Piper's SongbookHow to play Rondeau from Abdelazer on recorder
Rondeau from Abdelazer uses 12 notes on the soprano recorder: A, high C, high D, low D, high E, high G, high C♯, F, B♭, high F, high A and high B♭. The first line goes D F A D′ E′ F′ G′ F′ E′ D′ C♯′ A′ D′ F′ A′ F′ D′ B♭′ G′ C′ E′ G′ E′ C′ A′.
- Notes
- 12: A, high C, high D, low D, high E, high G, high C♯, F, B♭, high F, high A, high B♭
- Level
- Cross fingerings
- Time
- 3/2, about 116 beats a minute
- Source
- Henry Purcell, 1695
Rondeau from Abdelazer 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
Letters only, for printing or copying
- D F A | D′ E′ F′ G′ F′ E′ D′ C♯′ | A′ D′ F′ A′ F′ D′ B♭′ | G′ C′ E′ G′ E′ C′ A′
- F′ B♭ D′ F′ D′ B♭ G′ | E′ A C♯′ E′ C♯′ A F′ | E′ F′ E′ D′ C♯′ F′ E′ F′ E′ D′ | A D′ C♯′ D′ E′ D′ 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 Rondeau from Abdelazer
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
This is the hardest tune here. It runs from low D up to high B♭, so learn the high F, A and B♭ fingerings on their own before you try the runs.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Henry Purcell wrote it for the play Abdelazer in 1695. Benjamin Britten used it as the theme of The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra in 1946.
Questions
Is Rondeau from Abdelazer easy on recorder?
It is an intermediate piece. It uses cross fingerings or half holes, so learn those notes on their own first.
What notes do you need for Rondeau from Abdelazer on recorder?
A, high C, high D, low D, high E, high G, high C♯, F, B♭, high F, high A and high B♭. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Mostly. F, B♭ and high F are 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.