Dona Nobis Pacem
a Round for Singers
Dona Nobis Pacem is perhaps the most famous of singing rounds, and certainly one of the loveliest.
This free vocal sheet music comes with free guitar tabs and also treble staff for pianists, vocalists, fiddlers, and other instrumentalists.
Here is the familiar part of the melody, arranged for guitar:
Please scroll down the page for the download links.
Latin words
The Latin words of this beautiful singing round mean "Give us peace."
Additional melody parts
Most people are only familiar with the melody of the beginning, or part 1. Parts 2 & 3 provide harmony for that melody, giving body and fullness to the music.
But those parts are pretty tricky to learn! Learning this beautiful round has been more difficult for my singing groups than most other rounds.
A beautiful recital song - for voice or guitar
This song would make a very beautiful Christmas performance for a group of guitarists, if three took the melody, and one played backup chords.
I'm considering persuading my current group of guitar players that this is just what they want to do for our next Christmas recital!
For guitar, I like the way the melody works in the key of D. But for fiddle/violin, I think the key of G is easiest for beginning students.
Here is the singing round all on one page, on treble staff with no guitar tablature:
Use harmony to stabilize the melody
When practicing Dona nobis pacem with just one student, I play the chords for an accompaniment. Hearing the harmonies helps students stay on pitch.
Because the only repetitious element is the text (the lyrics) this round is harder to learn than many others. It is worth the trouble, however!
The links for the guitar tablature arrangements:
Download guitar tabs for Dona Nobis Pacem in the key of C
Printable sheet music and guitar tabs and treble staff in the key of D
Download free vocal sheet music in the key of E with guitar tabs
Singing round for guitar tabs in the key of G
The links for the vocal line lead sheets:
Download lead sheet for Dona Nobis in the key of A
Download lead sheet in the key of Bb
Free singing round in the key of D
Free singing round in the key of Eb
Enjoy this beautiful vocal round!
More Rounds at Music-for-Music-Teachers.com
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Dianna:
Your website is a light in the darkness. THANK YOU for all you do in helping to spread the love of music. It matters!
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Comments
Do you have a funny story about this music, or does it remind you of something you'd like to share with other readers? Do you have a question? I'd love to hear it!
Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...
About the Author
Hi, I'm Dana! (Say that like "Anna".) I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.
Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.
You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.
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