Angels We Have Heard on High on the ocarina
On a 12-hole it starts A, A, A, high C. Medium, 53 notes, in F major.
Goes up to high D, so it does not fit a 4-hole.
Angels We Have Heard on High
Bar 1 of 16
What are the notes for Angels We Have Heard on High?
On a 12-hole. Read left to right, a line at a time.
- AAAhigh Chigh CB♭AAGAhigh CAGF
- AAAhigh Chigh CB♭AAGAhigh CAGF
- high Chigh Dhigh CB♭AB♭high CB♭AGAB♭AGFTricky spot:GCC
- FGAB♭AGF(hold)rest
Angels We Have Heard on High has two halves. The verse is four bars of mostly quarter notes, played twice, and the refrain is the "Gloria", where one vowel runs down through sixteen notes before "in excelsis Deo". In F major it stays between C and high D.
What is the tricky spot in Angels We Have Heard on High?
The end of the long Gloria run, where the tune drops from G to low C for "ri-a". On a 12-hole, Angels We Have Heard on High goes from G to C: you cover the right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky. On a 6-hole, you cover the left middle and right middle.
The run itself is the part to practise: three bars of eighth notes, each bar starting one step lower than the last, on C, then B flat, then A. Take it one bar at a time, slowly, with a light "du" on every note so they stay separate, then join the bars. The drop to low C needs less air than the notes above it, so ease off rather than push. The 1916 book prints the Gloria once and ends on a long F followed by a rest; many choirs sing it twice, and you can play it twice too.
Where do you breathe in Angels We Have Heard on High?
In the verse, breathe on the two-beat note that closes every second bar. Take a full breath before the Gloria: its run has nowhere to stop until the low C, and a quick sip after that C carries you through the last line.
Which ocarina can play Angels We Have Heard on High?
A 4-hole ocarina cannot reach high D, so play Angels We Have Heard on High in this key on a 12-hole or 6-hole ocarina in C. On an ocarina in G or F, use the same fingerings: the tune sounds in a different key, which is fine when you play alone. Each linked chart has every fingering for its ocarina, and you can check your notes with a tuner such as our free ocarina tuner.
The 7 notes here, on a 12-holeHoles in words, with a picture
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| A | Cover the left pinky, left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| high C | Cover the left pinky, left thumb and right thumb | |
| B♭ | Cover the left pinky, left index, right ring, left thumb and right thumb | |
| G | Cover every main hole but the right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky | |
| F | Cover every main hole but the right middle, right ring and right pinky | |
| high D | Cover the left pinky and right thumb | |
| C | Cover every main hole |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| A | Cover the left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| high C | Cover the left thumb and right thumb | |
| B♭ | Cover the right index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| G | Cover every hole but the left middle and right middle | |
| F | Cover every hole but the right middle and right index | |
| high D | Cover the left thumb | |
| C | Cover every hole |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
Is Angels We Have Heard on High a French carol?
The tune and the idea are. "Les Anges dans nos campagnes" was first printed with its music in 1842, and the English words are an 1862 paraphrase by James Chadwick, a Catholic bishop in the north-east of England, who died in 1882. Our tabs follow Carol 181 in Carols Old and Carols New, a carol book published in Boston in 1916, which already has the long sixteen-note "Gloria" sung today. The 1842 music was credited only to "W. M.", perhaps Wulfran Moreau, who died in 1905. We show the melody only. Music: the French carol tune "Gloria", from "Les Anges dans nos campagnes"; English words by James Chadwick (1813-1882).