Piper's SongbookHow to play Angels We Have Heard on High on recorder
Angels We Have Heard on High uses 7 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, low D and high E. The first line goes B B B D′ D′ C′ B B A B D′ B A G. The same tune is used for Les Anges dans nos campagnes and Gloria.
- Notes
- 7: B, A, G, high C, high D, low D, high E
- Level
- Thumb pinch
- Time
- 4/4, about 100 beats a minute
- Source
- French carol "Les Anges dans nos campagnes", printed 1842; English words by James Chadwick, 1862
Angels We Have Heard on High recorder notes with letters
Each box is one note, with its fingering underneath: filled holes are covered, a half-filled hole is half covered or pinched. Wider boxes are longer notes. A ′ mark means the higher octave, so D′ is high D. Bar lines are drawn as thin rules.
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Line 5
Line 6
Letters only, for printing or copying
- B B B D′ | D′ C′ B | B A B D′ | B A G
- B B B D′ | D′ C′ B | B A B D′ | B A G
- D′ E′ D′ C′ B | C′ D′ C′ B A | B C′ B A G | A D D
- G A B C′ | B A
- D′ E′ D′ C′ B | C′ D′ C′ B A | B C′ B A G | A D D
- G A B C′ | B A | G
Sheet music
Written pitch for soprano recorder, which sounds an octave higher. Press play to hear it on a recorder sound; the slow setting plays at 60% speed.
Fingerings for the notes in Angels We Have Heard on High
Hole 0 is the thumb hole on the back. Holes 1 to 3 are for the left hand, 4 to 7 for the right. These are Baroque (English) fingerings.
How to practise it
The "Gloria" is three long notes, each followed by four quick notes stepping down, and each group starts one step lower than the last: high D, then C, then B. Take a full breath before it and breathe again at the low D. The first run starts on high D with the thumb off and touches high E, which needs a quick thumb pinch.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
The tune comes from the French carol "Les Anges dans nos campagnes", first printed with its music in Paris in 1842. James Chadwick, the Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, wrote the English paraphrase in 1862.
Questions
Is Angels We Have Heard on High easy on recorder?
It suits a player who already knows the notes from low D to high D. It also needs the thumb pinch for the high notes.
What notes do you need for Angels We Have Heard on High on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, low D and high E. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Yes. Every note in Angels We Have Heard on High uses the same fingering on Baroque and German recorders.
More recorder songs
Notes checked against John Chambers' ABC against the melody printed on Wikipedia, transposed to G. Last checked 6 October 2026.