Introduction
Here we present a simple arrangement of the Christmas carol Angels We Have Heard On High. It’s from a traditional French song called “Les Anges dans nos campagnes”, with paraphrased English lyrics by James Chadwick.
It shares many similarities with the carol Angels From the Realms of Glory, having the same root and influence, the same chorus. The melody differs only a little.
This is part of our mastering Christmas carols on the piano and keyboard series.
Format
The carol is presented here in F major, therefore just a single flat (Bb) to contend with, although there are a couple of accidentals (sharps) in the chord accompaniment.
It has a time signature of 4/4.
There are four distinct melody lines. Lines one and two repeat, as do lines three and four (with the addition of a final note.)
- Section 1: bars 1 through to 4
- Section 2: bars 5 through to 8 — a repeat of section 1
- Section 3: bars 9 through to 14
- Section 4: bars 15 through to 21 (the end) — a repeat of section 3 plus a final note.
Angels We Have Heard On High melody
Here we provide the music for the carol’s melody. We have also provided simple chords above the staff which can be used to accompany.
Angels We Have Heard On High bass line
Here is a version with a simple one note bass line in the left hand. Notes are primarily half or quarter notes.
Angels We Have Heard On High chords
Finally we provide a version of the carol with left hand chords. Some are inversions (also known as slash chords).
A quick note about ‘slash’ chords — these are written in x/y format. They indicate the chord to play followed by the bass note.
If the bass note is already part of the chord (say C/A) then it means to play that chord in an inversion. Alternatively, you can play the C major chord and a separate, lower A bass note if desired.
As a quick guide, here are the slash chords in this carol:
- C/E — means to play the first inversion of a C major chord — E G C
- F/A — means to play the first inversion of an F major chord — A C F
- Bb/F — means to play the second inversion of a Bb major chord — F Bb D
- F/C — means to play the second inversion of an F major chord — C F A
We hope you found this tutorial useful.
