Other arrangements of Once Upon A Time
Pick a learning view.
(C)Once up on a (Cmaj7)time
a (C)girl with (Am)moon light in her eyes
(F)put her hand in (C)mine
and said she loved me (Fmaj7)so.
But (F)that (G7)was (Am)once up on a time,
ver y long a (C)go.
(Cmaj7)Once up on a hill
we (C)sat be (Am)neath a wil low tree,
(F)count ing all the (C)stars
and wait ing for the (Fmaj7)dawn.
But (F)that (G#dim7)was (Am)once up on a time.
Now the tree is (Cmaj7)gone.
(Dm7)How (G7)the (Cmaj7)beeeze
(Dm7)ruf fled (G7)through her (Cmaj7)hair,
(Bm7)how we (E7)al ways (Am)laughed as (Am7)though to (G7)mor row was nโt there.
We were (C)young and (G7)did nโt have a (C)care.
Where
did it (G7)go?
(Cmaj7)Once up on a time
the (C)world was (Am)sweet er than we knew.
(F)Ev โry thing was (C)ours,
how hap py we were (F)then.
But (F)some (G#dim7)how (Am)once up on a time
(G7sus)nev er (G7)comes a (C)gain.
(C)Once up on a (Cmaj7)time
it (C)seemed the (Am)world was paint ed gold.
(F)And there was a (C)man,
and oh, I loved him (Fmaj7)so.
The (F)world (G7)was (Am)beau ti ful to see
ver y long a (C)go.
(Cmaj7)On a night like this
we (C)saw the (Am)ris ing of the moon.
(F)All the sil ver (C)stars
like neck lac es were (Fmaj7)strung.
We (F)spoke (G#dim7)of (Am)such im por tant things.
We were ver y (Cmaj7)young.
(Dm7)O (G7)pen (Cmaj7)hearts,
(Dm7)noth ing (G7)to con (Cmaj7)ceal;
(Bm7)ev โry (E7)lit tle (Am)thought was (Am7)so ex (G7)cit ing to re veal.
All our (C)dreams we (G7)knew would soon be (C)real.
Where
did they (G7)go?
(Cmaj7)Once up on a time
the (C)world was (Am)sweet er than we knew.
(F)Ev โry thing was (C)ours,
how hap py we were (F)then.
But (F)some (G#dim7)how (Am)once up on a time
(G7sus)nev er (G7)comes a (C)gain.
Once Upon A Time โ Classic Piano Sheet Music
7 people have learned this song
Read "Once Upon A Time" by Charles Strouse in classic piano notation โ both hands, real chords + notes, in the published key of C. Engraved server-side from the publisher MusicXML; click any note to jump there as the score follows along at 68 BPM.
Tip: Start at 50% speed to get comfortable with the fingering, then work your way up to full tempo.
Try other practice modes:
About โOnce Upon A Timeโ
- Is this the same engraved sheet music a piano teacher would print for "Once Upon A Time"?
- Yes โ the score is rendered server-side from the publisher MusicXML using Verovio (the same engine RISM and OpenScore use). Standard piano notation, treble + bass staves, real chord symbols, key signature C. Print-quality and identical to what you'd see in a printed piano book.
- What key is "Once Upon A Time" by Charles Strouse played in?
- Once Upon A Time is arranged in the key of C on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "Once Upon A Time"?
- The arrangement plays at 68 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "Once Upon A Time" easy to play on piano?
- Yes โ this is one of our beginner-friendly arrangements with simplified chords and color-coded notes.
- Can I download sheet music for "Once Upon A Time"?
- Yes โ registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "Once Upon A Time"?
- "Once Upon A Time" was originally performed by Charles Strouse. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What other songs by Charles Strouse can I play here?
- Try "YOU'RE NEVER FULLY DRESSED WITHOUT A SMILE", "I THINK I'M GONNA LIKE IT HERE", "MAYBE". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is this the same notation a piano teacher would hand me?
- Yes โ "Once Upon A Time" is rendered at engraver quality (the Verovio engine, the same toolkit RISM and OpenScore editions use) from the original publisher MusicXML. You get standard piano notation: treble + bass clefs, key signature C, time signature, beams, dynamics โ everything a printed sheet music book would have. Great for piano students learning to read music properly.
- What's the difference between Sheet Music and the other modes here?
- Sheet Music is the "classic" view โ the one your piano teacher uses. Other modes (Beginner, Fall Down, Simple Sheet, Lead Sheet) trade real notation for color-coded notes and falling shapes to help absolute beginners. Use Sheet Music once you're ready to read both hands at once from real notation.
- Can I practice from this view at my own pace?
- Yes โ slow the tempo from 68 BPM down (or up) without changing the pitch. The score scrolls in time and the currently playing note is highlighted, so you can drill a tough bar at half speed and bump it up once it feels comfortable.
- Why can I click a note in the score?
- Every notehead is interactive. Click and the audio jumps to that moment so you can drill a specific phrase or bar instead of replaying from the top. The currently playing note is highlighted as the music advances so your eye never loses its place.
- Can I download the sheet music as a PDF?
- Yes โ Sheet Music PDF is one of the download formats for this song. The engraved score prints page-perfect on A4 / Letter so you can practice from paper as well as on screen.


