Piper's SongbookHow to play Toreador Song on recorder
Toreador Song (the refrain) uses 12 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, low E, low D, high E, F, G♯, B♭ and low C. The first line goes C′ D′ C′ A A A G A B♭ A.
- Notes
- 12: B, A, G, high C, high D, low E, low D, high E, F, G♯, B♭, low C
- Level
- Cross fingerings
- Time
- 2/4, about 96 beats a minute
- Source
- Georges Bizet, Carmen, act 2, 1875
Toreador Song 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
- C′ D′ C′ | A A | A G A B♭ | A (rest)
- B♭ G C′ | A (rest) | F D G | C (rest)
- G D′ C′ B♭ | A G A B♭ | A (rest)
- E A | A G♯ B | E′ D′ E′ D′ C′ D′
- G A B♭ A B♭ A F D′ | C′
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 Toreador Song
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 second line drops from F to low D and then to low C, held for a beat and a half. Low C needs every hole sealed, including both small double holes at the bottom, and very gentle air. The fourth line has G♯: thumb, left index and middle, right index and middle, and half the right ring finger's double hole.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
The bullfighter Escamillo sings this song when he arrives in act 2 of Bizet's Carmen, first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875. Bizet also used the refrain in the prelude to act 1. He died three months after the premiere.
Questions
Is Toreador Song 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 Toreador Song on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, low E, low D, high E, F, G♯, B♭ and low C. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Mostly. F and B♭ 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 the Mutopia piano score of the act 1 prelude and Bizet's piano arrangement of Les Toréadors in Carmen Suite No. 1 (Choudens), in the original F major. Last checked 6 October 2026.