Free easy piano · Hymns
Holy, Holy, Holy, easy piano
Holy, Holy, Holy for piano in five free versions: an easy arrangement in the hymnal's key of D major, beginner versions in C and in D, the four-part hymn rearranged so both hands can reach it, and the hymnal original. Play each one here, slow it down or loop a bar, then print the PDF or download the MIDI.
- John Bacchus Dykes
- Beginner to intermediate, plus the original
- 16 bars · 4/4
- Free: play, print, MIDI
Versions of Holy, Holy, Holy. 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 a seventh.”
What changed
The whole melody, note for note, over two-note left-hand chords that follow the hymn's harmony, in the hymnal's key of D.
- Right hand: the melody unchanged in all 16 bars. The tied notes in bars 3, 6 and 10 are written as half notes, which sound the same.
- Right hand: a second note from the hymnal's alto joins the melody in a few places: D under the F-sharps in bars 1 and 9, C-sharp then D under the long A in bars 2 and 10, F-sharp and D in bar 4, C-sharp in bar 8, F-sharp in bar 12, D in bar 13 and C-sharp on beat 3 of bar 15.
- Left hand: two notes at a time, nothing wider than a seventh, following the hymnal's bass line. In bar 13 (beats 3 and 4), bar 14 (beats 1 and 2) and bar 15 (beats 1 and 2) the bass is an octave higher, so the hand doesn't drop to the low F-sharp and G there.
- Bars 2 and 10: the left hand plays A and G together for the first two beats; in the hymnal the G comes in on beat 2.
- Bars 3 and 11: the left hand holds G–D for two beats; the hymnal's passing chord on beat 2 is left out. The melody's dotted rhythm in bar 11 and the C-sharp on beat 4 are kept.
- Bar 7: the left hand holds E–C-sharp for two beats, then E–G-sharp, then moves to A–E with the melody on the last eighth note. The hymnal's G-sharp (bar 6), G natural (bar 8) and C naturals (bars 13 and 14) are all kept.
For teachers: For a second-year student who reads two-note chords in the left hand and knows D major's F-sharp and C-sharp. Learn the left hand alone first, a phrase at a time; the accidentals are in bars 6, 7, 8, 13 and 14. The right hand is the hymn's melody exactly, in the hymnal's key, so it fits congregational singing.
Typed into PlayableNotes“Make a beginner version for a first-year student: put it in C major so there are no sharps, keep the melody alone in the right hand, and keep the left hand to single notes, mostly long ones.”
What changed
The melody in C major over single, mostly long left-hand notes, with no sharps, flats or naturals to read.
- 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 same rhythms. The tied notes in bars 3, 6 and 10 are written as half notes.
- Left hand: the hymnal's bass line, one note at a time, mostly in half and whole notes (C, A, then G, C in bars 1 and 2). Quarter notes only in bars 5 and 6, where the bass walks, and the melody's dotted rhythm in bar 15. Two-note open fifths only in bar 8 (G–D) and the last bar (C–G).
- Bars 3, 7 and 11: one note held for the whole bar (F, D, F), where the hymnal's bass moves or jumps an octave.
- Bar 13, beats 3 and 4: the left hand plays C, the chord's root, where the hymnal's bass is on its third.
- No accidentals: the hymnal's chromatic notes in bars 6 to 8, 13 and 14 are left out, so bar 6 is plain A, B, C under the melody and bars 13 and 14 have plain C and F chords.
For teachers: For a first-year student who reads in C. The tune spans an octave, so the right hand moves a few times: up to the C in the third space in bars 6 and 13, down to the D just below the staff in bar 7. Mark those moves in pencil before the first play-through. The left hand stays between the F below the bass staff and the C in its second space most of the way.
Typed into PlayableNotes“Put the beginner version in D major, the key our hymnal uses, so my student can play along when the congregation sings. Change nothing else.”
What changed
The beginner version a whole step higher, in the hymnal's key of D: the melody alone over single, mostly long left-hand notes.
- Every note moved up a whole step, from C major to D major, the key of the hymnal setting: F-sharp and C-sharp in the key signature.
- Right hand: the hymn's melody at the hymnal's pitch, one note at a time, from the D just below the staff up to the D on its fourth line. The tied notes in bars 3, 6 and 10 are written as half notes.
- Left hand: the same single notes as the C version, a step higher (D, B, then A, D in bars 1 and 2), with open fifths only in bar 8 (A–E) and the last bar (D–A).
- No accidentals beyond the key signature: the hymnal's G-sharps, G natural and C naturals are still left out.
For teachers: Choose it when a beginner wants to play with singers or next to a hymnal in D. It is no harder to play than the C version; the new things to read are the F-sharps in bars 1, 4, 9 and 14 and the C-sharps in bars 5 and 6 (left hand) and bar 6 (right hand).
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, but nothing wider than an octave in either hand.”
What changed
Dykes's four-part harmony in D major with every part kept, rearranged so each hand stays within an octave.
- Soprano, alto, tenor and bass: the same notes and rhythms as the hymnal in 12 of the 16 bars, including the ties of the first verse.
- Bars 3 and 11: the bass moves up to the G an octave higher on beat 2 instead of beat 3, so the left hand plays G–A rather than holding the low G under an A a ninth above. Bar 11 also leaves out the bass's repeated G on the second half of beat 2.
- Bar 13, beats 3 and 4: the tenor's A and C natural move to the right hand, under the alto's D, because the bass F-sharp is a tenth and more below them. The bass B is played again on beat 2.
- Bar 14, beats 1 and 2: the tenor's B moves to the right hand, a tenth above the bass G.
- No stretch wider than an octave in either hand. The right hand plays up to three notes at once, only in bars 13 and 14.
For teachers: For a church pianist or an intermediate student who wants the hymn as the congregation sings it. Practice the right hand's three-note chords in bars 13 and 14 alone and keep the melody on top. The ties in bars 3, 6 and 10 follow the first verse; in other verses, play the tied note again where the words need it.
The piece as published: Open Hymnal Project, 2005 revision: Dykes's four-part setting from Hymns Ancient and Modern (1869).
Original hymnal setting
What changed
What changed
Dykes's four-part setting as printed in the Open Hymnal edition: soprano and alto on the treble staff, tenor and bass on the bass staff.
- Nothing: this is the source edition, checked bar by bar against its MIDI and PDF and against the 1861 first printing.
- It is written for singers. In bars 3, 11, 13 and 14 the tenor and bass are a ninth to an eleventh apart, wider than most hands reach; pianists take the tenor in the right hand or move the bass up, which is what the playable version does.
For teachers: Use it to hear the full harmony or to check a choir's parts. To play it yourself, start with the version made playable on piano, which differs from it in four bars.
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 Holy, Holy, Holy
Reginald Heber wrote the words of Holy, Holy, Holy for Trinity Sunday; they were first printed in 1826, the year he died in India as Bishop of Calcutta. The tune, NICAEA, is by John Bacchus Dykes, precentor of Durham Cathedral, who wrote it for Heber's words. Tune and words first appeared together in Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1861. The name refers to the Council of Nicaea of 325, where the church's teaching on the Trinity was first set out.
The hymn is 16 bars in 4/4, four phrases of four bars. The melody climbs the D major chord on its opening repeated notes, reaches its high D in bars 6 and 13, and settles back on the keynote in the last line. Bars 6 to 8 turn toward A major with a G-sharp; bars 13 and 14 lean toward G with a C natural. The tune is friendly to play. The hymnal page is less so: it is written for four singers, and the left hand has to hold tenor and bass together, a ninth to an eleventh apart in bars 3, 11, 13 and 14.
The easy version keeps every note of the melody, in D major, over two-note left-hand chords taken from the hymn's harmony. The beginner version moves down to C major, with no sharps, and gives each hand one note at a time; the same beginner version is here in D too, to play along with a hymnal. For church pianists the four-part setting is here twice: rearranged so each hand stays within an octave, and as the hymnal prints it.
Practice tips
- Learn bars 1 to 4 first. Bars 9 to 11 start the same way (with a dotted rhythm in bar 11), so after that only bars 5 to 8 and 13 to 16 are new.
- The dotted rhythm comes four times: on beat 1 of bars 5 and 11, and on beat 3 of bars 7 and 15. Count in eighths ("one-and-two-and"): the dotted note takes three of them and the short note falls on the last "and", just before the next beat, so it doesn't turn into a triplet.
- Bar 6 has the melody's highest note, the D on the fourth line of the staff, and in the easy and four-part versions the left hand plays a G-sharp on beat 2. Look at both before you play the bar.
- In the easy version, bars 13 and 14 end with a C natural in the left hand, and bar 15 brings the C-sharp back in the right hand. Circle the natural signs in pencil.
- For singing, keep the beat steady through the long notes at the ends of the lines (bars 4, 8 and 12), and lift both hands together for a breath just before the next line starts.
Questions about Holy, Holy, Holy
Who wrote the music for Holy, Holy, Holy?
John Bacchus Dykes, an English clergyman and precentor of Durham Cathedral, wrote the tune, called NICAEA, for Heber's words; it was first printed in Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1861. The words are by Reginald Heber, Bishop of Calcutta, written for Trinity Sunday and first printed in 1826.
What key is Holy, Holy, Holy in?
The hymnal setting on this page is in D major, with two sharps, a common key for it in hymnals today; some hymnals print it in E-flat. Dykes's first printing in 1861 was in E major. The easy, four-part and late-beginner versions here are in D; the beginner version is in C major, a whole step lower.
Is Holy, Holy, Holy hard to play on piano?
The melody isn't: it moves in quarter and half notes, mostly by step or on repeated notes, within one octave from D to D. The hymnal page is harder, because it is written for four voices and the left hand has to hold tenor and bass together, more than an octave apart in four bars. The easy and beginner versions give the left hand notes it can reach, and the playable hymn version keeps all four parts within an octave per hand.
How fast should Holy, Holy, Holy be played?
The Open Hymnal edition plays it at 110 quarter notes per minute; the original on this page plays a little broader, at 100. Learn it slower, 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 version made playable on piano is the four-part hymn in D major, as the congregation and choir sing it, with every part kept. The easy version and the beginner version in D are in the same key with the melody on top. The beginner version in C is a whole step lower than a hymnal printed in D, so use the D version with singers.
Can I download Holy, Holy, Holy 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
- John Bacchus Dykes
- Source edition
- Open Hymnal Project, 2005 revision: Dykes's four-part setting from Hymns Ancient and Modern (1869)
- 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 compared with the first printing in Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861, hymn 135), which is in E major with a half-note beat. One correction: in the last chord the file crosses the tenor and bass, so the two notes were given back to the right voices; they sound the same. The tied notes in bars 3, 6 and 10 are the first verse's rhythm. No words are included.
Arrangements and facts checked
