I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
About the Song
For this selection I have combined an original melody with a single line from the familiar tune by John Baptiste Calkin.
The lyrics are the work of American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem, titled “Christmas Bells,” is somewhat longer, and the selected stanzas were rearranged when Calkin set them to music.The lyrics are presented here as they appear on the sheet music for this arrangement.
The flute obbligato goes with the solo version. It could possibly work with the SATB, but the measures don’t line up, so you’d have to fuss with it. There is no score for the “violins” you hear in the recording.
Sheet Music Downloads
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to download the free track for personal use.
Recording featuring vocals by James Loynes:
Accompaniment track:
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Lyrics
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth
Peace on earth
I thought how as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth
Peace on earth
Peace on earth, good will to men
And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth
Peace on earth
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth
Peace on earth”
Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth
Peace on earth
Peace on earth, good will to men
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12 Comments
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I picked this for a baritone solo for our church Christmas program. It is so beautiful! Thank you for this beautiful arrangement!
I love your music. I love playing your music. I am so grateful that you share your music
How do I print your music. I can’t find a print icon
I wish you had the choir arrangement of this song so we could practice at home. It’s a really beautiful song though. Thanks for making your music available to everyone.
As we practiced this delightful piece today we realized the repeated signature three note tune is actually a bell tone and the cadence of the accompaniment corresponds to the rhythm of a carillon. As always, thank you Sally,
I LOVE this !!! Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us. The melody and accompaniment beautifully tell the message of the poem.
I tried to use the Personal Composer and literally tired every which way to change the key and it never opened. I am not sure what I am doing wrong, I followed the directions and nothing worked. It is a little low so am trying to get it up a step, and get rid of the four sharps at the end.
My husband and I are serving a mission in Spain. We have an upcoming zone conference and were asked to search for special Christmas numbers that would add to the spirit of the season and uplift the elders and sisters at the conference. As I played/practiced several of your pieces in our little chapel here, alone last night, I was filled with gratitude for your gifts and your generosity. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. We have loved, and been inspired by, your music for many years. Thank you! Thank you!
I would love to use the violin and flute for our ward choir, but there is no violin obligato and the flute isn’t in the same key.
The violins you hear are digital… played on a keyboard… so no, there is no score for them. The flute was written for the solo version, and you’re correct, that is in a different key than the SATB. The Personal Composer file is available, so you can transpose it to the correct key, but you’ll have to fuss with it. Since it wasn’t written to go with the SATB, the measures and key changes don’t match up.
It’s really frustrating that the SATB flute part is not provided, and that there is no recording available either so I can make sure I’m altering the file properly.
The problem is… there *isn’t* an SATB flute part. You’re welcome to fuss with the solo flute obbligato if you have the ability, but I simply haven’t written a flute obbligato to go with the SATB. Convincing somebody to give me an extra day in the week would help… 😉