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O Come, All Ye Faithful on the ocarina

Updated 2026-10-29

O Come, All Ye Faithful opens with a lead-in F, then a long F, C, F and a long G. The whole carol stays between C and high C, so in F major a 12-hole, a 6-hole and a 4-hole ocarina in C all play it. Its chorus is one line sung three times, "O come, let us adore Him", and each time the word "come" lands higher: on F, then A, then B flat.

What are the notes for O Come, All Ye Faithful on the ocarina?

O Come, All Ye Faithful, played here in F major, 4/4 time, bar by bar: F | F, C, F | G, C | A, G, A, B♭ | A, G, F | F, E, D | E, F, G, A | E, D | C | high C, B♭, A | B♭, A | G, A, F, G | E, C, F | F, E, F, G | F, C, A | A, G, A, B♭ | A, G, A | B♭, A, G, F | E, F, B♭ | A, G | F. Pick your ocarina, then press Play to hear the tune.

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  1. F
  2. F
  3. C
  4. F
  5. G
  6. C
  7. A
  8. G
  9. A
  10. B♭
  11. A
  12. G
  13. F
  14. F
  15. E
  16. D
  17. E
  18. F
  19. G
  20. A
  21. E
  22. D
  23. C
  24. high C
  25. B♭
  26. A
  27. B♭
  28. A
  29. G
  30. A
  31. F
  32. G
  33. E
  34. C
  35. F
  36. F
  37. E
  38. F
  39. G
  40. F
  41. C
  42. A
  43. A
  44. G
  45. A
  46. B♭
  47. A
  48. G
  49. A
  50. B♭
  51. A
  52. G
  53. F
  54. E
  55. F
  56. B♭
  57. A
  58. G
  59. F

What is the tricky spot in O Come, All Ye Faithful?

The jump from the long C at the end of "to Bethlehem" straight up to high C, where "Come and behold Him" begins. On a 12-hole, O Come, All Ye Faithful goes from C to high C: you lift the left ring, left middle, left index, right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky.

The hymnal our tabs follow puts a one-beat rest after that C; the tabs hold the C instead, so let it go a beat early and use the gap to breathe. High C needs a quicker, firmer breath than the C below (why high notes go airy or flat). The flat in this key, B flat, is cross-fingered on a 12-hole and turns up in the first line, straight after the leap to high C and in the last two lines of the chorus: practise A, B flat, A slowly until it speaks cleanly. In the chorus, keep the three "let us adore Him" lines even and unhurried, and save a little breath for the last one, which climbs to B flat, the top note of the chorus, and walks down to F.

Which ocarina can play O Come, All Ye Faithful?

Any 12-hole, 6-hole or 4-hole ocarina in C plays O Come, All Ye Faithful in this key. 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.

Who wrote O Come, All Ye Faithful?

Nobody knows for sure. The candidates include the English music copyist John Francis Wade, John Reading and King John IV of Portugal. The earliest printing is in a book Wade published in 1751, with Latin words and in triple time, unlike the version sung now; Frederick Oakeley made the English translation in 1841. Our tabs follow the four-beat tune in the 1861 edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern, whose index calls it "Adeste fideles" and credits the harmony to its music editor, William Henry Monk. Everyone the tune has been credited to died long before 1900, so it is public domain. We show the melody only. Music: the tune "Adeste Fideles", first printed by John Francis Wade (1711-1786), who is usually credited with it; English words by Frederick Oakeley (1802-1880).

More ocarina songs

Next medium song: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. More: songs for a 4-hole ocarina and all the songs.