Au CLair de la Lune

Link to Wikipedia Article - title is French for "By the Light of the Moon." Au Clair de La Lune was the first piece of music to ever be recorded - in 1860 - and you can find a link to the recording here. (

First published version, in 1858's Chants et chansons populaires de la France

It is found in 1870's Chansons et rondes enfantines : avec notices et accompagnement de piano, which also contains some information about the history I have translated below the music.

(Rough translation of French text above) Au clair de la lune is the most popular of French tunes; all children sing it, and it is for this reason alone that it appears here: judging by the text, it is not exactly a children's song. Only the first verse seems original to us, the second was written afterward; the first four lines are sometimes replaced by:

I don't open my door To a little wizard,

Who carries the moon In his apron.

As for the verses that have been set to this tune at different times, we could well cite about ten, each more bawdy than the last. This tune is very old, at least its first part; it has sometimes been attributed to Lully, in 1033, but it is already noted in 1076, in Chardavoine's Voix de ville. It is true that the second part is missing; also this second part (which modulates) is much less old than the first, and was certainly not added before the 18th century. Boieldieu ingeniously used this air in the duet of Voitures versées: O dolce contenta!

Lyrics, and the translation, according to Wikipedia:

"Au clair de la lune,

Mon ami Pierrot,

Prête-moi ta plume

Pour écrire un mot.

Ma chandelle est morte,

Je n'ai plus de feu.

Ouvre-moi ta porte

Pour l'amour de Dieu."

Au clair de la lune,

Pierrot répondit :

"Je n'ai pas de plume,

Je suis dans mon lit.

Va chez la voisine,

Je crois qu'elle y est,

Car dans sa cuisine

On bat le briquet."

Au clair de la lune,

L'aimable Lubin;

Frappe chez la brune,

Elle répond soudain :

–Qui frappe de la sorte?

Il dit à son tour :

–Ouvrez votre porte,

Pour le Dieu d'Amour.

Au clair de la lune,

On n'y voit qu'un peu.

On chercha la plume,

On chercha du feu.

En cherchant d'la sorte,

Je n'sais c'qu'on trouva;

Mais je sais qu'la porte

Sur eux se ferma."

"By the light of the moon,

My friend Pierrot,

Lend me your quill

To write a word.

My candle is dead,

I have no light left.

Open your door for me

For the love of God."

By the light of the moon,

Pierrot replied:

"I don't have any quill,

I am in my bed

Go to the neighbor's,

I think she's there

Because in her kitchen

Someone is lighting the fire."

By the light of the moon

Likeable Lubin

Knocks on the brunette's door.

She suddenly responds:

– Who's knocking like that?

He then replies:

– Open your door

for the God of Love!

By the light of the moon

One could barely see.

The pen was looked for,

The light was looked for.

With all that looking

I don't know what was found,

But I do know that the door

Shut itself on them.