Origins of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Hello everyone! One of the most famous themes in the history of music is probably Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I, over my years in music, have heard many "legends" about where it came from. One kid told me that Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was the first theme written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Another believed that he had written it, but that it wasn't the first. So, as you can imagine, I listened to my friends and went without checking up on the origins. Until now.

Origins

What I have found, just by reading through the Wikipedia page, is that the theme originates from an old French folk song called "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman." Which several composers, including Mozart, wrote variations on. The English poem, which is used today, was written by Jane Taylor and published with the title "The Star." I found it interesting to read some of the other verses, which have been lost to "popularity" I suppose. Anyway, here is the original French Folk Song:

Some comments I have about the original is that it sounds quite different in comparison to how we know it today. It is much faster, and sounds much more professional. I will say that I am not sure if this is actually the original version, or an arrangement. It is one of the only recordings that I can find that was not the Mozart version. I will say, the original might have been lost to time, and popularity of the modern version (given to us by Mozart I suppose).

Mozart's 12 Variations

I never thought I would spend 13 minutes listening to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but I will say that each variation is unique in character. My personal favorite is number 12 (around 12:13). I suppose Mozart saved his best effort for last. However, I was also appreciative of number 10 and number 7. If you have the time to listen to this, I would recommend it. It is quite interesting to see how Mozart expands on the theme in each of the variations. He does so through many different ideas including rhythm, harmony, and ornaments.

Sources:

** Information **

• *Wikipedia - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

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