Piper's SongbookHow to play Silent Night on recorder
Silent Night uses 11 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high E, high G, high C♯ and high F♯. The first line goes A B A F♯ A B A F♯. The same tune is used for Stille Nacht.
- Notes
- 11: B, A, G, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high E, high G, high C♯, high F♯
- Level
- Thumb pinch
- Time
- 6/8, about 72 beats a minute
- Source
- Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818; words by Joseph Mohr, 1816
Silent Night 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
Line 6
Letters only, for printing or copying
- A B A F♯ | A B A F♯
- E′ E′ C♯′ | D′ D′ A
- B B D′ C♯′ B | A B A F♯
- B B D′ C♯′ B | A B A F♯
- E′ E′ G′ E′ C♯′ | D′ F♯′ (rest)
- D′ A F♯ A G 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 Silent Night
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 fifth line climbs to the top of the tune: E, E, high G, then down through C♯. From high E to high G, keep the thumb pinched and the left hand down, and lift only the two right-hand fingers. Breathe before that line so the high F♯ after it can ring for its full length.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Joseph Mohr wrote the poem "Stille Nacht" in 1816. On Christmas Eve 1818 he asked Franz Xaver Gruber, a schoolteacher and organist, for a melody with guitar accompaniment, and the carol was first sung that night at St Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria.
Questions
Is Silent Night 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 Silent Night on recorder?
B, A, G, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high E, high G, high C♯ and high F♯. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Mostly. F♯ 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.
More recorder songs
Notes checked against Paul Hardy's Christmas tunebook (ABC) against the modern melody printed on Wikipedia, in D. Last checked 6 October 2026.