Silent Night
Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright
Music: Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 · Words: Joseph Mohr, 1816, tr. John Freeman Young, 1859 · public domain
Key: A majorRange: A4–D6
E♭ alto sax · B♭ tenor sax
Christmas songs for saxophone
Sheet music for alto, tenor, soprano and bari.
15 favorite Christmas carols as sheet music for sax: for E♭ alto sax a major sixth higher than it sounds, for B♭ tenor sax a ninth higher, each in a comfortable range. Listen, print it as a PDF, or download all carols as one book, free and with no sign-up.
See the carolsFor your sax
Alto, tenor or another instrument.
For Alto sax (E♭): written higher than it sounds, in the key for your instrument.
If a melody sits too high or too low for your instrument, it moves by an octave.
The carols
15 Christmas songs for saxophone.
Melody and first verse, written for alto sax. Playing tenor, soprano or bari? Pick your sax above and every carol appears in the key and range for your instrument.
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O Come, All Ye Faithful
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant
Music: John Francis Wade, 1751 · Words: John Francis Wade, 1751, tr. Frederick Oakeley, 1841 · public domain
Key: E majorRange: B4–B5
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Joy to the World
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King
Music: Lowell Mason, 1839, after George Frideric Handel · Words: Isaac Watts, 1719 · public domain
Key: B majorRange: B4–B5
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Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King”
Music: Felix Mendelssohn, 1840, adapted by William H. Cummings, 1855 · Words: Charles Wesley, 1739, alt. George Whitefield, 1753 · public domain
Key: D majorRange: A4–B5
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Deck the Halls
Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Music: traditional Welsh (Nos Galan), printed 1794 · Words: traditional, after Thomas Oliphant, 1862 · public domain
Key: D majorRange: C♯5–D6
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Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh
Music: James Lord Pierpont, 1857, chorus as printed 1876 · Words: James Lord Pierpont, 1857 · public domain
Key: D majorRange: A4–B5
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The First Noel
The first Noel the angel did say was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
Music: traditional English, printed 1833 · Words: traditional English, printed 1823 · public domain
Key: B majorRange: B4–B5
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God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay
Music: traditional English, printed c. 1815 · Words: traditional English, c. 1760 · public domain
Key: C♯ minorRange: B4–C♯6
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Away in a Manger
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
Music: James R. Murray, 1887 · Words: anonymous, 1882 · public domain
Key: D majorRange: A4–A5
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Once in Royal David's City
Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed
Music: Henry John Gauntlett, 1849 · Words: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848 · public domain
Key: D majorRange: A4–B5
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O Little Town of Bethlehem
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Music: Lewis H. Redner, 1868 · Words: Phillips Brooks, 1868 · public domain
Key: D majorRange: A4–B5
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Angels We Have Heard on High
Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains
Music: traditional French (Gloria), 1842, arr. Charles L. Hutchins, 1891 · Words: French carol, tr. James Chadwick, 1860 · public domain
Key: D majorRange: A4–B5
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We Three Kings
We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar
Music: John Henry Hopkins Jr., 1857 · Words: John Henry Hopkins Jr., 1857 · public domain
Key: C♯ minorRange: B4–B5
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It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old
Music: Richard Storrs Willis, 1850 · Words: Edmund H. Sears, 1849 · public domain
Key: G majorRange: B4–B5
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Good King Wenceslas
Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen
Music: Piae Cantiones, 1582 (Tempus adest floridum) · Words: John Mason Neale, 1853 · public domain
Key: D majorRange: A4–A5
Keys
Key and range of every carol on alto sax.
Which key the carol sounds in, which key you play on E♭ alto sax, and the lowest and highest written note. For tenor sax, the same table shows its own keys as soon as you pick it above.
| Carol | Concert key | For Alto sax | Range (written) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silent Night | C major | A major | A4–D6 |
| O Come, All Ye Faithful | G major | E major | B4–B5 |
| Joy to the World | D major | B major | B4–B5 |
| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | F major | D major | A4–B5 |
| Deck the Halls | F major | D major | C♯5–D6 |
| Jingle Bells | F major | D major | A4–B5 |
| The First Noel | D major | B major | B4–B5 |
| God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen | E minor | C♯ minor | B4–C♯6 |
| Away in a Manger | F major | D major | A4–A5 |
| Once in Royal David's City | F major | D major | A4–B5 |
| O Little Town of Bethlehem | F major | D major | A4–B5 |
| Angels We Have Heard on High | F major | D major | A4–B5 |
| We Three Kings | E minor | C♯ minor | B4–B5 |
| It Came Upon the Midnight Clear | B♭ major | G major | B4–B5 |
| Good King Wenceslas | F major | D major | A4–A5 |
Every note and key for the saxophones is on sax transposition.
The same carols as Christmas songs for trumpet, Christmas songs for flute and Christmas songs for clarinet, and for every other instrument on Christmas sheet music.
Your own music
Your own arrangement on paper?
Your sax quartet or big band plays its own arrangement? Photograph it, listen to it and transpose it for your sax: neumascan reads printed parts, and as a beta also full scores, and gives you your part as a PDF to print. The start of every piece is free.
Photo or PDF
Photograph the part, print it for alto or tenor.
… or drop it here. JPEG, PNG, HEIC or PDF, up to 8 MB.
Your first scan needs no sign-in; for more you create a free account. Your photo is sent to an AI service for recognition and stays in your library: 90 days without an account, with one until you delete it. Please only upload music you are allowed to use. Privacy details (German).
What key do I play in on alto sax?
A major sixth higher than the carol sounds (or a minor third lower): a carol in C major is played in A major, one in F major in D major. Every carol on this page is already written that way.
And on tenor sax?
A major ninth higher than concert pitch, a major second plus an octave: C major becomes D major. Pick “Tenor sax” above and every carol is written that way.
Why is a carol an octave lower for tenor sax?
So it sits well. A melody in the soprano range would otherwise end up in the altissimo on tenor. The page picks the octave in which each carol is comfortable on your sax.
Does the music work for soprano and bari sax?
Yes. Soprano sax reads like the B♭ trumpet. Bari sax reads the same notes as the alto sax and sounds an octave lower. Both are in the list above.
Is the sheet music free, and may I perform it?
Yes. The melodies and words are in the public domain, so you can download, copy and perform them with no sign-up, at church, in school or at the Christmas concert.
How do I print all carols at once?
With “All 15 carols as PDF” you get a carol book for your sax, each carol on its own page.