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God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

$2.50

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Tamsin Dearnley’s arrangement of the English carol “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen” is for solo lever or pedal harp. The traditional carol is referred to in Dickens’ famous novella A Christmas Carol and is now one of the most popular and recognizable Christmas carols in the English-speaking world. Scroll down for additional notes.

This piece is available as a PDF download for $2.50.

Pages to print: 2 pgs.

Duration: 1:05

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The origin of the melody we now associate with this old English carol is unclear. The earliest published version of it appeared in the early 19th century, entitled ‘The Christmas Carol, Varied as a Rondo, for the Piano Forte’ by Samuel Wesley (son of Charles Wesley, the famous Methodist minister). It is however, unclear if he composed the melody or used an existing carol upon which to base his variations.

The earliest recorded version of the lyrics dates from the from the 1650s, although we do not know which tune was used at this time.

20th century hymnologist Erik Routley described this carol as ‘ballad-carol’, as its unusual structure of three lines and a refrain is typical of many folk ballads, which hints that the tune has fairly old roots!

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Reviews (1)

1 review for God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

  1. Cynthia Judge (verified owner) –

    Another unique arrangement of a classic by Tamsin Dearnley including a Picardy Third ending. She has included some history, some fingering, and video which is appreciated.

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