50 Christmas Carols

This is a reliable, concise collection of carols for assemblies, carol singing, nativity plays, choral concerts, or just a sing-song around the piano. The term 'carol' is applied rather loosely, as the collection contains seasonal songs such as 'Auld lang syne', 'Jingle Bells' and 'We wish you a merry Christmas' as well as the more obvious pieces such as 'Hark the herald angels sing' and 'O come, all ye faithful'. There are many traditional English carols, and some European carols in translation are also included, for example, 'The angel Gabriel from heaven came' (Basque), 'He is born, the holy child' (French), 'King Jesus hath a garden' (Dutch) and 'Little Jesus, sweetly sleep' (Czech). All of the carols are harmonised simply in four parts for choirs and carol singers to perform with a minimum of rehearsal. They are notated in closed score on two staves, so they can be easily played on the piano or organ. In addition, chord symbols are given for guitarists and keyboard players who prefer reading chords and melody. The words for all the verses are printed as underlay, rather than block text, as this is easier to read, especially for less experienced choral singers. Most of the carols are printed on a single page, with a few carols on a double-page spread, so there is no need for page turns. The keys are chosen, and transposed where necessary, so that no key signature has more than three flats or sharps, and to provide comfortable singing ranges for most singers.