Frère Jacques✧
Morning bells and little echoes. A cheerful round, played one voice at a time.
Sheet music
Tap a staff note or finger tab to hear it.
Call and echo
Morning bells
D whistle · G major · 4/4 · 100 BPM · + upper octave
Call and echo
Morning bells
Lyrics
Traditional French round
The words ask Brother Jacques whether he is sleeping and tell him to ring the morning bells.
Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, Dormez-vous ? Dormez-vous ? Sonnez les matines ! Sonnez les matines ! Ding, ding, dong ! Ding, ding, dong !
About this tune
Frère Jacques is a French round about a sleeping friar who must ring the bells for matins. It was circulating in the eighteenth century; its authorship has been debated, and it is commonly passed on as a traditional nursery song.
In a round, different singers begin the same melody at different times. The echoed phrases and bell-like ending make this song especially well suited to that overlapping texture.
Performances
Watch musicians play this tune on tin whistle. Keys and arrangements may differ from the tabs above.
Frère Jacques — tin whistle
The D Whistle
A short solo tin whistle rendition with the player and fingering visible.
Watch on YouTube — Frère Jacques — tin whistle by The D Whistle (opens in a new tab) ↗