Adolphe Adam and John Sullivan Dwight · Key of C · Public domain
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This chart is written in C. Tap any key above the chart to see the whole song in that key, with every chord already worked out. To stay in C with different chord shapes, play it capo 3 with the A shapes, or capo 5 with the G shapes. Singing with a group? Pick the key where the highest note is comfortable for everyone, then print that page.
O Holy Night began in the small French town of Roquemaure in 1843, when the parish priest asked the local wine merchant and occasional poet Placide Cappeau to write a Christmas poem to celebrate the church's newly renovated organ. Cappeau wrote "Minuit, chretiens" (Midnight, Christians), and the celebrated opera composer Adolphe Adam set it to music in 1847. The soaring result was an immediate sensation in France, premiered at midnight mass by the opera singer Emily Laurey.
The English version most of the world sings came from the American music critic John Sullivan Dwight in 1855, and it is more than a translation. Dwight, an ardent abolitionist, sharpened the third verse into "Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother," and the carol found a devoted audience in Civil War era America. Both the music and the English words have been public domain for well over a century.
Count it in a slow, swaying three and let the arpeggios roll: this is a song that builds. Start gently on the C and F changes, let the Em and B7 in the fourth line darken the color, and save your fullest strumming for "Fall on your knees," which is the summit of the whole carol. The melody has a wide range, so transpose freely in the Chord Sheet Maker to find the key that fits your singer; C keeps the chord shapes friendly, and a capo moves it anywhere.
O Holy Night in other easy guitar keys: key of D, key of E, key of F, key of G, key of A. Every other key is at the top of the chart.
Tap any chord for its diagram, other voicings, and the notes inside it.
In the key of C, O Holy Night uses 6 chords: C, F, G7, Em, B7 and Am. The chords sit over the words in the chart above, and tapping a chord name under Chords in This Song opens its diagram.
This chart is in the key of C. The other easy guitar keys for it are the key of D, key of E, key of F, key of G, key of A, each with the whole song rewritten. Pick the key whose chords you know, or the one that sits best for the singers: all twelve are one tap away at the top of the chart, with capo options for keeping the open shapes.
Yes. The words and the melody of O Holy Night are in the public domain, which is why the full lyrics and chords are published here. You can print this sheet, hand it out, and perform or record the song anywhere without a license.
Another carol for midnight: Silent Night chords and lyrics
All the Christmas carol chord sheets, each one in every key.
Further reading: O Holy Night at Hymnary.org (texts, tunes, and history)
