Piper's SongbookHow to play Belle qui tiens ma vie on recorder
Belle qui tiens ma vie uses 9 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, high E and G♯. The first line goes A A G♯ A B C′ C′ E′ D′ C′ C′ B C′.
- Notes
- 9: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, high E, G♯
- Level
- Cross fingerings
- Time
- 2/2, about 84 beats a minute
- Source
- Thoinot Arbeau, Orchésographie, 1589
Belle qui tiens ma vie 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
Letters only, for printing or copying
- A | A G♯ | A B | C′ | C′ E′ | D′ C′ | C′ B | C′
- C′ | B B | A A | G♯ | E | F♯ G A | A G♯ | A
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 Belle qui tiens ma vie
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 notes are long, so the work is in the tone: keep the air even from the start of each note to the end. It also uses G♯.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
A pavane, a slow processional dance, from Thoinot Arbeau's Orchésographie of 1589. The title means "Beauty who holds my life".
Questions
Is Belle qui tiens ma vie easy on recorder?
It is an intermediate piece. It uses cross fingerings or half holes, so learn those notes on their own first.
What notes do you need for Belle qui tiens ma vie on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, high E and G♯. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Mostly. F♯ is fingered differently on a German recorder; the diagrams above are Baroque, and the linked note pages show both. A recorder whose hole 4 is smaller than hole 5 is Baroque.
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Notes checked against the Piper's Songbook transcription, compared against two or more independent sources. Last checked 6 October 2026.