Au Clair de la Lune — Free Piano Sheet Music for Kids, With a Play Button

Au Clair de la Lune

Free beginner piano sheet music: C major, 4/4, 8 bars. The right hand alone in C position, thumb on middle C, with the finger number above every note and its letter name underneath. Press Play to hear it on a real piano or slow it down; click any note to start from there; print it for the music stand.

The notes in this piece

Your right hand plays three notes in this piece: C, D, E. The thumb sits on middle C and each finger has its own key, so the hand never moves. The left hand rests in your lap. The shaded keys are the notes, and the numbers under them are the fingers (1 is the thumb). The same finger numbers are printed above every note in the music, with the note’s letter name underneath. What is C position? →

Where your hand goes

C – D – E

About this arrangement

A French folk song from the 1700s and one of the first tunes French children learn, which is why it only needs three notes, C, D and E. In C position the right thumb sits on middle C, so those notes are fingers 1, 2 and 3 and the hand never moves. The right hand plays alone, and the second line is the first line again. It is also the earliest known recording of someone singing: a phonautogram of it was made in Paris in 1860. The words are the original French, sung as they are written.

Practice tip: Say the words out loud first: “Au clair de la lu-ne”. The two long notes on “lu-ne” are minims (half notes), two beats each.

The words

Au clair de la lune, mon ami Pierrot, prêtemoi ta plume pour écrire un mot.

A short history

A French folk song from the eighteenth century, about a boy knocking on his friend Pierrot’s door to borrow a pen by the light of the moon. Some old editions credit the tune to the composer Lully, but there is no evidence for that, and it is best called traditional.

On 9 April 1860 the Parisian inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville traced the sound of someone singing it onto soot-blackened paper with his phonautograph. He never meant it to be played back, but in 2008 researchers turned the trace into sound, and it is now the earliest known recording of a human voice singing.

French children learn it first because it needs only three notes, and it is the usual first piece in French piano books for the same reason.

Quick facts

Tune: Traditional (French, 18th century)
Key: C major, C position
Time signature: 4/4
Length: 8 bars
Tempo: Gently, crotchet = 96
Difficulty: Level 1: Right hand, C to G (piece 1 of 201)
Type: Folk song
Hands: Right hand only, thumb on middle C
Notes: C, D and E (diagram above)
Copyright: Public domain tune; arrangement by Digital Greenhouse, free for personal and classroom use

Questions and answers

Which notes does Au Clair de la Lune use?

It is in C major, in 4/4 time, for the right hand alone in C position: thumb on middle C and fingers 1 to 5 on C, D, E, F and G. The finger number above each note and the letter name under it tell you which key to play.

How long is it?

C major, 4/4, 8 bars. The tempo marking is Gently, crotchet = 96.

Is Au Clair de la Lune out of copyright?

Yes. The tune is traditional (French, 18th century). Our piano arrangement is free for personal and classroom use.

What is the hardest part?

Say the words out loud first: “Au clair de la lu-ne”. The two long notes on “lu-ne” are minims (half notes), two beats each.

Can I print it?

Yes. Press Print above to put this piece on its own page, or choose Save as PDF as the printer for a file. It prints on A4 paper; if yours is US Letter, choose US Letter in the box beside Print. The notes are the same size as a printed music book.

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