Up on the Housetop (Verse) — Absolute beginner Christmas Piano Sheet Music, Free to Print

Up on the Housetop (Verse)

Free Christmas piano music for absolute beginners: 16 bars, right hand only. Put your thumb on middle C and one finger on each key; the number above each note is the finger, the letter under it is the key. Press Play to hear how it goes, press Slower to follow along, and print it for the music stand.

Where your hand goes

Find middle C: the white key just to the left of the two black keys nearest the middle of the piano. Put your right thumb on it and rest one finger on each white key going up, so your fingers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 sit on C, D, E, F and G. When you see an A, stretch your little finger up one key from G.

This piece uses 5 notes: C, D, E, G, A. In the music, the number above each note tells you the finger and the letter under it tells you the key.

About this arrangement

The verse of Up on the Housetop, written in long notes so that nothing is quicker than one count. Put your thumb on middle C and one finger on each white key up to G; your little finger also stretches up to A. Count four in every bar: crotchets (filled-in notes) get one count, minims two, and the semibreve at the end of each line four. “Up on the house-top” starts on G with finger 5, and “Out jumps” starts on A. This is the verse only, without the “Ho, ho, ho!” chorus.

Practice tip: Finger 5 does a lot of work here, moving between G and A. Keep your thumb on middle C as an anchor and let only the little finger move. Lines 1 and 3 begin the same way, so learn line 1 first.

The words

Up on the housetop reindeer pause, out jumps good old Santa Claus; down through the chimney with lots of toys, all for the little ones’ Christmas joys.

A short history

Benjamin Hanby, a young teacher and songwriter from Ohio, wrote Up on the Housetop in 1864 while running a singing school in New Paris, Ohio. It was published by Root & Cady of Chicago.

It is often called the second-oldest Christmas song that is not a hymn or carol, after Jingle Bells (1857), and the first to be all about Santa Claus. The idea of Santa landing on the roof probably came from Clement Clarke Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (“’Twas the night before Christmas”).

Hanby wrote about eighty songs, including “Darling Nelly Gray”, before he died of tuberculosis in 1867, aged only 33.

Quick facts

Tune: Benjamin Hanby, 1864
Words: Benjamin Hanby, 1864
Level: Absolute beginner (five keys, every note labelled)
Key: C position (right thumb on middle C)
Time signature: 4/4
Length: 16 bars
Tempo: Cheerfully, minim = 80
Hands: Right hand only: thumb on middle C, one finger for each key; the finger number is above every note and the letter name under it
Copyright: Public domain tune and words; arrangement by Digital Greenhouse, free for personal, church and classroom use

Questions and answers

What level is this arrangement of Up on the Housetop (Verse)?

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. It is in C position, no sharps or flats, 4/4 time, 16 bars.

Is Up on the Housetop (Verse) out of copyright?

Yes. The tune is by Benjamin Hanby, 1864 and the words sung here are by Benjamin Hanby, 1864, so both are in the public domain in Australia. Our piano arrangement is new and free for personal, church and classroom use.

Any tips for a first go?

Finger 5 does a lot of work here, moving between G and A. Keep your thumb on middle C as an anchor and let only the little finger move. Lines 1 and 3 begin the same way, so learn line 1 first.

Can I print it?

Yes. Press Print above the music to put this piece on its own pages, or choose Save as PDF as the printer for a file. It prints on A4 paper; if yours is US Letter, choose US Letter in the box beside Print.

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