Piper's SongbookHow to play The First Noel on recorder
The First Noel uses 8 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high D, F♯, low E, low D and high C♯. The first line goes F♯ E D E F♯ G A B C♯′ D′ C♯′ B A. The same tune is used for The First Nowell.
- Notes
- 8: B, A, G, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high C♯
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 3/4, about 108 beats a minute
- Source
- Traditional carol from Cornwall, printed by William Sandys in the 1820s and 1830s
The First Noel 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
- F♯ E | D E F♯ G | A B C♯′ | D′ C♯′ B | A
- B C♯′ | D′ C♯′ B | A B C♯′ | D′ A G | F♯
- F♯ E | D E F♯ G | A B C♯′ | D′ C♯′ B | A
- B C♯′ | D′ C♯′ B | A B C♯′ | D′ A G | F♯
- F♯ E | D E F♯ G | A D′ C♯′ | B B | A
- D′ C♯′ B | A B C♯′ | D′ A G | F♯
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 The First Noel
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
Every line of the verse starts with a quick F♯ and E that fall onto low D, the lowest note in the tune. Cover every hole except the bottom one and blow very gently for that D, then climb through E, F♯ and G to the long A.
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 traditional carol from Cornwall, first printed in its current form in collections edited by William Sandys in the 1820s and 1830s. The same phrase is sung twice and the refrain is a variation on it, which is unusual for an English folk tune. Most choirs sing John Stainer's harmony from 1871.
Questions
Is The First Noel 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 The First Noel 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 Paul Hardy's Christmas tunebook against John Chambers' Christmas ABC collection, in D. Last checked 6 October 2026.