34 play where the library writes them; the other 2 fit in another key or an octave away, and each page is set up in the reading that works. Nothing here is marked by guesswork: a song is listed only if every one of its notes is a note this instrument can sound, and the line under each title gives the range it covers on the recorder.
Nursery rhymes & first tunes for recorder
The short tunes most people learn an instrument on.
Christmas songs & carols for recorder
Carols and winter songs old enough to belong to everyone. See the Christmas songs for recorder with the first line of each →
- Jingle Bells
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Silent Night
- Deck the Halls
- O Christmas Tree
- Joy to the World
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- O Come, All Ye Faithful
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
- Away in a Manger
- The First Noel
- Good King Wenceslas
- Up on the Housetop
- Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
- O Holy Night
- Auld Lang Syne
- Carol of the Bells
Folk & traditional songs for recorder
Songs passed on by singing long before anyone printed them.
Classical melodies for recorder
Themes from the concert hall that fit under one hand.
What each recorder can play
Counted over the 36 songs above. “As written” is where the library puts the tune; “moved” is songs that fit only in another key the recorder offers, or an octave up or down; “cannot” is songs with a note that size does not have.
| Recorder | As written | Moved | Cannot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soprano | 34 | 2 | 0 |
| Alto | 30 | 6 | 0 |
| Tenor | 34 | 2 | 0 |
Songs that are not here
Everything on this page is public domain — traditional melodies and pieces old enough to belong to everyone. Film, game and pop songs are still in copyright, and an arrangement of one is a copy of the melody whatever notation it is written in, so they are not published here. The online recorder has a tab editor instead: write your own, and the notes travel inside the link you share rather than being uploaded.
Every song, on every instrument · Christmas songs for all instruments