Music Staff and Treble Clef
Primary 4 · Creative Arts
Music Staff and Treble Clef
Lesson 1 of 5
25 min
Let's begin
It is night and the power has gone off in Habimana's village. His candle burns out, and he still has homework to write. He knocks on his neighbour's door: "Please, can you lend me a pen and a light?"
More than 200 years ago, children in France sang a song about exactly this problem!
Au Clair de la Lune is a French folk song. It is so old that nobody knows who wrote it, so it belongs to everyone and anyone may sing it. Here is the first verse:
| French words | What they mean in English |
|---|---|
| Au clair de la lune, | By the light of the moon, |
| Mon ami Pierrot, | My friend Pierrot, |
| Prête-moi ta plume | Lend me your pen |
| Pour écrire un mot. | So I can write a word. |
| Ma chandelle est morte, | My candle has gone out, |
| Je n'ai plus de feu. | I have no more fire. |
| Ouvre-moi ta porte | Open your door for me, |
| Pour l'amour de Dieu. | Please, for the love of God. |
When you read a song, ask the same questions you ask about a story:
Long ago there was no electricity, and a candle was the only light at night. A pen was a bird's feather dipped in ink. That is why plume means both "feather" and "pen" in French.
Here is how the first line is written in music. You will learn to read all these signs in this unit. For now, notice that the notes go up and down as the tune goes up and down.
A fun fact: in 1860 a French inventor recorded someone singing the start of this song. It is one of the oldest recordings of a human voice in the world!
Tip
Who, what, why? Before you sing a song, find out who is singing, what they want and why. When you understand the words, you can sing them with the right feeling.
Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
What does lune mean?
Answer: The moon.
What does the singer ask Pierrot to lend him?
Answer: His pen (plume).
Why can't the singer write at home?
Answer: His candle has gone out and he has no fire, so he has no light.
Look at the staff. Which word is sung on the long note at the end of the line?
Answer: "rot", the end of "Pierrot".
Do the notes for "Au clair de" go up, go down or stay the same?
Answer: They stay the same: C, C, C.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The traditional words and tune of Au Clair de la Lune are in the public domain. The English meaning, the story, the notation drawing and the practice questions were written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each French word from the song to its English meaning.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
