Piper's SongbookHow to play Brahms' Lullaby on recorder
Brahms' Lullaby uses 8 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high D, F♯, low E, low D and high C♯. The first line goes F♯ F♯ A F♯ F♯ A F♯ A D′ C♯′ B B A E F♯. The same tune is used for Wiegenlied, Cradle Song, Guten Abend and gut' Nacht.
- Notes
- 8: B, A, G, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high C♯
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 3/4, about 72 beats a minute
- Source
- Johannes Brahms, Wiegenlied, Op. 49 No. 4, published 1868
Brahms' Lullaby 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
Letters only, for printing or copying
- F♯ F♯ | A F♯ F♯ | A (rest) F♯ A | D′ C♯′ B | B A E F♯
- G E E F♯ | G (rest) E G | C♯′ B A C♯′ | D′ (rest) D D
- D′ B G | A F♯ D | G A B | A D D
- D′ B G | A F♯ D | G F♯ E | D
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 Brahms' Lullaby
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 second half opens with a leap from two soft low Ds up to high D. Every finger lifts except your left middle finger, and the thumb comes off the back too. Give the high D a little more air than the low Ds before it.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Brahms published the song in 1868 and dedicated it to his friend Bertha Faber on the birth of her second son. The words come from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, a collection of German folk poems.
Questions
Is Brahms' Lullaby easy on recorder?
It is a good second or third tune. Both hands play, and the low notes need gentle air.
What notes do you need for Brahms' Lullaby on recorder?
B, A, G, high D, F♯, low E, low D and high C♯. 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.
More recorder songs
Notes checked against the score in the Wikipedia article and The Everyday Song Book (1927), transposed to D. Last checked 6 October 2026.