The O Holy Night chords in the key of C are C, F, G7, Em, B7, Am and Dm, and the same seven work on guitar, piano and ukulele. Below are the chords with the words, the piano notes for the whole tune, the song in every common key, and how to pick a key for a range that runs from middle C up a tenth to E5.
C is an easy key for all three instruments at once: every chord except F is an open shape on guitar, and on ukulele none needs a barre. It's high for many voices, though, and the key section below has lower options.
The short version
Seven chords in C: C, F and G7 carry the verse, Em and B7 turn it toward E minor on "Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth," and Am, Em, Dm and Am open the chorus on "Fall on your knees." The tune spans a tenth, so for a group try B flat or A.
What chords are in O Holy Night?
O Holy Night uses seven chords in C: C, F and G7 (the 1, 4 and 5), Em and B7 for the line that dips into E minor, and Am and Dm for the chorus. On guitar, piano and ukulele the chords are the same, so one chart covers everyone.
The verse is mostly C and F, with G7 leading back to C on "dear Savior's birth" and in the "thrill of hope" and "yonder breaks" lines. The fourth line, "Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth," is the song's one turn: Em, then B7, then Em, a brief move to E minor. B7 is the 5 chord of E minor, and it's the only chord in the chart with notes outside the key of C (D sharp and F sharp).
The chorus opens on Am, the 6 minor chord, and walks Am, Em, Dm, Am under "Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices." Then "O night divine" brings C, G7 and F back for the climb to the song's highest notes.
| Number | Chord in C | Piano notes | Where it comes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | C, E, G | Most of the verse |
| 4 | F | F, A, C | "stars are brightly," "sin and error," the "O" before "night when Christ" |
| 5 (as a 7th) | G7 | G, B, D, F | Ends of lines |
| 3 minor | Em | E, G, B | "Till He appeared," "knees" |
| 3 major, as a 7th | B7 | B, D♯, F♯, A | "soul felt its" |
| 6 minor | Am | A, C, E | "Fall on your knees" |
| 2 minor | Dm | D, F, A | "hear the angel" |
The numbers are the chords' places in the key of C, which is how the key table further down moves them to other keys.
O Holy Night lyrics and chords
These are John Sullivan Dwight's English words with the O Holy Night chords in C. Each chord sits on the syllable where it changes and rings until the next one. Verses 2 and 3 use the same chords as verse 1, line for line.
Verse 1 and chorus (key of C)
[C]O holy night, the [F]stars are brightly [C]shining,
It is the night of the [G7]dear Savior's [C]birth.
Long lay the world in [F]sin and error [C]pining,
Till He ap[Em]peared and the [B7]soul felt its [Em]worth.
A [G7]thrill of hope, the [C]weary world rejoices,
For [G7]yonder breaks a [C]new and glorious morn.
[Am]Fall on your [Em]knees, oh [Dm]hear the angel [Am]voices!
O [C]night [G7]di[C]vine, [F]O [C]night [G7]when Christ was [C]born!
O [G7]night, O [C]ho[F]ly [C]night, [G7]O night di[C]vine!
Verses 2 and 3
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness no stranger.
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, your King, before Him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
Printings differ on the last line of each verse. The text Wikipedia gives for Dwight ends verse 1 "O night divine! O night, O night divine!", while others, from an 1875 Boston printing to modern hymnals, have "O night, O holy night, O night divine!" Both fit the same chords.
How do you play O Holy Night on guitar?
The O Holy Night guitar chords in C are C (x32010), F (xx3211 or the full barre), G7 (320001), Em (022000), B7 (x21202), Am (x02210) and Dm (xx0231), counting strings from the low E. Play it slowly, with a rocking feel, and pick or strum gently on every beat.
Some arrangements write it in 6/8 or 12/8 and others in 4/4, and the pulse is slow and rocking either way. An arpeggio suits it better than strumming: the bass note on the beat, then the next two strings up, three notes per beat. Let the chords ring; most of them last two beats or more.
F is the only hard shape. The four-string F (xx3211) is enough here, since the bass of the full barre isn't needed under the voice. B7 (x21202) is the other new shape for some players, and it's worth getting smooth, because it lands under "soul felt its" and goes straight back to Em.
A capo only raises the pitch, so a lower key needs different shapes: play the G shapes from the key table with a capo on fret 2 for A or fret 3 for B flat. The guitar capo chart has every fret.
What are the piano notes for O Holy Night?
The O Holy Night piano notes in C start on the E above middle C. Almost every note is a white key; the one exception is the F sharp on "He" in "Till He appeared." The highest notes are E5, the second E above middle C, on "night" in "O night divine" and on "holy."
O Holy Night: piano notes (right hand, key of C)
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining: E E E G G A A F A C G
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth: G E D C E F G F D C
Long lay the world in sin and error pining: E E E G G A A F A C G
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth: G F♯ E B G A B C B E
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices: G G A D G A G C E A G
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn: G G A D G A G C E G
Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices: C B A B B D A A A C C
O night divine, O night when Christ was born: C E-D G C B-A G G A G G
O night, O holy night, O night divine: C D G E E C B C D C
The notes are one per syllable, except where two are joined with a hyphen: those are two notes on one syllable ("night" slides from E down to D, and the second "O" from B to A). The verse sits in the octave above middle C; the C in "It is the night" is middle C itself, the lowest note of the song. The chorus climbs, and "Fall on your knees" starts on the C above middle C.
For the left hand, play each chord from the chart where it changes, low and held. B7 on piano is B, D sharp, F sharp and A: the D sharp and F sharp are the only black keys in the left hand.
What are the ukulele chords for O Holy Night?
The O Holy Night ukulele chords in C are C (0003), F (2010), G7 (0212), Em (0432), B7 (2322), Am (2000) and Dm (2210), where the numbers are frets on the G, C, E and A strings in that order. Only B7 can take a small barre, and it doesn't need one.
Em and B7 may be new shapes for beginners. Em (0432) uses three fingers in a slant, and B7 (2322) can be played with a small barre across the second fret plus the third fret on the C string, or with four separate fingers. Strum slowly, one down-strum per beat, and let the ukulele play under the voice, since it sits in the same register. The ukulele and the piano can share the C chart.
O Holy Night chords in every key
O Holy Night works in any major key with the same seven chords. In the hymnal melody, its lowest note is the key note and its highest is the third note of the scale above the octave, a tenth from bottom to top, so pick the key by those two notes and read the chords across.
| Key | 1, 4, 5 and 2, 6 minor | 3 minor and the 7th chord that leads to it | Lowest and highest note (middle C is C4) | Guitar shapes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | G, C, D7, Am, Em | Bm, F♯7 | G3 up to B4 | Open except Bm and F♯7 (barres) |
| A | A, D, E7, Bm, F♯m | C♯m, G♯7 | A3 up to C♯5 | G shapes capo 2 |
| B flat | B♭, E♭, F7, Cm, Gm | Dm, A7 | B♭3 up to D5 | G shapes capo 3 |
| C | C, F, G7, Dm, Am | Em, B7 | C4 up to E5 | Open (F is a barre or xx3211) |
| D | D, G, A7, Em, Bm | F♯m, C♯7 | D4 up to F♯5 | C shapes capo 2 |
| E flat | E♭, A♭, B♭7, Fm, Cm | Gm, D7 | E♭4 up to G5 | C shapes capo 3 |
The high note is a tenth above the low one. Men singing the tune sing it an octave lower than written.
What key should a group sing O Holy Night in?
For a group, try B flat or A. In B flat the tune runs from B♭3 up to D5; in A, from A3 to C♯5. C, the key on this page, tops out at E5, which suits a solo voice better than a room.
A tenth is a wide range for a group, and O Holy Night saves the top for the end: "O night divine" and "O holy night" carry the highest notes, after a verse that sits low. That's what makes it a showpiece for soloists, and it's why a group that starts comfortably in C can run out of room at the climax. Sing the chorus first when you choose a key, not the verse.
A solo singer can pick by the top note. If the E on "night" in C is easy, C is fine; if it's a stretch, drop to B flat or A. If you're not sure where your top note is, the free vocal range test finds your lowest and highest notes and suggests keys that fit, with guitar capo frets.
Who wrote O Holy Night?
Placide Cappeau, a poet in Roquemaure in the south of France, wrote the French words, "Minuit, chrétiens," in December 1847. Adolphe Adam, the composer of the ballet Giselle, set them to music within days, and the song was first sung at Midnight Mass in Roquemaure that Christmas.
According to Wikipedia's history of the song, the parish priest asked Cappeau for a poem after the church's stained glass was restored, and Cappeau wrote it on a stagecoach journey from Mâcon to Dijon on December 3, 1847. Cappeau called the finished piece "Cantique de Noël."
The English words came from John Sullivan Dwight, an American music critic and editor of Dwight's Journal of Music, in 1855. His version is an adaptation more than a translation, and Dwight, an abolitionist, kept the anti-slavery idea of Cappeau's third verse ("Il voit un frère où n'était qu'un esclave," he sees a brother where there was only a slave) in the line that gives his verse 3 its force: "Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother." Adam died in 1856, Cappeau in 1877 and Dwight in 1893, and the music and both texts are in the public domain. Wikipedia notes that the claim it was the first song broadcast on radio, played on violin by Reginald Fessenden in 1906, is often attributed but not formally documented.
How do you put O Holy Night into Song Cage?
Song Cage shows a song as chords over the words, like a printed chord sheet, and moves the whole song to a new key in one step. Type the words into a song in Sheet view, put the seven chords on, then pick the key you sing in from the key chip and choose Move song, and every chord moves with it.
The B7 in the fourth line sits in the chord palette's Secondary Dominants group, labelled V/iii7 with an arrow to iii (Em). The secondary dominants post explains the move. View > Nashville Numbers shows the song as numbers, and clicking a chord shows its guitar shape or piano keys, with a capo if you set one.
To hear the words on the tune, add the melody by singing it in and using Detect melody, or by entering the notes, and the Singer voice sings each syllable on its note. It sounds like an 80s talking computer played off an old cassette, rough but clear enough to hear how the words sit, and useful for checking a key before the real voice tries the top note. For more carols, see Silent Night chords and Jingle Bells chords.
Sing O Holy Night in your key
Put the chords over the words in Song Cage, see why B7 leads to Em, and move the song to the key your voice can carry to the top note.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the chords to O Holy Night?
In C: C, F, G7, Em, B7, Am and Dm. The verse uses C, F and G7, the line "Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth" uses Em and B7, and the chorus opens Am, Em, Dm, Am before "O night divine" returns to C, F and G7.
What key is O Holy Night in?
It's sung in many keys. Hymnary.org lists the tune in E flat, which is high for a group. This page uses C. For a group, B flat or A keeps the top note within reach.
What is the highest note in O Holy Night?
In the standard melody, the third note of the scale an octave above the key note: E5 in the key of C, on "night" in "O night divine" and on "holy."
Is O Holy Night hard to play on guitar?
It has seven chords, including B7 and F, so it takes more practice than a three-chord carol. In C, every shape except F is open, and the four-string F (xx3211) avoids the full barre. The slow tempo gives you time for each change.
Is O Holy Night in the public domain?
Yes. Adolphe Adam wrote the music in 1847, Placide Cappeau the French words the same year, and John Sullivan Dwight the English words in 1855. All three died in the 1800s. Modern arrangements and recordings can still be under copyright.
Who wrote the English words to O Holy Night?
John Sullivan Dwight, an American music critic, in 1855. His words adapt Placide Cappeau's French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" rather than translating it line for line, and his third verse carries over Cappeau's anti-slavery line ("Il voit un frère où n'était qu'un esclave") as "Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother."
