Angels We Have Heard on High is set here in F major: an eight-bar verse played twice, then the Gloria refrain and its slurred runs. The interactive player below plays it slower and lights up each key; drag the score to jump to any bar. Sheet music, fingering for both hands and a free printable PDF come after.
Learn it with the interactive player
- Slow it down: x0.5 or x0.75 while you learn the notes, back to x1 once they flow.
- Pause anywhere: the current keys stay lit so you can find them on your own piano.
- Drag the score left or right, or use the 15s buttons, to replay a phrase.
The sheet music, section by section
Section A is the verse, measures 1-8, played twice (mf, then mp). It opens A4-A4-A4-C5 on fingers 3-3-3-5, then a dotted C5, an eighth-note Bb4 and a half-note A4. Measure 3 goes A4-G4-A4-C5, and measure 4 settles A4, G4 to F4 on the thumb. The left hand plays two half notes per bar, F2 and A2, then C3 and F2. Watch the dotted rhythm in measures 2 and 4 at x0.5.
Section B (measures 9-15) is the Gloria refrain, marked forte. Sixteen notes run under one slur: measures 9, 10 and 11 each hold a half note (C5, Bb4, then A4) and follow it with four eighths stepping down from the note above. The line lands on G4 in measure 12, the thumb drops to two middle Cs, and F4-G4-A4-Bb4, A4, G4 close on a whole-note F4. Practice measures 9-11 at x0.5, then x0.75.
The full score
Fifteen measures in all, the verse twice and the Gloria once. Since the left hand moves only in half and whole notes, let it keep the count while the right hand handles the eighth-note runs. The Allegro moderato marking is 100 to the quarter; get there through x0.5 and x0.75, and hold the last F4 under the fermata.
Note by note: keys and fingering
- Right hand: The verse sits in F position: thumb (1) on F4, index (2) on G4, middle (3) on A4, ring (4) on Bb4 and pinky (5) on C5. In the Gloria the hand moves up one key, so the thumb covers G4, ring (4) takes C5 and pinky (5) D5, then it slides back to F4 in measure 11. In measure 12 the thumb drops to middle C for two notes before returning to F4.
- Left hand: Set the left hand in F position once and leave it there: pinky (5) on F2, ring (4) on G2, middle (3) on A2, index (2) on Bb2 and thumb (1) on C3. It plays only half and whole notes, mostly F2 and C3 in the verse, and a stepwise line F2-A2, Bb2-G2, A2-F2 under the Gloria.
| Note | On the Staff | On the Keyboard | Finger |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | Ledger line below the treble staff (middle C) | Middle C | RH Thumb (1) |
| F4 | First space of treble staff | White key left of the three black keys above middle C | RH Thumb (1) |
| G4 | Second line of treble staff | White key between the first two of three black keys above middle C | RH Index (2) |
| A4 | Second space of treble staff | White key between the last two of three black keys above middle C | RH Middle (3) |
| Bb4 | Middle line of treble staff, flat in the key signature | Black key just left of B4, the highest of the three black keys above middle C | RH Ring (4) |
| C5 | Third space of treble staff | One octave above middle C | RH Pinky (5) |
| D5 | Fourth line of treble staff | White key between the two black keys above C5 | RH Pinky (5) |
| F2 | Space just below the bass staff | White key left of the three black keys, an octave and a fifth below middle C | LH Pinky (5) |
| G2 | Bottom line of bass staff | White key between the first two of three black keys, an octave and a fourth below middle C | LH Ring (4) |
| A2 | First space of bass staff | White key between the last two of three black keys, an octave and a third below middle C | LH Middle (3) |
| Bb2 | Second line of bass staff, flat in the key signature | Black key just left of B2, the highest of the three black keys below C3 | LH Index (2) |
| C3 | Second space of bass staff | One octave below middle C | LH Thumb (1) |
Prefer a video? Watch the keys light up
Same color code as the player: green marks the right hand, blue the left hand, with the score and keyboard in one vertical video.
The story behind Angels We Have Heard on High
The tune is French traditional, known in French as Les anges dans nos campagnes. It was first printed in 1842 in Lambillotte's Choix de cantiques, credited W. M. The English text, from 1862, is by James Chadwick (died 1882) and is not reproduced on this page. The verse melody used here comes from Charles L. Hutchins (died 1920), who printed it in The Parish Choir, No. 543, in 1891 and again in his Carols Old and Carols New (Boston, 1916), Carol 181. The Gloria refrain matches Lambillotte's print, but his 1842 verse is a different tune. This arrangement keeps Hutchins' key of F major, plays the verse twice and the Gloria refrain once, and adds a single-note left hand. It does not use the 1937 arrangement by E. S. Barnes.
Get the printable PDF
The printable PDF of Angels We Have Heard on High is a free direct download with no email required. Inside are the full score, fingering for both hands and a practice tip for each section. In the Free Piano Advent Calendar, whose doors open December 1-24, it sits behind door 11.
A child practicing this carol for a family Christmas can sit at our solid-wood kids piano bench. Later, once pieces use the pedal, the piano pedal extender for kids adjusts from 1.5 to 5.4 inches to bring the pedals within reach of small feet.
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FAQ
How hard is Angels We Have Heard on High on piano?
The verse is gentle. The work is in the Gloria refrain, where the right hand plays three runs of four eighth notes under one long slur and drops the thumb quickly to middle C. The left hand plays only half and whole notes in one position. In our Advent calendar collection it is Level 2.
How long does it take to learn Angels We Have Heard on High?
Most beginners need two to three weeks. Measures 5-8 repeat measures 1-4, so there are only four verse bars to learn; save most of the practice time for measures 9-12, the slurred run of the Gloria.
What level is Angels We Have Heard on High?
Level 2 of the Advent calendar collection. The arrangement is 15 measures of 4/4 in F major, marked Allegro moderato at 100 BPM. The right hand covers middle C to D5 and the left hand F2 to C3, never more than one note per hand.
What are the notes for Angels We Have Heard on High?
The verse begins A4, A4, A4, C5, then C5, Bb4, A4, then A4, G4, A4, C5 and A4, G4, F4. In the Gloria a long C5 is followed by D5, C5, Bb4, A4, and the last bars are F4, G4, A4, Bb4, A4, G4 and a long F4. The left hand opens F2, A2, C3, F2; see the full table above.