Description:

“It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - Lead Sheet - Key Of A Major” is classified as a Level 4 Piano work worth 2,880 points within the Road to Virtuosity progression system. It is categorized under Lead Sheets → Hymns, Hymns - Christmas and is part of the Composition/Improvisation collection. The sheet music for “It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - Lead Sheet - Key Of A Major” provided on this website has the following copyright status: Non-Commercial.

“It Came Upon The Midnight Clear” is presented here as a lead sheet in A major. The page includes the melody on a single treble staff, chord symbols above the notes, and multiple verses of lyrics under the melody. Instead of a written-out piano accompaniment, this version gives the basic tune, harmony, and text so it can be used for singing, simple accompaniment, arranging, or improvisation.

Measures 1–6 present the opening phrase, “It came upon the midnight clear.” The melody moves in a calm, hymn-like shape while the chord symbols begin with A, D/A, D, B7, and E. The stacked lyrics allow the same melody to carry several verses without needing separate pages.

Measures 7–13 continue the verse with the “Peace on the earth” text. The harmony moves through A, D, E7, C# major, and F# minor, giving the lead sheet more color while still keeping the melody clear and singable.

Measures 14–26 complete the carol with the final phrase, “To hear the angels sing.” The chord symbols return through E, E7, A, D/A, D, and E7 before resolving back to A. The ending gives the page a clear cadence while keeping the layout practical for accompaniment or improvisation.

Interesting fact: “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” is unusual among Christmas carols because its text focuses less on the manger scene and more on peace, human suffering, and the hope that the world will one day hear the angels’ song clearly. That gives the carol a reflective, almost prayer-like character compared with more celebratory Christmas hymns.

How to earn points for this piece:

1. Practice and learn to play the piece. Then improvise your own arrangement.

2. You must play 3 verses only - each verse must be significantly different from the other. (Use different Left Hand techniques, or add embellishments, etc...)

3. Watch the video to see example of improvisation, and check your own arrangement for accuracy. (Your arrangement may be easier or harder than the video example, or be in a different key - and that is okay. You can still submit.)

4. Record yourself playing and upload it to Youtube.

5. Submit a link to your video here for evaluation.

6. Collect your points!