O du fröhliche (O Sanctissima)

Traditionnel (Sicile) · Level 2 (Beginner) · traditional · Piano

A German Christmas song by Johannes Daniel Falk (1816) to the “Sicilian Mariners’ Hymn”, a Marian tune published at the end of the 18th century (O sanctissima). An easy arrangement in C major: the right hand plays the tune, the left hand alternates a bass note and a two-note chord (“oom-pah”).

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• Learn the tune alone by singing it, then the left hand alone: spot the chord changes before putting hands together in Wait mode, then at a reduced tempo.

Source : Arrangement Note after Note d’après l’« Hymne des marins siciliens » (XVIIIe s.) · Public Domain