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SongsAway in a Manger
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The tune “Mueller”, James R. Murray, 1887. Public domain.

33 notes · E3–C6 written · sounds D3–B♭5 · 33 notes · The clarinet almost everyone plays: band, jazz, school. Sounds a whole step below the part.

Tap a note, or slide along them to slur from note to note in one breath. On a keyboard the letters on the notes are the ones to press — Q is written G3 and they climb a semitone at a time.

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Away in a Manger — Clarinet Notes

Away in a Manger, written out for the clarinet as letter notes with the fingering drawn under each one and set up above on the B♭ clarinet. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the clarinet waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes44, 8 pitches
  • RangeG4–G5
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo100 bpm · about 29 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a clarinet play Away in a Manger?

Yes — every one on this page plays it. The check is made note by note against what each one can actually sound. Where the tune does not fit as the library writes it, another key or octave is tried, and the table says which; where nothing fits, it names the notes that are missing.

  • B♭ clarinet✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, G4–G5 · loaded above
  • A clarinet✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, G4–G5 · load it
  • E♭ clarinet✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, G4–G5 · load it
  • Bass clarinet✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, G4–G5 · load it

The notes here are written pitch, which is what a clarinet player reads. On the B♭ clarinet this sounds in B♭ major.

Away in a Manger: clarinet notes

The large line is the note, and the drawing is its fingering — a filled hole or key is one that is down. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

▶ Play it above

Away in a Manger — clarinet notes (B♭ clarinet) · tonalics.com

The 8 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 8 and you can play the whole tune.

  • GG4×8
  • AA4×5
  • BB4×4
  • CC5×7
  • DD5×6
  • EE5×7
  • FF5×3
  • GG5×4

What to expect on a clarinet

  • It runs from G4 to G5, an octave, using 8 different notes. That leaves 15 semitones unused below and 5 above.
  • 84% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a minor seventh, G4 to F5, at note 35.
  • It crosses the break 8 times — between B♭4 and B4, where the register key comes in — which is the hard part of this tune on this instrument.

About the tune

An American carol of the 1880s that was long, and wrongly, said to be by Martin Luther. This is the tune called “Mueller”, published by James R. Murray in 1887 and the one sung in North America. In Britain the same words go to a different melody, William J. Kirkpatrick’s “Cradle Song” of 1895.

The tune “Mueller”, James R. Murray, 1887. Public domain. The notes follow Wikipedia, “Away in a Manger” (engraved score), cross-checked against 1 other transcription. More about Away in a Manger →

Away in a Manger on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the guzheng, handpan or ocarina, which do not have the notes.

More songs for the clarinet

All 36 clarinet songs · Christmas songs for clarinet · The online clarinet on its own

Playing it on a real clarinet?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The clarinet tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

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