Carol of the Bells — Free Lead Sheet PDF (Eb, Bb, Concert)

Mykola Leontovych · 1916 · Traditional Christmas carol · Melody & chords only

Not sure which to pick? Our interactive saxophone transposition chart can help. PDFs open in a new tab — right-click (or long-press on mobile) and choose “Save as” to download.

About Carol of the Bells

A Ukrainian Folk Melody

Carol of the Bells began as Shchedryk, a Ukrainian folk melody arranged for choir by the composer Mykola Leontovych and first performed in 1916. The original text was a New Year's song about a swallow announcing a wealthy year ahead, sung as part of the traditional Ukrainian Malanka celebrations rather than as a Christmas carol at all.

The tune's four-note ostinato figure is what gives the piece its unmistakable bell-like character, and it caught the ear of American arranger Peter J. Wilhousky, who wrote new English lyrics evoking ringing bells in 1936, retitling it Carol of the Bells.

If you are also building a Christmas set, Good King Wenceslas is another free carol on this site worth pairing it with.

The Tune & Chords

A Four-Note Ostinato in Perpetual Motion

The entire piece is built from the relentless repetition of a short four-note motif, shifted between voices and harmonised in different ways as it goes — closer in structure to minimalist classical music than to a typical verse-and-chorus carol. On a lead sheet, that means the written melody is really just one strand of a much bigger interlocking texture, so it works well voiced in unison by a small horn section trading the ostinato back and forth.

One simplified concert-pitch harmonisation — traditional carols were passed down as melodies, so chord choices vary between arrangers and songbooks.

Using This Lead Sheet

A High-Energy Set Closer or Feature

Carol of the Bells is one of the few tunes on this page that works well taken fast and bright rather than as a ballad — its driving, minor-key energy makes it a strong choice for closing out an up-tempo set or for a horn-section arrangement where different players trade the repeating ostinato figure while one voice carries the melody on top.

If you would like one-to-one guidance building a Christmas set or working on your reading and improvisation more generally, saxophone lessons in person in South East London or online are available. You can also browse the full Christmas lead sheet index for more free carols, including Deck the Halls.