The Piano Guys – Angels We Have Heard on High

Four Men, Thirty-Two Fingers, One Piano

Released November 29, 2013, as part of A Family Christmas, “Angels We Have Heard on High” never charted as a single but became The Piano Guys’ most requested performance through viral YouTube success. The album debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and immediately topped both the Classical Albums and New Age Albums charts, selling steadily through multiple Christmas seasons following the group’s gold-certified debut. But here’s what captivated millions: the accompanying music video showed pianist Jon Schmidt, cellist Steven Sharp Nelson, producer Al van der Beek, and videographer Paul Anderson gathered around a single piano, using 32 fingers and eight thumbs to simultaneously bang, pluck, and percuss every possible sound from the instrument. The video gained nearly three million views in its first week and has since accumulated over 25 million, proving audiences craved innovative arrangements over traditional reverence when it came to centuries-old carols.

The Piano Guys had already established themselves as YouTube sensations by late 2013, having amassed 134 million views and 757,000 subscribers before signing with Sony Masterworks in September 2012. Their self-titled debut album went gold, followed by The Piano Guys 2 earlier in 2013. A Family Christmas became their fourth studio album in less than two years, a Beatles-like pace that Steven Sharp Nelson joked about maintaining. The group’s unique approach of combining classical technique with pop sensibilities and cinematic videos had proven commercially viable, with each album reaching number one on Classical or New Age charts. Their arrangement of “Angels We Have Heard on High” mixed in snippets of other Christmas favorites including “Jingle Bells,” “Joy to the World,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” creating a medley that felt both familiar and completely original.

The original carol dates back to 18th century France, where it appeared in print in 1842 as “Les Anges dans nos campagnes” or “The Angels in Our Countryside.” Roman Catholic bishop James Chadwick translated it into English in 1862, adding original material alongside the famous Latin chorus “Gloria in excelsis Deo,” meaning “Glory to God in the highest.” The Piano Guys’ approach honored that history while completely reimagining the delivery method. Schmidt, Nelson, and van der Beek had already perfected this multi-person, single-instrument technique in their viral video for One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” which showed them extracting every possible sound from a piano’s strings, hammers, and body. They applied the same concept here, imagining shepherds abiding in fields keeping watch over flocks by night while creating joyful noise that matched the angels’ proclamation.

The recording arrangement, credited to Schmidt, van der Beek, and Nelson, transformed the traditional carol into something between chamber music and percussive performance art. Every sound except the vocals came exclusively from the piano, including rhythmic elements typically handled by drums. The performers struck piano strings directly, knocked on the instrument’s body for bass drum effects, and used the damper pedals as additional percussion while maintaining the melodic and harmonic content on the keys. The production emphasized the tactile, physical nature of making music rather than hiding technique behind studio polish. Set in E major at 143 beats per minute, the arrangement moved through chord progressions including E major, A major, B major, and C-sharp minor, maintaining enough of the traditional melody that listeners could recognize it while being thoroughly surprised by the execution.

“Angels We Have Heard on High” appeared on A Family Christmas, released October 22, 2013, which balanced traditional carols with contemporary holiday songs and original compositions. The deluxe edition, released October 7, 2014, came in two versions: one containing a miniature piano Christmas ornament and another featuring a miniature cello ornament, perfect merchandising for a group whose entire identity centered on those two instruments. The album marked the Piano Guys’ first dedicated Christmas project after their previous releases focused on classical-pop fusion and film score interpretations. Critics praised their ability to make centuries-old material feel fresh without descending into novelty territory, recognizing genuine musicianship beneath the YouTube-friendly presentation.

The promotional push emphasized the video’s viral potential and family-friendly content. The group appeared on NBC’s Today Show on December 11, 2013, performing the arrangement live and discussing how it had become their most requested video within days of release. Radio stations embraced it immediately, with mix shows and morning programs featuring clips of the four men crowded around the piano. The video itself included playful cameo appearances by Christmas icons including Santa Claus, elves, and reindeer who “helped” with the filming, adding humor without undermining the music’s spiritual intent. In 2017, The Piano Guys incorporated “Angels We Have Heard on High” into a world-record-breaking live nativity video featuring 1,039 participants, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Peter Hollens, and David Archuleta, further cementing the arrangement’s status as a contemporary Christmas standard.

Twelve years later, “Angels We Have Heard on High” demonstrates how traditional sacred music can be radically reimagined without losing reverence. The Piano Guys understood something essential: audiences don’t reject innovation in Christmas music, they reject cynicism and empty spectacle. By bringing genuine musicianship, technical creativity, and obvious joy to their performance, they created something that worked as both viral entertainment and meaningful seasonal listening. As the group explained, they wanted the video to present the fun side of Christmas while letting the music portray the holiday’s true meaning. Sometimes the best way to honor an 18th century French carol about angels proclaiming glory isn’t through solemn reproduction but through four middle-aged family men from Utah enthusiastically beating the daylights out of a piano with 32 fingers, eight thumbs, and hearts full of actual Christmas spirit.