Richard Rodgers was an American composer widely regarded as one of the greatest in musical theater history. He collaborated with lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II.
Rodgers’ work includes iconic shows such as Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, and Carousel. His partnership with Hammerstein revolutionized Broadway.
Rodgers won numerous awards, including multiple Tony Awards and an Academy Award. His contributions shaped American musical theater for decades.
About the Song
“Do-Re-Mi” is a musical teaching song from the 1959 show The Sound of Music, created by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.
Maria uses basic musical notes to help the Von Trapp children learn singing. The simple tune and clear words make it easy to remember. Many people know this song because it makes learning music feel natural and fun.
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Album’s Name | The Sound of Music Original Cast Recording |
| Release Date | March 2, 1965 |
| Writers | Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II & Rodgers & Hammerstein |
| Producers | Neely Plumb |
Do Re Mi Lyrics by Richard Rodgers
MARIA
Let’s start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read, you begin with
GRETL, spoken
A-B-C
MARIA
When you sing, you begin with do-re-mi
CHILDREN
Do-re-mi
MARIA
Do-re-mi
The first three notes just happen to be
Do-re-mi
CHILDREN
Do-re-mi
MARIA
Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti
spoken
Oh, let’s see if I can make it easier
sung
Do, a deer, a female deer
Re, a drop of golden sun
Mi, a name I call myself
Fa, a long, long way to run
So, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow so
Ti, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to do, oh, oh, oh
CHILDREN
Do
MARIA
A deer, a female deer
CHILDREN
Re
MARIA
A drop of golden sun
CHILDREN
Mi
MARIA
A name I call myself
CHILDREN
Fa
MARIA
A long, long way to run
MARIA & CHILDREN
So, a needle pulling thread
La
MARIA
A note to follow so
Ti
CHILDREN
A drink with jam and bread
MARIA
That will bring us back to do
CHILDREN
A deer, a female deer
Re, a drop of golden sun
Mi, a name I call myself
Fa, a long, long way to run
So, a needle pulling thread
[MARIA & CHILDREN]
La, a note to follow so
Ti, a drink with jam and bread
MARIA
That will bring us back to do
Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do, so-do
MARIA, spoken
Now children, do, re, mi, fa, so, and so on are only the tools we use to build a song
Once you have these notes in your heads, you can sing a million different tunes by mixing them up like this
sung
So, do, la, fa, mi, do, re
spoken
Can you do that?
CHILDREN
So, do, la, fa, mi, do, re
MARIA
So, do, la, ti, do, re, do
CHILDREN
So, do, la, ti, do, re, do
MARIA, spoken
Now put it all together
MARIA & CHILDREN, sung
So, do, la, fa, mi, do, re
So, do, la, ti, do, re, do
MARIA, spoken
Good
Brigitta, spoken
But it doesn’t mean anything
Maria, spoken
So we put in words, one word for every note, like this
Sung
When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most anything
Spoken
Together
Maria & Children
When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most anything
Do, a deer, a female deer
Re, a drop of golden sun
Mi, a name I call myself
Fa, a long, long way to run
So, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow so
Ti, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to do
Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do
Do, ti, la, so, fa, mi, re
Do, mi, mi
Mi, so, so
Re, fa, fa
La, ti, ti
Do, mi-mi
Mi, so-so
Re, fa-fa
La, ti-ti
When (Do, mi-mi)
You (Mi, so-so)
Know (Re, fa-fa)
The (La, ti-ti)
Notes (Do, mi-mi)
To (Mi, so-so)
Sing (Re, fa-fa)
(La, ti-ti)
You (La, ti-ti)
Can (Mi, so-so)
Sing (Re, fa-fa)
Most (La, ti-ti)
Anything
Do, a deer, a female deer
Re, a drop of golden sun
Mi, a name I call myself
Fa, a long, long way to run
So, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow so
Ti, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to
Do (So, do)
Re (La, fa)
Mi (Mi, do)
Fa (Re)
So (So, do)
La (La, fa)
Ti (La-so, fa, mi-re)
Ti, do (So, do)
Similar Songs Like Do Re Mi
Richard Rodgers created simple, musical teaching songs with clear melodies that help listeners learn through gentle, memorable patterns.
Here are some of those songs similar to “Do Re Mi”:
- “My Favorite Things” (from The Sound of Music): Sweet and simple tune with short phrases that children can sing along to easily.
- “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'” (from Oklahoma!): Clear notes and steady rhythm that make people smile and hum along.
- “Getting to Know You” (from The King and I): Warm and friendly tune with easy words that flow naturally like talking.
- “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top” (from Oklahoma!): Fun word patterns set to music that rolls smoothly from start to finish.
- “Hello, Young Lovers” (from The King and I): Gentle melody with straightforward words that tell a sweet story.
