He is Born (Il est né)
Free Christmas Sheet Music
Free Christmas sheet music for "He is Born," the English version of "Il est né," a charming French Christmas song.
Lead sheets & piano solos in several keys! Each of the free music-to-print sheets includes the English and French Christmas song lyrics.
Please scroll down the page to find the links to the printable PDFs.
Notice that the verse section has a harmony made of parallel thirds, if you wish to turn the song into a Christmas duet.
For those of you interested in knowing how to pronounce the French in Il est né, have a listen to the clearly articulated words in this swingy version below:
As for chords, the harmony is mainly the I chord with just a couple passing references to the IV chord, and a few solid V chords.
You will, however, sound just fine using the I chord throughout this whole piece!
Below is a "Middle C" version of this free Christmas sheet music for beginning piano.
Though there are no black keys to worry about, there are still some eighth notes. These single 8th notes with their flags may be entirely unfamiliar to your younger students.
Even young kids who play fiddle music usually see the eighth notes in groups of 2 or 4, with bars. So don't make any assumptions about your students' ability to count or even understand these notes.
Thumbs do NOT go together on Middle C, but are side-by-side, with LEFT HAND thumb on C and RIGHT HAND thumb on D, so that the 5 finger can reach an A.
This free Christmas sheet music makes a fine duet using just one chord throughout the song for accompaniment, blocked or broken.
For the key of C (what we have in this simple version), that will be a C chord!
If you want to make a duet Secondo, try a "broken chord stretch" such as I show at the bottom of the page Mary Had a Little Lamb.
Now we come to the piano solo versions. The first one has an easy right hand:
Yes, the left hand chord pattern is ALL THE SAME. Don't think, "How monotonous!" Think, instead, of the pattern as a nice flowing foundation for the right hand moving harmonies.
This kind of left hand accompaniment is what makes this free Christmas sheet music a quick study for students who want something pretty that won't take them a month of hard work... they might be able to play it at church in a week or two.
Now we have the harder version, with parallel sixths in the right hand:
These parallel 6ths will greatly increase the difficulty of this piece, but also the pianist's satisfaction in playing it.
Now this last video is pure indulgence in sentimentality... the boys' choir is very nice, but few of the lyrics are audible. However, I find myself sighing over the sweet pictures - too, too sweet to be real, but calling back something just on the edge of memory.
Memories, as C.S. Lewis suggests, of things that we have never actually experienced, of places we have never been, but that somehow we have a desire and longing for... these "memories" are one of the proofs of heaven.
The links for Il est né:
Download free Christmas sheet music He is Born lead sheet in the key of F
Download Christmas music He is Born in the key of G
Download free Christmas song in the key of A, Il est né
Download printable sheet music in the key of Bb
Download free Christmas song lyrics and music in the key of D
The link to the Middle C piano version:
Download printable Christmas music for Middle C piano players He is Born/ Il est né
The links to the piano arrangements with single melody notes:
Download free Christmas song He is Born easy piano in the key of F
Download and print out He is Born in the key of G
The links to the fullest piano arrangements:
Download free Christmas song He is Born full piano arrangement in the key of F
Download and print out He is Born full piano arrangement in the key of G
FOR A BEAUTIFUL SONG & MUSIC THEORY LESSON ALL IN ONE, CHECK OUT "O HOLY NIGHT"!
Dianna:
Your website is a light in the darkness. THANK YOU for all you do in helping to spread the love of music. It matters!
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Looking for music in certain keys
I am wondering if there is a way to find songs of certain key signatures on your site? In my Google Classroom for my students I have several Topics based
Interested in songs from the Bible for your students or church? Check out my other website, SingTheBibleStory.com!
All the first-year material I give my beginner students.
Piano keyboard sheets, scales, chords, note-reading exercises, and over 256 pages of music!
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This beautiful song book for piano & voice "Esther, For Such a Time as This", available as a digital download, tells the riveting story of the time when Jews in ancient Persia faced a foe named Haman, and how a brave young queen risked her life to save her people.
A good choice for a singing story-teller, an operatic group, a short theater production, or a class of children!
This book is also available from Amazon as a paperback.
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This book is available as a digital download from this site. Visit this page to see some free examples from the book.
It is also available from Amazon as a paperback!
This is the perfect easy start for little pianists.
And when they start reading white-key notes on the staff, this is a fun easy resource to say each week, "Choose a new black-key song at home this week and figure it out to show me next lesson!" They will be spending more time at the piano.
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A perfect read aloud storybook
for little boys or girls.
The Adventures of Tonsta highlight the travels of a very young boy with a good heart, who goes about helping folk in trouble.
With a red cap on his head and a sack of tools slung over his shoulder, Tonsta seems to meet people in distress wherever he goes.
Lots of trolls in this book - including one who gives him a Christmas gift!
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Susie:
Wow! I cannot thank you enough for the free collection of piano sheet music that you created here. My daughter and I are following everything you wrote and we LOVE it. It is super fun!!! She loves to play because of your website. We have a small binder now that is slowly growing! THANK YOU!!!!
Anna Lee:
What a fabulous website! I've been a keen amateur piano player since I first learnt 56 years ago at the age of 8. I now have a three year old granddaughter and am hoping fervently that she'll want to learn - at which point I'll teach her. This is just the kind of resource I'll need to make it comprehensible. Thank you very much.
Liz:
Hello - I just want to say THANK YOU so much for the duet version of Oh Holy night (in Bb too!), which is great, as I have two students at school that are going to sing this in a concert in 3 weeks.
With not much time and no budget, it is so nice to find an arrangement! Thank you.
Comments: Do you have a story or a question about music teaching? Share it!
Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...
About the Author
Hi, I'm Dana! (Say that like "Anna".) I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.
Like so many of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.
You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.
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