O Holy Night chords
by Celtic Woman- Composer: Adolphe Charles Adam
- Lyrics: Johnn Sullivan Dwight
- Featured Artists: Celtic Woman from the album A Christmas Celebration
- Music: Key of C Major in 12/8 time at ~ 56 bpm (♩)
- Chords: C, C7, F, G, G7, Em, B7, Am, Dm
- Vocal Range: G3-A5
Chart Legend
Numbered Circles: Fingers used to play chords O: Optional Note
Barre Line: One finger holds down multiple strings R: Root Note
Unmarked strings: Play open X: Don't play string B: Bass Note
Barre Line: One finger holds down multiple strings R: Root Note
Unmarked strings: Play open X: Don't play string B: Bass Note
O Holy Night
Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key
Intro: 12/8 || C / / F | C / / F ||
C F C
1. O Ho-ly night The stars are bright-ly shin-ing
G C
It is the night of our dear Sav-iour's birth
F C C7
Long lay the world In sin and error pin-ing
Em B7 Em
Till He ap-peared and the Soul felt its worth
G7 C
A thrill of hope The wear-y world re-joi-ces
G7 C
For yon-der breaks A new and glor-i-ous morn
Am Em Dm Am
Fall on your knees Oh hear the an-gel voic-es
C G7 C F C G7 C
O ni - ight di-vine O night When Christ was born
G7 C F C G7 C
O night Di-vine O night O night di-vine
C F G C G7 C F G C G7
Instr:|| / | / / | / | / / ||
(vine)
C F C C7
2. Chains shall He break For the slave is our bro-ther
Em B7 Em
And in His name all op-pres-sion shall cease
G7 C
Sweet hymns of joy In grate-ful chor-us raise we
G7 C
Let all with-in us praise His Ho-ly name
Am Em Dm Am
Christ is the Lord and ev-er ev-er praise we
C G7 C F C G7 C
No - e - el No-el___ O night___ O night di-vine
G7 C F C G7 C
No - el No - el___ O night___ O night di-vine
G7 C F C Dm C G7 C
No - el No - el...el - el O night O night di-vine
C F C F C
Outro: || / / | / / | ||
(vine)
- Reading the Song Charts - a closer look at reading the song charts on this site
- Chord Transposer - a better understanding of how it works
- Christmas Carols Page - Easier Version in C Major
Notes:
- Level Of Ease: Easy - ideal for beginners. All chords are easy to play with F and B7 needing a little more attention... you'll enjoy this one.
- 12/8 Time: 12 eighth-note/quaver beats per bar
- Tempo: approx 56 bpm (♩.) This means that each beat is counted as a dotted quarter-note/crotchet which is equivalent to 3 eighth/quaver notes for each beat. If we set the tempo for every eighth-note/quaver, it would be racing along at 168 bpm's (3x56) which would be extremely off-putting and not in keeping with the style of song.
- The 2 bar intro becomes easier if you count the tempo as above, with one count for every 3 quavers. The 12/8 count is actually | 1&& 2&& 3&& 4&& | You can simply count it as | 1 2 3 4 | keeping in mind each beat is equal to 3 eighth-notes or quavers.
- If you are finger-picking, listen carefully to the harp especially in the Intro and at the end of the song. You will hear the picking on every eighth-note beat... follow this closely and do the same if you're finger-picking. In the Intro, count every eighth-note as 1 pick, so it would look and play like this | CCC CCC CCC FFF | CCC CCC CCC FFF | - The same 2 bars are played at the end of the song.
- The simile mark ( / )means you repeat the previous chord or note in the bar, therefore
C F || / / || means 3 beats on C major and 1 beat on F major C F G || / || means 1 beat on C, one beat on F and 2 beats on G C G7 || / / || means 2 beats on C major and 2 beats on G7 - You will notice timing changes especially towards the end of the song. If you are playing alone, it can be a little off-putting, but stick with it. These are the sorts of things that add to your ability as a musician and help you to broaden your horizons, not only on your playing style, but also in your musical appreciation.
- This is an excellent arrangement. Notice how the orchestra and choir create an intense 'feel' and mood... along with the superb voices of Celtic Woman.
