The Story Behind "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is one of the most famous nursery rhymes in the world. Almost every child has sung this song at some point, but where did it come from?

The words of the song were originally written as a poem. In 1806, an English poet named Jane Taylor wrote a poem called "The Star." The poem had five verses, but today, we usually sing only the first one.

The melody that we know today was not created for this poem. In fact, the tune comes from a much older song! It was originally a French melody called "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman," which dates back to the 1760s. Many composers, including the famous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, created variations on this melody. Mozart wrote 12 variations on this melody for piano when he was still a young composer in 1781, but he did not write the original tune itself.

Because of this, many people mistakenly believe that Mozart wrote the melody for "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," but he actually only arranged new versions of the song. His variations made the melody more popular, but it had been around long before Mozart worked with it.

Over time, Jane Taylor’s poem and the melody were combined, and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" became the popular song we know today. It’s now sung by children all over the world, and it has even been translated into many different languages.

Interestingly, the melody of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is used for other well-known songs too! One of the most famous examples is "The Alphabet Song," which is sung to help children learn their ABCs. Another popular song that uses the same melody is "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," a traditional nursery rhyme about a sheep giving away wool. All three songs—"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "The Alphabet Song," and "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep"—share the same tune, which is why the melody might feel so familiar, no matter which one you hear.

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star How I wonder what you are.”

“A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P"

“Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, Have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full”

Vocabulary

Grammar Focus

Discussion Questions

  1. Have you ever sung "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"? Where did you learn it?
  2. Do you know any other famous nursery rhymes? Which ones?
  3. Do you have a favourite childhood song? What is it?
  4. Why do you think melodies like this one are used for multiple songs?
  5. Have you ever tried to learn a song in another language? How was it?
  6. What kind of songs do you enjoy listening to? Why?
  7. What are some songs from your culture that everyone knows?
  8. Do you enjoy learning about the history behind famous songs? Why or why not?
  9. Have you ever tried to write your own song or poem? How did it go?
  10. Have you ever heard a song that you didn't understand but still enjoyed?
  11. What is a song you associate with a happy memory?
  12. What is a song that you can listen to again and again without getting tired of it?
  13. How do you think music and memory are connected?

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