For lever or pedal harp.
Arranged for beginning and advanced harpists.
This book or PDF download includes Sylvia Woods' multi-level arrangements of 50 of the best-known traditional Christmas carols, with their lyrics. Each piece has two arrangements: an easy version, and one that is more difficult. This book is a popular Christmas standard for both beginners and professionals. All pieces include fingerings and are in C or sharp keys. 96 pages. The book is spiral-bound.
See the complete list of carols below.
If you purchase two or more of these Christmas Carol products in the same order, you will receive a $1 discount on each one.
Your shopping cart will automatically reflect these lower prices.
Companion CD or mp3 downloads
The Companion CD and mp3 downloads include the pieces from this book and also from Sylvia's Chanukah Music for All Harps book. These recordings assist harp players in learning the pieces in these books. Since many of you will want to "play along" as you are learning, Sylvia has recorded most of the pieces slower than they are usually played, and as "straight" as possible, with little or no expression or rhythmic variations.
In the books each piece has two arrangements: (A) an easy version, and (B) one that is more difficult. On these recordings, Sylvia plays the "B" versions. Since the two versions can be played as a duet, you can play either version along with the recording. The pieces are in the same order as in the books, with the Christmas pieces first, and then the Chanukah ones.
We are selling this music in a variety of formats:
- Book and/or Companion CD, which we will mail to you
- PDF and/or mp3 files, to be downloaded to your computer.
Click on the blue titles below to see a sample of the first few lines of music.
- Angels and the Shepherds
- Angels We Have Heard on High
- Away in a Manger (first melody)
- Away in a Manger (second melody)
- Blessed Be that Maid Marie
- Boar's Head Carol
- Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella
- Cherry Tree Carol
- Christ Was Born on Christmas Day
- Coventry Carol
- Deck the Halls
- Ding Dong Merrily On High
- Entre Le Boeuf
- First Nowell (First Noel)
- Gloucestershire Wassail
- Go Tell It on the Mountains
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Good Christian Men Rejoice
- Good King Wenceslas
- Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
- Here We Come A'Wassailing
- Holly and the Ivy
- I Saw 3 Ships
- Il Est Ne (He is Born)
- Ihr Kinderlein Kommet
- Infant Holy
- It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
- Jingle Bells
- Joy to the World
- Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
- Lo How a Rose
- Masters in this Hall
- Noel Nouvelet (A New Noel)
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- O Come, O Come Emmanuel
- O Holy Night
- O Sanctissima
- O Tannenbaum
- Shepherds Hurried to Bethlehem
- Silent Night
- Snow Lay on the Ground
- 12 Days of Christmas
- Up on the Housetop
- We Three Kings
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- What Child Is This? (Greensleeves)
- Whence Is that Goodly Fragrance?
- While By My Sheep
- While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
- Willie Take Your Little Drum
Videos
Reviews
Write a review50 Christmas Carols for All Harps
By Nora Wu
I am so glad that I bought this book because it is both easy to play with two versions and sounding oh so beautiful. I have been playing it all year round, not just at Christmas. My husband loves to listen to it. Thanks to Sylvia.
Must have!
By Anna Dunwoodie
This is one book we couldn't be without during the holidays. It is so versatile that harpers of any ability can join and make some christmas music at their own level. This is our Christmas music bible - Auckland harp get togethers at this time of the year come with a reminder "bring harp, chair, stand and SW 50 carols book". Best value for $$ as everyone knows a lot of the tunes from this book! Thanks, Sylvia!!
Great book!
By
I started taking harp lessons about 3 months ago and played the A arrangement (simpler version) of "Silent Night" this past Christmas. It's very exciting for a beginner harpist like myself to be able to play a Christmas song and it encourages further practice for next year, so that I may be able to play the B version as well and many more songs. I would recommend this book to both beginners and more advanced players, since it comes with both a simple version and a more difficult version of each song. The book is good quality with a pretty cover and has every Christmas song imaginable. I am very glad I bought this book!
Wonderful!
By Simone Salmon
I use this book at gigs every Christmas season. It's something no harpist should be without!
Great Christmas music for Harp!
By Susan Jayne White
I started teaching myself harp two years ago and decided this year to start working on Christmas music. I am delighted to have the easy versions to be able to play now and still have the harder ones to progress to later! I am extremely pleased to have such a variety of Christmas music to work on! Thank you, Sylvia!
Great Christmas gig book
By Lydia Sander
Great book for both starters and intermedete players. Very wide variety and lovely little tunes! Great for the Christmas season! Good background music for dinners too.
Christmas companion
By Karen
I started learning this book alone 2 years ago. Since then my children have joined in and they now play it in Christmas carols and performances. It has certainly become our regular Christmas companion with lots of pieces to choose from that are suitable to different levels.
Great for Duets!
By Audrey Joyner
I and my teacher played at an Assisted Living home for Christmas and this book was a tremendous help. Instead of having a notebook of music we practicly just played through the book. Plus, since the book as an easier and harder version for each song my teacher played the the "B" part of the song and I played the "A" part. It worked out perfectly for a duet. Thank you so much Ms. Sylvia!!
Loved this book through the years!
By Natalie Wagner
This is one of the first books my teacher told me to buy when I first began playing the harp 6 years ago. I've had it so long I forget that some people don't own it, it's such a wonderful book somehow I just assume it comes with the harp. Great for beginners, and as you grow you can learn the B version. And once you progress beyond that it's easy to spiff up the arrangements thanks to the chord symbols!
mandatory for Christmas
By Eric Bryan
It may still be summer time, but I have been gearing up for Christmas with this book. As with all of Sylvia's books, this one has a nice range of songs for different skill levels. The companion CD is a great learning aide, for those working on reading musical notation better. I especially liked the version of "Ihr Kinderlein Kommet," and it even includes the lyrics in German!
Great book!
By Kati
I am a beginning harpist, though I play various other instruments, and this book is really wonderful! My harp only goes to the C below middle C, and the arrangements in this book make it easy to modify the left hand so I can play all of the songs. Fingerings are included as well and they are very clear and easy to pick up. I was looking for a good Christmas book so I'd have something to play in church when December rolls around, and I have found it!
Love these songs!
By Olivia Claggett
I have not played many songs out of this book because I don't have the need, but I love the ones I have played. My favorite is "O Holy Night." It is a gorgeous arrangement especially for a church service!
Great Book
By Jessica Slade
Perfect for every Christmas!
My Classic Christmas Carol Book
By Sarah Kay Bierle
Throughout the holiday season, people want to hear the old traditional Christmas carols . . . especially on a harp! In my collection of Christmas music I have the arrangements with all the glissandos, complicated finger patterns, harmonics, etc. etc. etc. But Sylvia Woods Christmas Carol book is still a favorite because of its simplicity and variety of carols. It is great for beginners to play the "easy version" and later learn the harder arrangement and it is fun for more experienced harpists to improvise. Overall, this is the Christmas Carol book that I choose to play from when people want to sing or when I need to play some carols for my own enjoyment.
50 Christmas Carol Book
By Barbara Banfield
Wanted to tell you how much I love this book. Super fast delivery, thank you.Started to play it right away and discovered several songs that were not heard since my childhood. What wonderful memories flooded back. Not a harpist, but a keyboardist who appreciates the A & B versions giving me a lovely choice. Will enjoy this book for many
years to come. Thank you
Sylvia Woods.
Great book!
By Elanee Smythe
I really appreciate the Christmas Carols selection that is in this book. It is so special to hear and play these wonderful exaltations of our glorious Savior. "For unto us a child is born unto us a Son is given" Isaiah 9:6
a lifesaver!
By Faye Fishman
This book was a lifesaver. I was called to play background for a holiday event that was to be in one week. I hadn't looked at holiday material as I had no calls. But because I had 50 Christmas Carols on hand I pulled it out and tried each one. Because there are easy and more difficult arrangements I could pick the easy one and because of the guitar chords I could improvise. It was great; I added holiday melodies and they told me afterwards that they liked the selection of melodies. So thanks. This should be a basic book to have.
Wonderful for Multiple Levels
By AshMac
These are all the old favorites and then some! I like that there are easier arrangements for novices like me and more challenging arrangements as something to strive for. Bravo, Sylvia Woods! You've done it again!
LOVE IT!
By Lisa Harper
I bought this book and absolutely love it. So many great tunes to play and I love that the words are included. I can't recommend it enough!
Good variety
By L Cumming
Lovely book with a variety of songs. I appreciate two version, one easy, one harder.
Variety; Sing-a-long; easy/adv side by side
By Sharon Oppedisano
The variety of popular Christmas music in this book can be used in any venue for all ages: hospital, senior living, dinner music, church, sing-a-longs for young children to elderly. Beginner/adv side by side allows starting with beginner, and ending with advanced, or going back and forth within the song. It is extremely well written and notated. I have used it as a beginner and as a more advanced player, as well in a harp group where harpists of varying levels could play different parts of the scripts.
Great for all levels
By Nicky Lyons
This book is so fun to play! The two versions of the songs make it easy for even newer players to add some holiday music to their repertoire. This one is a must-have!
Gig Book Staple
By Cherith Hendrich
This album is a staple to my Christmas gig book! I've been gigging for over 15 years and Sylvia's music is definitely a cornerstone of my repertoire. It has all the essentials -- beautiful melodies and chords. I highly recommend her music to any harpist!
What a Gift!
By Eva Chapman
50 Christmas Carols was my first harp book which was given to me at Christmas by my daughter. She heard me mention that I wanted to learn to play the harp so the gift was a great way to get me started on that goal. At the time I received the book, I did not know how to play the harp or even own a harp but I played the Christmas music in the book on the piano and loved it and vowed I would learn the harp some day. That day came about five years later when I met a most talented harp teacher who also was my handbell director and as the saying goes, "...the rest is history." I learned to play the harp and now own two celtic harps and of course, 50 Christmas Carols, became one of my favorite go-to books. There are two versions of the tunes in this book--the first version is an arrangement that is perfect for beginning harp students and the second version works for more advanced students. My harp teacher and I can play duets with this book--we can alternate playing the easy and more advanced arrangements which makes it fun as well as challenging. I thank my daughter for gifting me this great book which set in motion my dream of learning to play the harp.
A Wonderful Collection
By Joy Davies
This book is a must have for Christmas and other Holiday celebrations. It has great arrangements for different skill levels and a good mix of selections for all to enjoy. I highly recommend it.
Must Have for performing Christmas Carols!
By Kim Perkins
My sister ordered this from Sylvia Woods's website as a Christmas gift for me several years ago, and I love it! This is my staple Christmas carol book for the gigs I play during the holidays. All of the tunes have the chord names written above, so even if I get a request to play a tune I haven't really played yet, I can just play the "A" (easier) version of the tune (there is an "A" version and a more fancy "B" version) using the chord names so it's a lead sheet. Perfect! Any Christmas Carol you can think of is in here.
Excellent Resource!
By Lynda D Thompson
I've had this book for at least 15 years, and it's pretty much the only book I use during the holiday season. It's served me well, as a beginner I learned the easier arrangements, and the more challenging arrangements allowed the book to grow with me. Can't go wrong with this book, or any Sylvia Woods book for that matter.
Wonderful Harp Book
By Margaret Coulter
This is a wonderful book appropriate for harp players of all levels learning Christmas carols. The songs have A versions and B versions. The A versions of these songs are suitable for beginning harp players who have been playing for less than a year. The B versions are the more advanced versions for intermediate and advanced players. If you are a beginning harp player and do not own this book, please consider buying it. Beginning harp players taking private lessons should consult with their teacher before buying this book. If the teacher recommends this book, then the student should buy it.