Piper's SongbookHow to play Hark! The Herald Angels Sing on recorder
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 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 D G G F♯ G B B A D′ D′ D′ C′ B 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 100 beats a minute
- Source
- Felix Mendelssohn, Festgesang, 1840; words by Charles Wesley, 1739
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 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
- D G G F♯ | G B B A | D′ D′ D′ C′ | B A B
- D G G F♯ | G B B A | D′ A A G | F♯ E D
- D′ D′ D′ G | C′ B B A | D′ D′ D′ G | C′ B B A
- E′ E′ E′ D′ | C′ B C′ | A B C′ D′ G | G A B
- E′ E′ E′ D′ | C′ B C′ | A B C′ D′ G | G 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 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
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 fourth and fifth lines open with three high Es in a row, so hold the thumb pinch steady instead of re-placing it for each note. Then drop to D with the thumb off and C with the thumb back on. The quick B and C before the long high D take half a beat each.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Charles Wesley wrote the words in 1739, and George Whitefield later changed the opening to the lines sung today. The tune comes from Felix Mendelssohn's Festgesang of 1840, written for the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg's printing press. William H. Cummings fitted it to the words in 1855.
Questions
Is Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 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 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 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 the melody of the IMSLP arrangement printed on Wikipedia, in G. Last checked 6 October 2026.