Merry Christmas Songbook

by Reader's Digest Association and William L. Simon

Book Overview

This new edition of the best-selling Merry Christmas Songbook now comes with a companion 23-track CD The Merry Christmas Songbook is a collection of more than 100 Yuletide favorites, plus a lyric... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0895771055
• ISBN13: 9780895771056
• Release Date: November 1981
• Publisher: Reader's Digest Association
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 2.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 9.8" x 12.5"

Customer Reviews

Excellent advanced arrangements!

This is one of the better Christmas piano music books found, beautiful full arrangements with all the traditional songs and few that have become classics like My FavoriteThings, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas, I'll Be Home for Xmas, O Holy Night, Emmanuel, Chestnuts Roasting(the Christmas Song) are very well arranged. Also has some good fun stuff like Rudolph, Partridge in a PearTree, JingleBellRock, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Blue Christmas, Sleigh Bells, Let It Snow, & all the timeless traditionals: Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard on High, Joy to the World, Little Town of Bethlehem, Good King Wenceslas, O Christmas Tree, We 3 Kings, and many more arranged in their intended fullness and original melody. Its a very comprehensive wonderful songbook & has most of 'em all(missing a few greats like Christmas Is, White Christmas, SilverBells)but otherwise its all there and done right! Excellent!

Christmas Is Coming, need very nice books!!

Christmas music makes the heart merry anytime of the year! Christmas books are a must for Christmas anytime of the year!!

A treasure

I am so happy I bought the Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook this year! The arrangements are not that difficult, yet they sound very satisfying and are fun to play. I think any second or third year piano student will have the skills needed to play anything in this book. It's great to have such a big collection in one book (110 songs!) so I don't have to switch around and search through other books and sheet music to find what everyone wants to sing. All of the standards are included as are a lot of hard-to-find favorites like "Blue Christmas" and "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth." I love the hardback/spiral bound edition which lays nicely flat on the piano. Also, most songs are on two facing pages so there's not a lot of page turning. One of the best features is the songbook you get with the lyrics -- this means I can pass out copies so everyone can sing without crowding over my shoulder to use the book I'm trying to play from. I just got this book two days ago and I've already spent tons of time at the piano just enjoying playing through the arrangements. Great book and a good value.

Readers Digest Merry Christmas Songbook

This is probably the finest highest quality collection of Christmas songs for Americans on the market. It is said to be "hardcover", but is spiral bound with a "hard" outerlayer and is printed on quality paper. There is also included a separate lyric book for sing-a-long with accompaniment. It contains 110 songs arranged for intermediate piano and also has plenty of notations for organ pedal and guitar chords. The songs range from traditional to modern (Adeste Fideles to Winter Wonderland and Silver Bells, for example) and there are a number of suprise favorites (Chestnuts Roasting, Friendly Beasts). Almost every tune is on adjacent pages so there is no page turning problem. Color coding makes lyrics stand out. Lyricists, composers and origin are clearly identified. You might find as I have that it is already a cherished family heirloom.

Excellent Christmas Songbook

I was first introduced to this songbook last Christmas, and over the holidays I immensely enjoyed playing from it. For a less experienced pianist, the songs might be more challenging, but as an advanced pianist, I enjoyed being able to play numerous songs without a lot of practice. The book has all the familiar carols, and almost any other carols and other Christmas pieces can be found in it. The arrangments were familiar and delightful to play, free from some of the rather wierd versions available. With the variety offered in this book, it is also suitable for recitals, church, parties, or anything at Christmas, and can be prepared with minimal work and much enjoyment. This book is a valuable addition to any collection.

The Only Christmas Book You'll Ever Need!

I've had my Christmas Songbook for over a decade and I play it more every single year! This has to be the most comprehensive music book I've ever seen. The arrangements are so incredible ... you'll be sounding like a professional the first time you play them! The book has the most astounding arrangement of "The Christmas Song" (aka Chestnusts Roasting on an Open Fire) that I've ever heard. I look forward to Christmas every year just so I can play this music. I just purchased the Children's Songbook by Reader's Digest and I can't wait to get it home and try it out!

Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook

The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook is by far the most comprehensive compilation of Christmas music I have found (and believe me, I've searched high and low for good Christmas collections!) The book contains almost every piece of Christmas music ever written... from classic carols to popular favorites to obscure and hard-to-find selections. Each piece contains piano and vocal parts as well as chords for guitar; arrangements are easy to play yet sound great. As an added bonus, each song includes a summary of its history, information about its composer, and other such information. Overall, the book is a must have for any musician who gets called upon to play or sing Christmas music or for anyone who just enjoys sitting around the piano with family and friends during the holiday season.