Piper's SongbookHow to play Eine kleine Nachtmusik on recorder
Eine kleine Nachtmusik (the opening) uses 8 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E and low D. The first line goes G D G D G D G B D′ C′ A C′ A C′ A F♯ A D.
- Notes
- 8: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 4/4, about 120 beats a minute
- Source
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Serenade No. 13 in G, K. 525, 1787
Eine kleine Nachtmusik 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
Letters only, for printing or copying
- G (rest) D G (rest) D | G D G B D′ (rest) | C′ (rest) A C′ (rest) A | C′ A F♯ A D (rest)
- G (rest) G B A G | G F♯ F♯ A C′ F♯ | A G G B A G | G F♯ F♯ A C′ F♯
- G G G F♯ E F♯ G G B A G A | B B D′ C′ B C′ 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 Eine kleine Nachtmusik
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 first line keeps leaping from G down to low D and back. For low D, put your right index, middle and ring fingers down together and leave only the little finger's double hole open. Blow more gently on low D, and count the rests so the leaps stay crisp.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Mozart finished this serenade for strings in Vienna on 10 August 1787, while he was working on his opera Don Giovanni. It was not published until about 1827, more than thirty years after his death.
Questions
Is Eine kleine Nachtmusik 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 Eine kleine Nachtmusik on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E and low D. 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 first violin part in the Mutopia score, the Wikipedia score excerpt and a MIDI sequence by J. Frimodig, an octave lower in the original G. Last checked 6 October 2026.