The library · Christmas
Silent Night
Franz Xaver Gruber
The world's best-known Christmas carol rests on just three chords: a lovely chance to play a hymn in four voices, two in each hand.
B♭ major · 6/8 · 60 beats per minute · 12 bars · 36 s · intermediate level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
A B C C B' D
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–2 | B♭ I |
— |
| B | 3–4 | F7 · B♭ V7 · I |
Perfect cadence |
| C | 5–6 | E♭ · B♭ IV · I |
Plagal cadence |
| C | 7–8 | E♭ · B♭ IV · I |
Plagal cadence |
| B' | 9–10 | F7 · B♭ V7 · I |
Perfect cadence |
| D | 11–12 | B♭/F · F · B♭ I · V · I |
Perfect cadence |
The key
- B♭ major
- 2 flats in the key signature: B♭, E♭
- Scale
- B♭ · C · D · E♭ · F · G · A
- Pillar chords
- I = B♭ · IV = E♭ · V7 = F7
The tricky passages
- Bar 9: fast runs (4.0 notes per second), a melodic leap (minor seventh)
- Bar 11: fast runs (4.0 notes per second)
The plan: 10 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
- 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
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing · Felix Mendelssohn
- Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming (Es ist ein Ros entsprungen) · Traditional German carol