Piper's SongbookHow to play God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen on recorder
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen uses 9 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D and high E. The first line goes E E B B A G F♯ E D E F♯ G A B.
- Notes
- 9: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high E
- Level
- Thumb pinch
- Time
- 4/4, about 120 beats a minute
- Source
- Traditional English carol, known by 1764; tune printed by 1815
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen 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
Letters only, for printing or copying
- E | E B B A | G F♯ E D | E F♯ G A | B
- E | E B B A | G F♯ E D | E F♯ G A | B
- B | C′ A B C′ | D′ E′ B A | G E F♯ G | A G A
- B C′ B | B A G F♯ | E G F♯ E | A G A
- B C′ D′ E′ | B A G F♯ | E
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 God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
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 last line climbs B, C, high D, high E, one note per beat, then falls straight back to F♯. High E is the hard step: from high D, half cover the thumb hole and add the left first and ring fingers and two right-hand fingers at once. Practise just those four rising notes until the E speaks without a squeak.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
An English carol quoted in a London magazine in 1764 and printed by William Sandys in his Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern in 1833. The minor-key tune sung today first appears in a piano rondo by Samuel Wesley, which had been reviewed by 1815.
Questions
Is God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen 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 God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D and high E. 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 Paul Hardy's Christmas tunebook against John Chambers' Christmas ABC collection, in E minor. Last checked 6 October 2026.