- Level: Intermediate
- Pages: 7 pages, 5 pages of music, cover included!
- Style: Peaceful, Contemporary
- License: Studio license – reproducible for students you directly teach
- Bonus: mp3 recording without voiceovers
- Format: PDF instant download
This The First Noel arrangement contains layers of nuanced beauty for a thought-provoking and inspiring performance. The piece falls easily under the hands and is not full of octaves or other difficult-to-play passages. This is a contemporary, mature setting that adults, teens, and any sensitive intermediate student will enjoy.
The Level of The First Noel
This arrangement is intermediate level. The smallest note value is the eighth note. In addition, the notes fall easily under the hands, so even small hands can play the arrangement.
The piece begins in D Major and modulates to C Major and back to D Major.
This piece contains fingering to help all levels of pianists.
What is a Studio License?
The First Noel is available as a studio license which means that you only have to purchase it one time, and you are then licensed to print as many prints as you need for yourself or any student you directly teach! It’s like getting an unlimited supply of the piece since you never have to pay for it again, plus there is no shipping. You get the PDF and bonus mp3 in your email within minutes of your purchase.
Free Bonus Recording
This piece also comes with a free mp3 recording so that you can listen and learn the piece more easily. You are granted permission to share this file with your students that are learning the piece.
Other intermediate holiday pieces
We have a number of beautiful, and sophisticated intermediate holiday pieces that adults and students love. Check out our #1 intermediate arrangement: Carol of the Bells!
We also have a collection of intermediate pieces that you may like as well.
Francee Strain –
It sounds lovely!!!
David Eldredge –
Love the chords! Very rich! ‘Instead of using the I chord, it uses a M7th I chord in place of it. So you get a much richer and less predictable sound. Of course, it often uses the IV chord in place of the V to avoid that historic pull to the I chord that the leading tone can have in the V chord.’ Love it!
Evone Hagerman –
Lovely piece! Thank you again, Wendy, for your compositions.
I love to be able to pull out a piece that is not too difficult and yet sounds great and works for a church service!
What Child is This and The First Noel are wonderful!
Dianne –
My junior high girls are loving this piece! Some of their comments:
a) Looks hard, but turns out to be much simpler than I first thought. (She has only learned the first 2 pages!)
b) I’m looking forward to playing this for Prelude in church during the holidays.
As a teacher, I like it because it’s patterns are easily taught and fold right into the crossing-hands-with-chords that my intermediate students are working on. It’s rhythmically challenging and requires awareness of the eighth notes and exactly where they are played together—challenges some of my good sight-readers!
Most of all, I love it because it’s beautiful and that makes students WANT to learn it.
Darlene Chilson –
Love this piece. Easy to read, but sounds difficult. It is a go-to piece for relaxing.
Nancy Allen –
This is such a lovely arrangement. It is easy to sightread and play expressively. Either I or my 12 YO best student will be playing this at church in December. Thanks, Wendy for caring so much for children and making wonderful pieces for them to play.
Anna Karen –
What an exciting arrangement of this beloved Christmas carol. I love the syncopated rhythms and rich chords, it makes it so fun to play and to hear. My students are enjoying it so much!
Anastasia Buettner-Moore –
Gorgeous piece Wendy, my kiddos love this! Definitely one of those pieces which sounds showy but isn’t tricky to play at all. Really heartwarming. Keep bringing joy to students and teachers all around the world with your wonderful work!
Glenna O’Dell –
This arrangement is fresh and exciting. The chords have such wonderful colors and the key change really makes everything work.
Annette Upton –
A delightful arrangement that–as is Wendy’s hallmark–sounds much more difficult than it is to play. I’ll pull it out again and again both for myself and for my students.
olivia campione –
I love the unique sound of this recognized carol. It sounds much harder & more advanced than it is. It is intricate sounding simplicity. Beautiful.
Cassie –
This is a beautiful song! I have had fun playing it, and it is also a lot of fun for my teenage student, who especially loves the hand cross patterns in it. I love that it’s in a different time signature than the original, and I love the different chords.
Karen Thomasson –
I really like The First Noel for its openness in sound, the melody in various ranges and fun light arpeggios. I am actually performing it twice this month. I hope to have a student play it next winter. Thank you Wendy
Michelle Goodson –
I have always loved this peaceful setting of First Noel. I recently played it for a special music piece at church and it was very well received.
Rebecca Sizelove –
I played this for church Sunday. One woman told me that she loved “The First Noel”. I told her that I did too.