Traditional English folk carol C major 3/4 Easy 0:44 Both hands
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The First Noel is a slow, flowing carol in 3/4 and one of the easiest to learn, because it is made of one tune heard three times: the two halves of the verse are the same, and the refrain, 'Noel, Noel', changes only a few notes. This easy version follows a Victorian carol book and moves the tune from D down to C major, so there are no black keys at all. The right hand climbs from middle C to the C above and comes back down, and the left hand plays one long note per bar - C, A, F or G. Learn the first eight bars in Practice mode and you already know most of the song; then press Listen to hear the whole carol.
The melody stays between middle C and the C an octave above. Each phrase starts low, E D C, climbs the scale to the high C and falls back to E. Begin with the thumb on middle C; the thumb passes under in bar 1 so the hand can reach the top of the scale, and comes back down at the end of each phrase.
One note per bar, held for three beats: C, A or G below middle C, and F once in the refrain (bar 19). In bars 7, 15 and 23 the left hand plays C for two beats and G for one, under the end of the phrase.
The long notes. Bars 2 and 4 begin with a half note, G, followed by two quick eighth notes, A B: hold the G for two full beats before moving. In bar 1 the C is a dotted quarter, a beat and a half, then D E F are quick. In bar 20, near the end of the refrain, the G fills the whole bar: count 1-2-3 before 'born is the King'.
Pick-up and bar 1: E D C D E F is 3-2-1-2-3-1 - the thumb passes under to F, as in the C major scale - so that bar 2, G A B, is 2-3-4 and bar 3, C B A, is 5-4-3. Bar 7, C G F, is 5-2-1; then cross the third finger over to E and the hand is back where it started.
The right-hand melody of this version, bar by bar, in letter names and in Do Ré Mi. Sharps are written #, flats b; a note held across a bar line is written once.
Melody: E D C D E F G A B C B A G A B C B A G A B C G F …
| Bar | Notes | Do Ré Mi |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup | E D | Mi Ré |
| 1 | C D E F | Do Ré Mi Fa |
| 2 | G A B | Sol La Si |
| 3 | C B A | Do Si La |
| 4 | G A B | Sol La Si |
| 5 | C B A | Do Si La |
| 6 | G A B | Sol La Si |
| 7 | C G F | Do Sol Fa |
| 8 | E E D | Mi Mi Ré |
| 9 | C D E F | Do Ré Mi Fa |
| 10 | G A B | Sol La Si |
| 11 | C B A | Do Si La |
| 12 | G A B | Sol La Si |
| 13 | C B A | Do Si La |
| 14 | G A B | Sol La Si |
| 15 | C G F | Do Sol Fa |
| 16 | E E D | Mi Mi Ré |
| 17 | C D E F | Do Ré Mi Fa |
| 18 | G C B | Sol Do Si |
| 19 | A A | La La |
| 20 | G | Sol |
| 21 | C B A | Do Si La |
| 22 | G A B | Sol La Si |
| 23 | C G F | Do Sol Fa |
| 24 | E | Mi |
The First Noel is a traditional English carol, often said to come from Cornwall, and it was first printed in the early 19th century in collections of old carols. Noel, spelled Nowell in many British books, comes from the French Noël, Christmas.
Its many verses tell the Christmas story from the shepherds in the fields to the wise men following the star. Every phrase of the tune has the same shape - it starts low, climbs the scale to the high note and falls back - which is why it is so easy to remember, and why the long carol never feels hurried.
The notes on this page follow Christmas Carols New and Old, the Victorian collection edited by Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer and published by Novello, where the carol is printed in D major as The First Nowell.
This transcription: Bramley & Stainer, Christmas Carols New and Old (London: Novello, Ewer & Co.), No. 6 "The First Nowell", pp. 12-13, archive.org christ00bram, pages n17-n18: the melody transposed from D to C major; left hand by GOONS Studio. Transcribed by GOONS Studio from the original work, which is in the public domain.
Easy Version · C major
Easy Version · G major
Easy Version · A minor
Easy Version · G majorThe full piano studio opens this score with your MIDI keyboard and sustain pedal, records what you play and exports it as a MIDI file. It comes with the GOONS Studio subscription - start with the 7-day free trial, no card required.
In C major: E D, C D E F, G A B, C B A, G A B, C B A, G A B, C G F, E (Mi Ré, Do Ré Mi Fa, Sol La Si, Do Si La...). The second half of the verse is the same, and the refrain starts E D, C D E F, G C B, A A, G. Every bar is in the Notes section.
Both are used. Noel comes from the French Noël, Christmas; many British carol books print The First Nowell, while American books more often use The First Noel.
Yes, level 2 of 5 here: one tune heard three times, all on white keys, with a left hand of long notes. The one technical point is the thumb passing under in bar 1, as in a C major scale.