The library · Christmas
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn
A Mendelssohn melody, first written for the Gutenberg festival in Leipzig: it springs up a fourth, then climbs in stages, like a fanfare.
F major · 4/4 · 60 beats per minute · 20 bars · 1 min 20 · beginner level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
A B A' C D D E F E' F'
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–2 | F · F/A · C I · I · V |
Half cadence |
| B | 3–4 | Am · B♭ · C · F iii · IV · V · I |
Authentic cadence |
| A' | 5–6 | F · Dm7 · G7/B I · vi7 · V7/V |
— |
| C | 7–8 | A7sus4 · C · F · C III7sus4 · V · I · V |
Half cadence |
| D | 9–10 | Am/C · Csus4/E · Csus4 iii · Vsus4 · Vsus4 |
Half cadence |
| D | 11–12 | Am/C · Csus4/E · Csus4 iii · Vsus4 · Vsus4 |
Half cadence |
| E | 13–14 | B♭ · B♭aug · Gm IV · IV+ · ii |
— |
| F | 15–16 | C7/B♭ · F/A · C7 · F V7 · I · V7 · I |
Authentic cadence |
| E' | 17–18 | B♭ · Gm/B♭ · Gm IV · ii · ii |
— |
| F' | 19–20 | C7/E · Fsus4/B♭ · C7 · F V7 · Isus4 · V7 · I |
Authentic cadence |
The key
- F major
- 1 flat in the key signature: B♭
- Scale
- F · G · A · B♭ · C · D · E
- Pillar chords
- I = F · IV = B♭ · V7 = C7
The tricky passages
- Bar 9: a melodic leap (octave)
The plan: 13 days
Half an hour a day. First I help you understand the map of the piece, then we lay down the chord framework, learn each section phrase by phrase, work on the tricky passages, put it together and bring it up to tempo, until you can play it from memory.
More pieces from the library
- Silent Night · Franz Xaver Gruber
- O Holy Night · Adolphe Adam
- O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) · John Francis Wade
- The First Noel · Traditional English carol
- Joy to the World · Lowell Mason, after Handel
- Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming (Es ist ein Ros entsprungen) · Traditional German carol