The library · Christmas
Joy to the World
Lowell Mason, after Handel
The carol opens with a D major scale falling a whole octave: the nicest way to brush up your scales at Christmas.
D major · 2/4 · 60 beats per minute · 19 bars · 38 s · intermediate level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
Intro A B C D D D' E D'' F
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro | 1–1 | D I |
— |
| A | 2–3 | D · G6 · D/A · A I · IV6 · I · V |
Half cadence |
| B | 4–5 | D · D/F♯ · G I · I · IV |
— |
| C | 6–7 | A · D V · I |
Authentic cadence |
| D | 8–9 | D I |
— |
| D | 10–11 | D I |
— |
| D' | 12–13 | D I |
— |
| E | 14–15 | A V |
Half cadence |
| D'' | 16–17 | D · G6 I · IV6 |
— |
| F | 18–19 | D/A · A · D I · V · I |
Authentic cadence |
The key
- D major
- 2 sharps in the key signature: F♯, C♯
- Scale
- D · E · F♯ · G · A · B · C♯
- Pillar chords
- I = D · IV = G · V7 = A7
The tricky passages
- Bar 9: fast runs (4.0 notes per second)
- Bars 13–14: fast runs (4.0 notes per second)
- Bars 15–16: fast runs (4.0 notes per second), a melodic leap (octave)
The plan: 12 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
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing · Felix Mendelssohn
- Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming (Es ist ein Ros entsprungen) · Traditional German carol