Piper's SongbookHow to play La Morisque on recorder
La Morisque uses 8 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low D and high E. The first line goes B C′ D′ D′ E′ D′ C′ B G G A F♯ D.
- Notes
- 8: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low D, high E
- Level
- Thumb pinch
- Time
- 4/4, about 104 beats a minute
- Source
- Tielman Susato, Danserye, 1551
La Morisque 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
- B C′ D′ D′ E′ | D′ C′ | B G G A | F♯ D
- B C′ D′ D′ E′ | D′ C′ | B G G A | G
- B G G A | B G C′ A | B G G A | F♯ D
- B G G A | B G C′ A | B 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 La Morisque
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 bar climbs to high E, the first note with a thumb pinch. Pinch the thumb on the B before it so the E comes out cleanly.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
A morris dance printed by Tielman Susato in his Danserye, Antwerp, 1551.
Questions
Is La Morisque 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 La Morisque on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, 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.
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Notes checked against the Piper's Songbook transcription, compared against two or more independent sources. Last checked 6 October 2026.