Introduction
Here we present a simple arrangement of the Christmas carol Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel. It is a hymn written for Advent.
The 1851 translation by John Mason Neale from Hymns Ancient and Modern is the most prominent by far in the English-speaking world, but other English translations also exist.
This is part of our mastering Christmas carols on the piano and keyboard series.
Format
The carol is presented here in G major, therefore just a single sharp (F#) to contend with.
It has a time signature of 4/4.
Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel 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.
The melody is comprised primarily of quarter notes (crotchets), with occasional half notes and dotted half notes.
Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel bass line
Here is a version with a simple one note bass line in the left hand. Notes are primarily whole, half or dotted half notes, with a few quarter notes.
Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel chords
Finally we provide a version of the carol with left hand chords. There is one ‘slash’ chord — G/B — which simply means to play a G major chord in first inversion (B, D, G).
It is worth noting that many versions I have heard play an E major, rather than minor, on the last chord of the final chorus.
We hope you found this tutorial useful.
