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Asounds A4 · 0 of 12 holes open
SongsBrahms' Lullaby
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13 more songs need notes this instrument does not have. Changing the size or key brings some of them into reach.

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  27. 1'

Johannes Brahms, "Wiegenlied", Op. 49 No. 4, 1868. Public domain. The first half of the melody.

21 notes · A4–F6 sounding · 21 notes · written an octave lower · The standard modern ocarina: ten finger holes, two thumb holes and two subholes that reach the A and B below the C.

Tap a note, or slide along them to slur from note to note without a new breath. On a keyboard the letters on the notes are the ones to press — they run up the ocarina a semitone at a time from the low A.

OcarinaFree · printable · plays in your browser

Brahms' Lullaby — Ocarina Notes

Brahms' Lullaby (the first half), written out for the ocarina as letter notes with the fingering drawn under each one. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the ocarina waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes27, 7 pitches
  • RangeD4–C5
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo92 bpm · about 16 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a ocarina play Brahms' Lullaby?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the ocarina, in C major from D4 to C5. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Brahms' Lullaby: ocarina 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

Brahms' Lullaby — ocarina notes · tonalics.com

The 7 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 7 and you can play the whole tune.

  • DD4×4
  • EE4×7
  • FF4×3
  • GG4×5
  • AA4×3
  • BB4×3
  • CC5×2

What to expect on a ocarina

  • It runs from D4 to C5, a minor seventh, using 7 different notes. That leaves 5 semitones unused below and 5 above.
  • 54% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a tritone, F4 to B4, at note 23.
  • Its lowest note covers 9 of the 12 holes and its highest 3; the biggest change between two neighbouring notes moves 3 fingers at once.

About the tune

Brahms published it in 1868 as “Wiegenlied”, Op. 49 No. 4, written for his friend Bertha Faber on the birth of her second son. It is the tune most music boxes play.

Johannes Brahms, "Wiegenlied", Op. 49 No. 4, 1868. Public domain. The first half of the melody. More about Brahms' Lullaby →

Brahms' Lullaby on other instruments

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

More songs for the ocarina

All 24 ocarina songs · Christmas songs for ocarina · The online ocarina on its own

Playing it on a real ocarina?

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

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