Go Tell It on the Mountain — Free Lead Sheet PDF (Eb, Bb, Concert)

Traditional (African American spiritual) · Traditional, published 1907 · Traditional Christmas carol · Melody & chords only

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About Go Tell It on the Mountain

An African American Spiritual

Go Tell It on the Mountain is an African American spiritual that originated among enslaved communities in the American South, passed down orally for generations before it was formally collected. Its call-and-response structure and joyful “go tell it” refrain are typical of the spiritual tradition, which frequently blended biblical storytelling with communal, participatory singing.

The song was compiled and arranged for publication by the composer and folklorist John Wesley Work II, a professor at Fisk University, in his 1907 collection of Jubilee songs — work that was instrumental in preserving spirituals that had never been written down.

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

The Tune & Chords

Call-and-Response, Built for Swing

The verse-refrain, call-and-response shape of the spiritual tradition translates naturally into a jazz arrangement — the repeated “go tell it on the mountain” hook works well as a horn-section shout figure answering a soloist's verse line, and the tune sits comfortably at a medium-up gospel-swing tempo.

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, Crowd-Friendly Number

This is one of the more upbeat, participatory tunes on this page, and it plays well at a corporate party or background-music gig where you want energy and a hook the room can clap along to, as well as in a church or gospel-influenced carol set where its origins are most at home.

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 Good King Wenceslas.