Ich geh mit meiner Laterne - Sheet Music for accordion Laternenlied

St. Martin's Day, Advent singing, kindergarten celebrations – „Ich geh mit meiner Laterne" is one of those songs that gets everyone singing along instantly. These accordion sheet music arrangements are aimed at players with approximately one year of lessons under their belt. The melody stays in a comfortable middle register, the key of G major keeps accidentals to a minimum, and the two-handed coordination can be built up cleanly from the very first practice session.

Sheet Music „Ich geh mit meiner Laterne" – a cheerful lantern song for accordion

„Ich geh mit meiner Laterne" is one of the best-known German lantern songs – and rightly so. The lyrics describe a procession through the night by the light of lanterns and stars, and the refrain with its „Rabimmel, Rabummel, Rabumm" lodges itself in your head after a single listen. The song has been passed down as a traditional folk song and became a fixture of St. Martin's processions and the Advent season in Germany through kindergartens and schools during the 20th century. In musicological research, the version in common use today – with its characteristic refrain – is occasionally associated with the name Heinrich Bhering; however, a confirmed and unambiguous authorship is not documented in available sources. The melody spread widely, particularly in the post-war period.

On the accordion, this piece sounds especially warm and immediate. G major is a rewarding key for the instrument: the melody moves within a comfortable middle register – spanning exactly one octave, with no large leaps. On the treble side, the typical G major fingerings sit well in the hand, though the transitions between D and G in the upper part of the range will initially call for some attention to fingering. This keeps the piece accessible overall for beginners. Stylistically, the song is notated in 3/4 time and carries a gentle waltz feel – the characteristic swaying step of a lantern procession, which shapes the phrasing from the outset. What makes the piece slightly more demanding nonetheless: the right and left hands must work together from the very beginning, and the tempo moves along briskly. Anyone who can coordinate bellows and treble – that is, airflow and melody fingering – simultaneously has already grasped the essentials. Since the score contains no legato slurs, a slightly detached, stepwise articulation is recommended, one that underscores the march-like character without fragmenting the melodic line.

• Range: d' to d''
• Ideal for: St. Martin's procession, kindergarten celebrations, Advent singing

Playing the left hand – bass buttons and chord accompaniment – through a few bars on its own first will quickly reveal how much more secure the combined playing feels afterwards. In G major, the bass accompaniment in 3/4 time typically alternates between the G bass on beat one and the chord buttons for G major and D major on beats two and three – a straightforward alternating bass pattern that becomes second nature quickly. The bellows carry the entire phrasing here: drawing the bellows evenly and with intention gives the song its natural flow. A common beginner's mistake: the bellows change falls unconsciously on a strong beat, noticeably disrupting the waltz feel. It is better to place the bellows change deliberately on a weak beat – this keeps the melody smooth and preserves the 3/4 character. No tricky stumbling blocks lurk in the score – this piece is enjoyable from the very first run-through and will be performance-ready for the next St. Martin's celebration.

A short audio preview is available – useful for getting a feel for the tempo and character before you buy. The sheet music is available for immediate download after purchase. 100% licensed – ready to perform legally, right away.

Editorially reviewed by the notendownload.com team