Sheet Music: In Dulci Jubilo

TitleIn Dulci Jubilo
Alternate titlesGood Christian Men, Rejoice
Good Christian Friends, Rejoice
In Sweetest Rejoicing
ComposerTraditional
Also attributed toMike Oldfield (1953—)
InstrumentationFlute and Guitar chords
KeyF major
RangeD5–D6
Time signature6/8
Tempo112 BPM
Performance time0:35
Difficulty levelintermediate
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (60 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (503 kB)
Play-along accompanimentMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (532 kB)
Date added2009-11-10
Last updated2009-11-10
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 4.2 (popular)
Categories
Christmas carols, Hymn tunes, Traditional/Folk

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Tuesday 10 November 2009

Tune of the Day: In Dulci Jubilo

Traditional Christmas hymn

“In Dulci Jubilo” is latin for “In Sweet Rejoicing”, but the hymn is commonly known in English as “Good Christian Men, Rejoice”. It dates back at least to the year 1328, when the German mystic Heinrich Seuse claimed that he had learned the song from dancing angels.

Its most distinctive feature is its mixture of Latin and German in the text; texts of this type are charmingly designated by scholars as macaronic.

A lively instrumental arrangement of the piece by English musician Mike Oldfield reached number 4 in the UK in 1976. This version featured 2 recorders, kortholt (a Renaissance woodwind), snare drum, and Mike Oldfield on acoustic and electric guitars, piano and string synthesizer. It is one of his most re-issued short songs, and the video is still shown occasionally on television.