Oh, How Lovely Is the Evening — Free Piano Sheet Music for Kids, With a Play Button

The chords in this piece

Your left hand plays two chords in this piece. The shaded keys are the notes of each chord, and the numbers under them are the left-hand fingers (1 is the thumb). Just two shapes, one held chord to a bar: C, and F in every third bar, where the thumb stretches up one key from G to A. All the common piano chords, with diagrams →

C C

C – E – G · Left hand 5 3 1

C, E and G: the home chord. Little finger on C, middle finger on E, thumb on G.

F F (C position)

C – F – A · Left hand 5 2 1

C, F and A. The same three notes as F major, rearranged so the little finger stays on C; the thumb stretches up one key to A.

About this arrangement

A German round known since 1812, “O wie wohl ist mir am Abend”, in three parts of six bars, played one after the other here. It stays in C position with the thumb on middle C and moves only in crotchets and minims, three beats to a bar: part 1 climbs from C to F, part 2 from E up to A, a stretch for the little finger, and part 3 is the evening bell, six long Cs, one to a bar. On “eve-ning” and “ring-ing” the first syllable is sung over two notes joined by a curved slur. The left hand holds one chord in each bar, C or F.

Practice tip: Count three in every bar and give the long notes their full value. When you know all three parts, play it as a round: a second player starts part 1 as you begin part 2, and a third can join with the bell.

The words

Oh, how lovely is the evening, is the evening, when the bells are sweetly ringing, sweetly ringing! Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong.

A short history

The round was first printed in 1812, in a singing method for schools by the German teacher and composer Karl Friedrich Schulz (1784–1850). It is usually credited to him, although it is not certain that he wrote it.

The shape of its first phrase is much older. It is found in a church drama of the fourteenth century, and the Croatian folk song that Haydn borrowed for his Austrian imperial anthem of 1797, now the tune of the German national anthem, belongs to the same family of melodies.

The English words, “Oh, how lovely is the evening, when the bells are sweetly ringing”, were in school songbooks such as The Everyday Song Book (1927). As a round, each voice starts six bars after the one before, and the “ding, dong” of the third part rings the evening bell under the other two.

Quick facts

Tune: Traditional (German round, printed 1812)
Key: C major, C position
Time signature: 3/4
Length: 18 bars
Tempo: Peacefully, crotchet = 100
Difficulty: Level 2: Left-hand chords (piece 14 of 201)
Type: Round
Hands: Both: melody in the right hand, chords in the left
Chords: C and F (diagrams above)
Copyright: Public domain tune; arrangement by Digital Greenhouse, free for personal and classroom use

Questions and answers

What key is Oh, How Lovely Is the Evening in?

C major, in 3/4 time. There are no sharps or flats in the key signature.

How long is it?

C major, 3/4, 18 bars. The tempo marking is Peacefully, crotchet = 100.

Is Oh, How Lovely Is the Evening out of copyright?

Yes. The tune is traditional (German round, printed 1812). Our piano arrangement is free for personal and classroom use.

What is the hardest part?

Count three in every bar and give the long notes their full value. When you know all three parts, play it as a round: a second player starts part 1 as you begin part 2, and a third can join with the bell.

Can I print it?

Yes. Press Print above to put this piece on its own page, or choose Save as PDF as the printer for a file. It prints on A4 paper; if yours is US Letter, choose US Letter in the box beside Print. The notes are the same size as a printed music book.

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