line above the staff.
The first two lines are sung twice, to “God rest ye merry, gentlemen” and “Remember Christ our Saviour”. Then the tune climbs to its highest note, A’, on “Satan’s power”, and comes down to the chorus, “O tidings of comfort and joy”.
On the staff
In 4/4 time: four beats to a measure. “God” is a pickup, on the last beat before the first full measure.
Free printable sheet music
The sheet has the melody one phrase per line, with the letter name under every note and the words under each line, on one page of US Letter or A4. It suits beginners who know the notes of the staff, on piano, keyboard or recorder, and works well for a December class. It’s free to print and copy.
The notes it uses
The carol starts and ends on A, so it’s in A minor, the minor key that uses the same white notes as C major. It’s an old tune, and it keeps the plain G natural rather than the G♯ later music would add, so every note is a white key.
Tips for reading it
- Home is A. The first note and the last are A on the second space.
- Step down from E’. “Merry, gentlemen” walks down E’ D’ C’ B A, one step at a time.
- Count the long notes. “Dismay” and “Day” are held for three beats; the very last “joy” for four.
About the carol
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is a traditional English carol, among the oldest still sung, and was printed on broadsides in the 1700s. “Rest you merry” was an old greeting meaning “stay well”, so the comma belongs after “merry”. Charles Dickens has a caroler sing it at Scrooge’s keyhole in A Christmas Carol (1843). Words and tune are public domain.
Play it
Press Name the notes in the game at the top of this page to read the carol one note at a time in Trebly’s Songs mode. More carols: Christmas songs with letter notes.