My youth choir’s favorite Christmas song was O Holy Night.  They didn’t have to struggle to learn it, and the echo of their voices in the vaulted-ceiling church told them they sounded great.

This version of O Holy Night is designed especially for young voices to learn quickly.  The first half of each of the two verses is in unison.  Just where the altos might complain that the melody is going too high is where the harmony part begins.  (“Fall on your knees.”)  The accompaniment includes the notes of both voices to give them confidence in performance.  Organ, piano, or keyboard can be used; a player with a medium amount of skill should be able to manage it!

I wrote this arrangement for the St. Francis/St Joseph youth choir in Toronto, OH that I directed from 1999 to 2014.  While the St. Francis elementary school was still in operation, the youth choir was vibrant enough that it continued a few years beyond the school closing.  Membership ranged from 19 the first year to three determined young ladies that last year.

The first year we sang O Holy Night was 2005.  There were 16 members, 4th through 8th grade.  Their performance on Christmas Eve was so well-received, we took up the tradition of singing it every year from then on, even when the choir was eventually reduced to a trio.  It still sounded terrific!