Frère Jacques
Are You Sleeping?
Primer Level, C
“Frère Jacques” is a French round that has been sung in classrooms and music lessons for centuries. The song is said to be about a sleepy monk who kept missing his duty of ringing the church bells in the morning — though whether that story is true, nobody really knows. As a round, the melody overlaps with itself in a wonderfully satisfying way, creating a richer sound than you might expect from such a simple tune.
