Kalimba Sheet Music: Au clair de la lune

Want to learn a famous French melody everyone knows—one that’s also very easy to pick up? Want to play the nursery rhyme Au clair de la lune on your kalimba for your own enjoyment, or to play for children? With the sheet music and tablature you’ll find at the end of this blog post, learning this song will feel effortless.

Let’s dive right in and explore this melody dedicated to that famous satellite orbiting Earth.

Do you know how to read sheet music and tablature before you start?

“Au clair de la lune” may be very simple and use only a few notes, but you’ll still need to learn the specific methods for reading sheet music and tablature for the kalimba. Once you’ve read that article, you’ll be able to start learning any piece with confidence.

Finally, it’s also important to make sure the thumb piano you plan to use isn’t out of tune. If you haven’t done so recently, take a moment to tune your kalimba. It’s quick and easy, takes just a few minutes, and it’s a must.

Remember the melody of Au clair de la lune so you can play it well on the kalimba

To lock in the right tempo, it’s always a good idea to listen to the song before you play it. Watch the video below, which also shows you which tines to pluck:

And for comparison, you’ll find the original nursery rhyme below:

The song Au clair de la lune for the kalimba in sheet music with numbers

The most accessible version, perfectly playable by children, is the numbered sheet music for the nursery rhyme Au clair de la lune.

The format with letters of the sheet music for Au clair de la lune for thumb piano

Don’t look for any difference from the version we just covered—this is simply the same notation converted from numbers to letters.

For greater precision, play this mbira tablature for Au clair de la lune

If tablatures feel a bit more challenging than simplified sheet music, it’s because they include important details, like how long each note should be held. You can view the tablature for Au clair de la lune below:

Get the free PDF containing all the files for Au clair de la lune for thumb piano

At Instruments du Monde, we make all the documents featured in our articles available for free. Download the sheet music and tablature for the melody Au clair de la lune in PDF format. You can then print everything out so you can practise as often as possible.

What is the origin of the song Au clair de la lune?

The origins and exact creation date of the melody “Au clair de la lune” are still uncertain. In 1576, composer Jehan Chardavoine published a work titled "Recueil des plus belles et excellentes chansons en forme de voix de ville", in which he compiled 190 anonymous, popular poems. One of them includes a succession of notes that brings "Au clair de la lune" to mind, but the link isn’t conclusive.

For a time, this melody was attributed to composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, based on traces supposedly found in his 1673 lyrical tragedy "Cadmus et Hermione". While it’s true that one passage may evoke "Au clair de la lune", a closer look at the score shows there’s no solid basis for crediting him with this traditional song.

As a result, "Au clair de la lune" is now considered a nursery rhyme that emerged in its final form around the 18th century, with its author and composer remaining unknown.

What is the hidden meaning of the song Au clair de la lune?

Strictly following the lyrics, the song "Au clair de la lune" tells the story of a boy named Lubin who can’t work at night because he can’t see without light. He asks Pierrot for help, and Pierrot advises him to go to his neighbour’s house to ask for a candle. When he does, she agrees, invites him in, and closes the door behind them. That’s how the nursery rhyme ends.

Yet the nursery rhyme may not be as innocent as it seems. One passage notes that in the neighbour’s kitchen, “they strike the flint.” While the phrase isn’t used much today, it once meant both making a spark and courting a young woman—or even something more intimate. So is the song meant to have a double meaning? Possibly, but either way, the mystery remains, since the author, still unknown, took the secret to the grave.

Performing “Au clair de la lune” in the best possible conditions

You now have everything you need to perform the song "Au clair de la lune" well on your kalimba. It’s a simple, short nursery rhyme that’s easy to learn, but it reliably delivers great results on kalimba—especially when playing with children.

To get the best possible sound quality, though, you’ll want a reliable, high-performing instrument, and not all kalimbas on the market deliver. At Instruments du Monde, we offer only quality instruments that bring out the best tone for every piece you play, such as the Aiersi-brand kalimba.

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We also have plenty of mbira-specific tablatures, like the sheet music for The Sound of Silence, the famous 1960s hit that a producer turned into a smash while Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were apart—and without them even realising it at first. And that’s just a preview of all the songs you can find in our extensive list of 17-note thumb piano sheet music.