Free easy piano · Hymns
Crown Him with Many Crowns, easy piano
Crown Him with Many Crowns for piano in four free versions: an easy arrangement in the hymnal's key of D major, a simpler version in C major, the four-part hymn made playable for church with an intro and four verses, and the hymnal original. Play each one here, slow it down or loop a bar, then print the PDF or download the MIDI.
- George J. Elvey
- Easy to intermediate, plus the original
- 16 bars · 4/4
- Free: play, print, MIDI
Versions of Crown Him with Many Crowns. Each version is a request typed into PlayableNotes. Pick one to hear and print it.
Typed into PlayableNotes“Make this hymn easier for a second-year student. Keep it in D major and keep the melody exactly as written; give the left hand two-note chords that follow the hymnal's harmony, with nothing wider than an octave.”
What changed
The whole melody, note for note, in the hymnal's key of D, over two-note left-hand chords that follow the hymn's harmony.
- Right hand: the melody unchanged in all 16 bars, with the eighth notes in bars 1 and 6 and the dotted rhythm in bar 13.
- Right hand: a second note from the hymnal's alto under some melody notes: D in bars 1, 2, 5 and 10 (D-sharp on beat 4 of bar 10, D natural in bar 11), C-sharp in bars 4, 8, 9 and 14, E in bar 6, and the alto's D to C-sharp under the E's of bar 15. In bar 12 it is E under the C-sharp, for a fuller A chord, where the hymnal's alto has the C-sharp an octave lower for three beats.
- Left hand: two notes at a time, mostly the hymnal's tenor and bass, never wider than an octave. Bar 1 holds D–F-sharp and B–F-sharp as half notes instead of the repeated eighth notes; bars 2 and 4 hold one octave (G–G, A–A) for the whole bar.
- Bar 3: the left hand takes the alto's D and C-sharp (F-sharp–D, G–B, E–C-sharp, D–A), so the right hand plays the melody alone. Bar 6: the left hand holds E–B for two beats, leaving out the hymnal's passing bass D, and keeps the G natural on beat 4.
- Bars 8 and 9: the low A under the long A, as the Book of Common Praise (1908) has it, with the G above it on beat 4, then D–F-sharp under the start of bar 9 where the hymnal's bass is on F-sharp. Bar 12 is the hymnal's bass alone: A, then G natural.
- Bars 14 and 15: the hymnal's low F-sharp and G are played an octave higher, and the G on beat 4 of bar 15 comes on the beat instead of half a beat later.
For teachers: For a second-year student who reads two-note chords in the left hand and knows the F-sharp and C-sharp of D major. Learn the left hand alone first, a line at a time: it holds in bars 2, 4, 8, 10 and 12 and changes on most beats elsewhere. The right hand is the hymn's melody in the hymnal's key, so it works with singers.
Typed into PlayableNotes“Make a simpler version for a student near the end of their first year: put it in C major so there's no key signature, keep the melody alone in the right hand, and give the left hand the hymn's bass line in single notes and open fifths.”
What changed
The melody in C major, alone in the right hand, over the hymn's bass line in single notes and open fifths.
- Moved down a whole step, from D major to C major: no key signature. The melody runs from middle C to the C above.
- Right hand: the melody alone, one note at a time, with the hymnal's rhythms. It keeps two F-sharps, in bars 6 and 11 (the hymnal's G-sharps), because the tune needs them.
- Left hand: the hymnal's bass line, one note at a time, with open fifths in bars 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 (C–G, F–C, G–D, G–D, C–G). Long notes in the bars where the hymn holds; quarter notes where the bass walks, as in bar 3 (E, F, D, C) and bar 11, which climbs D, E, F-sharp to the G of bar 12.
- Bars 9 and 14: the chord's root in the bass where the hymnal has an inversion (C instead of E, and G instead of D on beat 3 of bar 9). Bars 5 and 6: the left hand holds through the hymnal's passing bass notes B and C. Bar 8, beat 4: B, leading up to C, where the hymnal's bass has the seventh (F in this key). Bar 10, beat 4: the bass E alone under the A, leaving out the hymnal's C-sharp, so the left hand stays on one note.
- Left out: the alto and tenor, with their chromatic notes, and the hymnal's eighth-note repeats in the left hand.
For teachers: For a student near the end of the first year who reads in C and is ready for a left hand that walks in quarter notes, as it does in most bars. The tune spans an octave, so the right hand moves: up to A in bars 2 and 10, to the top C in bars 6, 7 and 13, and back down to middle C in bars 3, 9 and 16. Mark those moves in pencil first, and practice bar 3, where both hands move on every beat, hands separately. The left hand stays between the F just below the bass staff and the G in its top space.
Typed into PlayableNotes“This is the four-part hymn from our hymnal. Make it playable on piano for Sunday: keep all four parts, the key and the harmony, with nothing wider than an octave in either hand, and add the intro the hymnal marks, with repeats for four verses.”
What changed
The hymnal's four-part harmony in D major with every part kept, rearranged so each hand stays within an octave, with the hymnal's intro and four verses written out with repeats.
- Bars 1 to 5: the intro, the hymnal's last line from beat 4 of bar 12 to the end, the passage the Open Hymnal marks for the organist's introduction.
- Bars 6 to 21: the verse with the hymnal's notes and rhythms in all four parts, played four times. The ending for verses 1 to 3 goes back to bar 6; the fourth ending holds the last chord.
- Bars 3 and 19 (the hymnal's bar 14), beat 4: the tenor's A moves to the right hand, under the alto's D, because the bass F-sharp is a tenth below it.
- Bars 4 and 20 (the hymnal's bar 15), beat 1: the tenor's B moves to the right hand, under the alto's D, a tenth above the bass G.
- No stretch wider than an octave in either hand. The right hand plays three notes at once only in those four places.
For teachers: For a church pianist or an intermediate student who wants the hymn as the congregation sings it. Hold the dotted half notes at the ends of the lines (bars 9, 13 and 17) their full length, then play beat 4 as the first note of the next line. For more verses, take the repeat again before the fourth ending.
The piece as published: Open Hymnal Project, 2008 revision: the four-part setting from the Appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern (first published 1868; the Open Hymnal cites it as 1869), hymn 318.
Original hymnal setting
What changed
What changed
The four-part setting from the Appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern as the Open Hymnal edition prints it: soprano and alto on the treble staff, tenor and bass on the bass staff.
- Nothing: this is the source edition, checked note by note against its MIDI and PDF.
- It is written for singers. In bars 14 and 15 the tenor and bass are a tenth apart (A over the low F-sharp, B over the low G), wider than most hands reach; the church version moves those two tenor notes into the right hand.
- Some notes of the lower parts differ from other editions such as the Book of Common Praise (1908): there the tenor has G-sharp on beat 4 of bar 6, where this setting has G natural, and the bass in bar 8 is the low A, an octave below the tenor, where this setting has the two in unison.
For teachers: Use it to hear the full harmony or to check a choir's parts. To play it for singing, start with the church version, which has the same notes with the two tenths moved and adds the intro and verses.
Want it different? Just ask.
Open this version in PlayableNotes and ask for a change in words: simpler, another key, shorter, bigger notes. The result is a new version you can play, print and share with your student.
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Watch how to ask for your own version · 1 min video
Make your own version
A real request in PlayableNotes, on Für Elise from the free library: say who it’s for and what to keep, and the AI writes a new version beside the original. It shows how to ask for a version of your own; its result is not one of the versions on this page.
About Crown Him with Many Crowns
The words of Crown Him with Many Crowns are by Matthew Bridges, from the early 1850s; Godfrey Thring wrote further verses in 1874, and hymnals mix the two. The tune, DIADEMATA, is by George J. Elvey, organist of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, who wrote it for Bridges's words in 1868 for the Appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern. Its name is the Greek word for the crowns of Revelation 19:12: "on his head were many crowns."
The hymn is 16 bars in 4/4, in four lines. The first starts on the downbeat; each of the others starts on beat 4 of the bar where the line before it ends. The second line turns to A major with a G-sharp and climbs to the high D in bar 6; the third passes through G-sharp again to end on a high C-sharp; the last line has the tune's one dotted rhythm, in bar 13, and comes home to D. The melody stays within one octave, D to D. The hymnal page is harder: it is written for four singers, the chord changes on almost every beat, and in bars 14 and 15 the left hand would have to stretch a tenth.
The easy version keeps every note of the melody in D major over two-note left-hand chords from the hymn's harmony. The simpler version moves to C major, with the melody alone in the right hand and the bass line in single notes and open fifths. For church pianists the four-part hymn is here twice: with an intro and four verses, rearranged so each hand reaches it, and as the hymnal prints it.
Practice tips
- Count the opening carefully: a quarter note, two eighth notes, then two quarter notes, all on D except the last two, which rise a third to F-sharp (C and E in the C major version). Count "one, two-and, three, four". Bar 6 has the melody's only other pair of eighth notes.
- Each line after the first starts on beat 4: in bars 4, 8 and 12 (bars 9, 13 and 17 in the church version). Hold the long note for three full beats, then play beat 4 as the start of the next line, not the end of the old one.
- Loop bars 6 and 7 (bars 11 and 12 in the church version) by clicking the first bar, then the second: the melody turns on a G-sharp (F-sharp in the C major version), runs down in eighth notes, then leaps up to the high note. In the D major versions the left hand answers with a G natural on beat 4 of that first bar.
- Bar 13 (bar 18 in the church version) has the tune's one dotted rhythm: a dotted quarter D and an eighth C-sharp (C and B in the C major version). Count "one-and-two-and" and play the eighth on the "and" of two, so it doesn't turn into a triplet.
- Circle the accidentals in pencil before the first play-through. In the easy version and the original: G-sharp in bars 6, 7 and 11, the G naturals that follow in bars 6, 8 and 12, D-sharp in bar 10 and D natural in bar 11. In the church version the same bars are numbered five higher.
Questions about Crown Him with Many Crowns
Who wrote Crown Him with Many Crowns?
The words are by Matthew Bridges, from the early 1850s, with further verses by Godfrey Thring from 1874; hymnals choose from both. The music, the tune DIADEMATA, is by George J. Elvey, organist of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, who wrote it for Bridges's words in 1868.
What key is Crown Him with Many Crowns in?
The hymnal setting on this page is in D major, with two sharps, the key most hymnals print it in. The easy version and the church version are in D too. The simpler version is in C major, a whole step lower, so use a D major version when you play with singers.
Is Crown Him with Many Crowns hard to play on piano?
The melody isn't: it moves mostly in quarter and half notes within one octave, D to D, with eighth notes in bars 1 and 6 and one dotted rhythm in bar 13. The hymnal page is harder, because it is written for four voices: both hands play two parts, the chord changes on almost every beat, and in bars 14 and 15 the left hand would need a tenth. The easy and C major versions give each hand what it can reach, and the church version keeps all four parts within an octave per hand.
How fast should Crown Him with Many Crowns be played?
It is often sung as a processional and wants a firm, steady beat. The Open Hymnal edition plays it at 110 quarter notes per minute; the church version and the original on this page start at 100. Learn it around 70 to 80, and raise the tempo on this page's player as it settles.
Can I use these versions to accompany singing at church?
Yes. The church version is the four-part hymn in D major, as the congregation and choir sing it, with the hymnal's intro and four verses written out. The easy version is in the same key with the melody on top. The C major version is a whole step lower, so it won't match an organ or a hymnal in D.
Can I download Crown Him with Many Crowns as a PDF or MIDI file?
Yes, free and without an account. Every version has a Letter-size PDF to print and a MIDI file with the right and left hands on separate tracks.
Source and credits
- Composer
- George J. Elvey
- License
- Public domain
- Arranger
- PlayableNotes
All 16 bars were checked note by note against the Open Hymnal's own MIDI and PDF of the same file, and the melody against four other public-domain and CC0 editions; no notes needed correcting. The harmony differs in a few notes of the lower parts from other editions such as the Book of Common Praise (1908), among them the tenor on beat 4 of bar 6 and the bass in bar 8; they are kept as printed here. The church version's intro is the passage the file marks for the organist's introduction, from beat 4 of bar 12 to the end. No words are included.
Arrangements and facts checked
