Bring some cheer to your class, singing choir rehearsal or Christmas party with these simple carol activities from ChimeWorks. Using chords or ostinati with handchimes or handbells, our easy to learn harmonizations will put your musicians in the Christmas spirit and have them wanting more throughout the year!
Surprise your pre-readers by working on eye-hand coordination with icons and delight them when they ring their beloved carol, Jingle Bells!
Ostinati create a delightful accompaniment to Pat-a-pan, a French Christmas carol written by Bernard de la Monnoye (1641-1728) who collected folk songs of Burgundian dialect. The carol tells of the birth of Christ from the perspective of the shepherds with the text reflecting the sound of the drum – pat-a-pan and of the flute – tu-re-lu-re-lu.
Go global and celebrate the season with this rhythmic Christmas carol from Liberia using only three chords for harmonic foundation.
A great addition for any social activity during the holidays – distribute the song sheets with handchimes or handbells. When a word is boxed, the pitch is rung and when it is underscored, the pitch is damped. Sing in perfect harmony!
Ostinati make this simple, two-part canon sparkle! God Bless All is a Christmas canon that has been sung throughout the centuries. It’s origin is unknown.
Three chords chime in Jingle Bells, one of the best known and loved American Christmas carol written in the 1850’s in Massachusetts.
Christ Was Born on Christmas Day
Using four chords, harmonize the tune, RESONET IN LAUDIBUS, which dates from the 14th century and was used throughout Europe through the centuries. The translation below by John Mason Neale is based upon Piae Cantiones, the Swedish collection published in 1582. Christus natus hodie translates to Christ is born today!
Good King Wenceslas’ text comes from Jon Mason Neale written in 1853. It is combined with a 13th century tune, Tempus Adest Floridum, a spring-time tune taken from the collection, Piae Cantiones. The text tells the story of a Czech king, St. Wenceslas, who travels on a winter journey on the feast of St. Stephen to give alms to the poor. Four chords harmonize this carol beautifully.
Perfect for older students and adults, this lesson uses five chords to harmonize the melody. Angels We Have Heard On High is a French Christmas carol by an unknown text writer and is based on the Gospel of Luke. It was translated into English during the mid-19th century and gained popularity. The tune, GLORIA, was arranged by Edward Shippen Barnes.
Using seven chords, harmonize this holiday favorite! We Wish You A Merry Christmas is a traditional English carol celebrating the tradition of giving carolers rewards for singing at one’s door.