Piper's SongbookHow to play Joy to the World on recorder
Joy to the World uses 8 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high D, F♯, low E, low D and high C♯. The first line goes D′ C♯′ B A G F♯ E D. The same tune is used for Antioch.
- Notes
- 8: B, A, G, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high C♯
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 2/4, about 100 beats a minute
- Source
- Words by Isaac Watts, 1719; tune arranged by Lowell Mason, 1839
Joy to the World 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′ C♯′ B | A G | F♯ E | D
- A | B B | C♯′ C♯′ | D′
- D′ | D′ C♯′ B A | A G F♯ D′ | D′ C♯′ B A | A G F♯
- F♯ | F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ G | A G F♯ | E E E E F♯ | G F♯ E
- F♯ D′ B | A G F♯ 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 Joy to the World
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 walks straight down the D major scale, from high D to low D. The thumb stays off for the first two notes: high D is the left middle finger alone, and C♯ adds the first finger. Put the thumb back on for B, add left-hand fingers for A and G, and let the right hand take over for F♯, E and low D.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Isaac Watts published the words in 1719 as a version of Psalm 98. The tune comes from Lowell Mason, who printed it in The Modern Psalmist in 1839 and attributed it to Handel. It is the most published Christmas hymn in North America.
Questions
Is Joy to the World 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 Joy to the World 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 Lowell Mason's 1839 melody as printed on Wikipedia, against Paul Hardy's Christmas tunebook and Thornton Rose's ABC, in D. Both ABC versions drop to low D before the last high D; this page follows Mason's F♯. Last checked 6 October 2026.