Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Notes
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing starts G C' C' B C' E' E' D': a leap up from G, then a climb that sounds like a fanfare. Mendelssohn wrote the tune; the words are Charles Wesley's.
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.
- GG, quarter noteCC high, quarter noteC1½C high, dotted quarter noteB½B, eighth note
- CC high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- GG high, quarter noteGG high, quarter noteG1½G high, dotted quarter noteF½F high, eighth note
- EE high, quarter noteDD high, quarter noteE2E high, half note
- GG, quarter noteCC high, quarter noteC1½C high, dotted quarter noteB½B, eighth note
- CC high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- GG high, quarter noteDD high, quarter noteD1½D high, dotted quarter noteC½C high, eighth note
- BB, quarter noteAA, quarter noteG2G, half note
- GG high, quarter noteGG high, quarter noteGG high, quarter noteCC high, quarter note
- FF high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- GG high, quarter noteGG high, quarter noteGG high, quarter noteCC high, quarter note
- FF high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteDD high, quarter note
- AA high, quarter noteAA high, quarter noteAA high, quarter noteGG high, quarter note
- FF high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteF2F high, half note
- DD high, quarter noteE½E high, eighth noteF½F high, eighth noteG1½G high, dotted quarter noteC½C high, eighth note
- CC high, quarter noteDD high, quarter noteE2E high, half note
- A1½A high, dotted quarter noteA½A high, eighth noteAA high, quarter noteGG high, quarter note
- FF high, quarter noteEE high, quarter noteF2F high, half note
- DD high, quarter noteE½E high, eighth noteF½F high, eighth noteG1½G high, dotted quarter noteC½C high, eighth note
- CC high, quarter noteDD high, quarter noteC2C high, half note
20 measures of 4/4 · 76 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. A wider note lasts longer. C' is the high C (a ' marks the octave above middle C).
The notes with the words
| Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| Hark! The herald angels sing | G C' C' B C' E' E' D' |
| “Glory to the newborn King; | G' G' G' F' E' D' E' |
| peace on earth, and mercy mild | G C' C' B C' E' E' D' |
| God and sinners reconciled!” | G' D' D' C' B A G |
| Joyful, all ye nations, rise | G' G' G' C' F' E' E' D' |
| join the triumph of the skies; | G' G' G' C' F' E' E' D' |
| with th’angelic host proclaim | A' A' A' G' F' E' F' |
| “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” | D' E' F' G' C' C' D' E' |
| Hark! The herald angels sing | A' A' A' G' F' E' F' |
| “Glory to the newborn King!” | D' E' F' G' C' C' D' C' |
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.
“Hark! The herald angels sing” and “Peace on earth, and mercy mild” start with the same notes. The last two lines are the carol’s chorus, and they’re the highest part: three A’s in a row on “With th’angelic host”.
On the staff
In 4/4 time: four beats to a measure, with no pickup. The dotted quarter and eighth, “her-ald”, come back in almost every line.
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 two pages of US Letter or one page of A4. It suits beginners on piano, keyboard or recorder, and works well for a December class or carol service. It’s free to print and copy.
The notes it uses
A shorter version
In the game, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (first half) stops at “God and sinners reconciled!”, before the carol climbs to its high A’s. It stays between G and G’: play the first half.
Tips for reading it
- Learn the long-short pair. “Her-ald”, “Glo-ry”, “mer-cy”: a dotted quarter then an eighth, long-short, again and again.
- Spot the ledger line. A’ sits on a short line just above the staff, the same way middle C sits on one below.
- Repeat, then rise. Lines 1 and 3 match, and the last two lines come back twice with the same high notes.
About the carol
Charles Wesley wrote the words in 1739, beginning “Hark how all the welkin rings”; George Whitefield changed the opening to the one we sing in 1753. The tune comes from a cantata Felix Mendelssohn wrote in 1840 for a festival celebrating the printer Gutenberg. William H. Cummings fitted Wesley’s words to it in 1855. 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.