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

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.