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Christmas piano sheet music, free to print
24 carols and Christmas pieces arranged for the piano in five levels, from a few notes for a child’s first go to a concert O Holy Night. Every piece has a play button so you can hear it on a grand piano before you start, a slower speed, one hand at a time, the words under the tune, practice notes and a short history. All of it is out of copyright and free for home, church and school.
Kids
Very first Christmas tunes for children: just a handful of notes, all under the five fingers of the right hand, with the finger number above every note and the letter name underneath. Put your thumb on middle C and you can play them, even if you have never had a lesson.
KidsHo, Ho, Ho! (to the tune of Hot Cross Buns)C position · 4/4 · 8 barsA first Christmas song with only three notes.
KidsSanta’s Big Red Sack (to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)C position · 4/4 · 8 barsFour notes this time: C, D, E and G, with your thumb on middle C.
KidsJingle Bells (First Notes)C position · 4/4 · 4 barsThe first line of the Jingle Bells chorus, the part everyone knows.
KidsDeck the Halls (First Line)C position · 4/4 · 4 barsThe first line of Deck the Halls walks straight down the five-finger position: G, F, E, D, C, played by fingers 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, then back up to E and home to C.
KidsJolly Old Saint Nicholas (First Line)C position · 4/4 · 4 barsThe first line of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas uses just three keys: E, D and C, played by fingers 3, 2 and 1 with your thumb on middle C.
Absolute beginner
Never played before? Start here. One line of music for the right hand, thumb on middle C, every note marked with its finger number and its letter name, and only crotchets and longer notes to count. If you can find middle C, you can play these by Christmas.
Absolute beginnerAngels We Have Heard on High (Verse)C position · 4/4 · 16 barsThe verse of the carol, the part before the long “Gloria”.
Absolute beginnerMorgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann (Father Christmas Comes Tomorrow)C position · 4/4 · 12 barsIf you know Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, you already know this tune: in Germany it is a Christmas song, sung here in the original German.
Absolute beginnerUp on the Housetop (Verse)C position · 4/4 · 16 barsThe verse of Up on the Housetop, written in long notes so that nothing is quicker than one count.
Absolute beginnerO Come, Little Children (Ihr Kinderlein, kommet)C position · 4/4 · 8 bars and a pickupThe first half of a German children’s carol, sung here in the original German.
Beginner
For a first year at the piano. The tune sits under one hand position in C, G or F major, mostly crotchets and minims, and the left hand holds long notes or simple chords that hardly move. The finger numbers are printed wherever the hand starts or moves.
BeginnerJingle BellsC major · 4/4 · 16 barsThe chorus of Jingle Bells, the part everyone knows, in C major.
BeginnerAway in a MangerC major · 3/4 · 16 bars and a pickupWilliam J.
BeginnerWe Wish You a Merry ChristmasG major · 3/4 · 8 bars and a pickupThe best-known verse of We Wish You a Merry Christmas, in G major and 3/4, with one pickup note on “We”.
BeginnerJolly Old Saint NicholasC major · 4/4 · 16 barsJolly Old Saint Nicholas in C major and 4/4, with the tune placed in the upper half of the treble staff so it sits well clear of the left hand.
BeginnerGood King WenceslasG major · 4/4 · 17 barsGood King Wenceslas in G major and 4/4, all crotchets and minims at a steady walking pace.
Intermediate
For two or three years of playing. Full verses with the words, keys up to two sharps or flats, dotted rhythms and quavers, a few position shifts, and a left hand that moves: broken chords, a waltz bass or a walking line.
IntermediateSilent NightB flat major · 6/8 · 16 barsGruber’s lullaby in B flat major, two flats, with the whole first verse framed by a two-bar music-box introduction and a two-bar echo at the end, both played an octave higher.
IntermediateDeck the HallsF major · 4/4 · 16 barsThe Welsh New Year tune with its fa-la-las, in F major, one flat (B flat), all four lines of verse 1.
IntermediateJoy to the WorldD major · 2/4 · 20 barsLowell Mason’s tune in D major, two sharps (F sharp and C sharp), the whole of verse 1.
IntermediateThe First NoelD major · 3/4 · 24 bars and a pickupThe old English carol in D major, two sharps, with verse 1 and the “Noel, Noel” refrain.
IntermediateO Come, All Ye FaithfulG major · 4/4 · 20 bars and a pickupThe Christmas processional in G major, one sharp (F sharp), with verse 1 and the full refrain.
Advanced
For a confident player, around AMEB Grade 5 to 7. Full concert-style arrangements: the tune in chords and octaves, left-hand octaves and arpeggios, inner lines, chromatic harmony, wider keys and a real climax. Two of them are instrumental showpieces.
AdvancedO Holy NightC major · 12/8 · 25 bars and a pickupAdolphe Adam’s Cantique de Noël in C major, from “O holy night” to the final “O night divine”.
AdvancedHark! The Herald Angels SingG major · 4/4 · 40 barsMendelssohn’s tune in G major, with two verses written out.
AdvancedDance of the Sugar Plum FairyE minor · 2/4 · 38 barsTchaikovsky’s dance in E minor, arranged from the orchestral score.
AdvancedShchedryk (The Bell Carol)G minor · 3/4 · 48 barsLeontovych’s choral setting in G minor, played through and then built up again.
AdvancedGod Rest Ye Merry, GentlemenE minor · 4/4 · 38 bars and a pickupThe carol in E minor, two verses with the refrain, at a brisk walking pace.
How the levels work
Each level is a different arrangement style, not just a harder tune. Kids and Absolute beginner pieces are one line of music for the right hand alone: thumb on middle C, one finger on each of the five white keys above it, and every note marked with its finger number and its letter name, so you can play them without knowing how to read music. Beginner pieces keep each hand in one place, so you can learn them by reading one note at a time. Intermediate pieces have the whole verse and a left hand that moves, the way a carol book for a school concert would print it. Advanced pieces are full arrangements to play on your own at a Christmas service or concert, with the tune in chords and octaves and the accompaniment underneath.
If a piece is a little too hard, press Slower and practise one hand at a time with the hand buttons, then put them together. For an even gentler start, the carols in our kids’ sheet music are one line of music with a finger number and letter name on every note.