Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Encyclopedia
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is a popular English
nursery rhyme
. The lyrics are from an early nineteenth-century English poem, "The Star" by Jane Taylor
. The poem, which is in couplet
form, was first published in 1806 in Rhymes for the Nursery
, a collection of poems by Taylor and her sister Ann
. It is sung to the tune of the French
melody Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman (oldest known publication 1761). The English lyrics have five stanzas, although only the first is widely known. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
number of 7666.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the traveller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.
As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveller in the dark.
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
How I wonder what you are.
", and a variant of it is used for "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
". It is also the basis of the Scots song Coulter's Candy.
The German Christmas carol
"Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann", with words by Hoffmann von Fallersleben, also uses the melody, as does the Hungarian Christmas carol
"Hull a pelyhes fehér hó", the Dutch "Altijd is Kortjakje ziek", and the Spanish "Campanita del Lugar".
Several classical compositions have been inspired by the tune:
In these versions a girl confides a secret to her mother: that she has been seduced by "Silvandre". Only in one version cited above did the girl apparently make a narrow escape ("Je m'échappai par bonheur"), in the other versions the girl appears to have been "beaten" by L'Amour ("Love").
As for the history of the melody and the non-nursery rhyme version(s) of the French text:
As for the composition date of Mozart's Variations, for a time the variations were thought to have been composed in 1778, while Mozart stayed in Paris from April to September in that year, the assumption being that the melody of a French song could only have been picked up by Mozart while residing in France. For this presumed composition date, in the chronological catalogue of Mozart's compositions
the composition was renumbered from K. 265 to K. 300e. Later analysis of Mozart's manuscript of the composition by Wolfgang Plath rather indicated 1781-1782 as the probable composition date.
The French "nursery rhyme" version also appears with slight variations:
The lyrics from "The Star" were first published with the tune in The Singing Master: First Class Tune Book in 1838.
. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat
", is a parody of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" recited by the Hatter during the mad tea-party, in Lewis Carroll
's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
. It reads:
The Hatter is interrupted in his recitation. "The Bat" was the nickname of Professor Bartholomew Price
, one of the Dons at Oxford, a former teacher of Carroll's and well known to the Liddell family. It is one of the few parodies in the Alice books of which the original is still widely known.
A Latin
translation appeared in Mary Mapes Dodge
's When life is young (1894):
The Elegants
released a single adapted from this song called Little Star
, which made #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1958.
A version using synonyms from Roget's Thesaurus
exists. An anonymous astronomy parody, quoted in Violent Universe by Nigel Calder
(BBC, 1969), refers to pulsar
s and quasar
s. A different version of this parody attributed to George Gamow
and Nigel Calder
was published in Galaxies in the Universe: An Introduction by Linda Sparke and John Gallagher
(Cambridge University Press
, 2000 - ISBN 0-521-59740-4).
The Girl Scouts of the USA
placed a full page ad in the March 19th 2006 New York Times containing a version of the rhyme that was "resung by science" as part of their "Girls Go Tech" campaign.
Vashti Bunyan
, an English singer-songwriter, composed "Lily Pond" based on this tune. It can be found on her 1970 album Just Another Diamond Day
. American singer Elizabeth Mitchell
covers the song on her 2006 album You Are My Little Bird
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
. The lyrics are from an early nineteenth-century English poem, "The Star" by Jane Taylor
Jane Taylor (poet)
Jane Taylor , was an English poet and novelist. She wrote the words for the song Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star in 1806 at age 23, while living in Shilling Street, Lavenham, Suffolk....
. The poem, which is in couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
form, was first published in 1806 in Rhymes for the Nursery
Rhymes for the Nursery
Rhymes for the Nursery is a collection of English poems by sisters Jane and Ann Taylor, published in London in 1806. Probably the best-known poem in it is "The Star" ....
, a collection of poems by Taylor and her sister Ann
Ann Taylor (poet)
Ann Taylor was an English poet and literary critic. In her youth she was a writer of verse for children, for which she achieved long-lasting popularity. In the years immediately preceding her marriage, she became an astringent literary critic of growing reputation...
. It is sung to the tune of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
melody Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman (oldest known publication 1761). The English lyrics have five stanzas, although only the first is widely known. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
number of 7666.
Lyrics
The English lyrics were first published as a poem with the title "The Star" by sisters Ann and Jane Taylor (1783–1824) in Rhymes for the Nursery in London in 1806. The poem was written by Jane.Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the traveller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.
As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveller in the dark.
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
How I wonder what you are.
Appearances of the melody
Many songs in various languages have been based on the "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman" melody. In English, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", the "Alphabet SongAlphabet song
An alphabet song is any of various songs used to teach children an alphabet, used in kindergartens, pre-schools and homes around the world. Alphabet songs typically follow the alphabetic principle...
", and a variant of it is used for "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep (nursery rhyme)
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep is an English nursery rhyme, sung to a variant of the 1761 French melody Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman. The original form of the tune is used for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and the Alphabet song. The words have changed little in two and a half centuries...
". It is also the basis of the Scots song Coulter's Candy.
The German Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
"Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann", with words by Hoffmann von Fallersleben, also uses the melody, as does the Hungarian Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
"Hull a pelyhes fehér hó", the Dutch "Altijd is Kortjakje ziek", and the Spanish "Campanita del Lugar".
Several classical compositions have been inspired by the tune:
- Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman" (K. 265 / K. 300e) (1781 or 1782) - Franz Joseph Haydn, The Surprise SymphonySymphony No. 94 (Haydn)The Symphony No. 94 in G major is the second of the twelve so-called London symphonies written by Joseph Haydn. It is usually called by its nickname, the Surprise Symphony, although in German it is more often referred to as the Symphony "mit dem Paukenschlag" .-Date of composition:Haydn wrote...
(1791) - Camille Saint-SaënsCamille Saint-SaënsCharles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
, Carnival of the Animals (1886), 12th movement (Fossiles) quotes the tune - Ernő DohnányiErno DohnányiErnő Dohnányi was a Hungarian conductor, composer, and pianist. He used the German form of his name Ernst von Dohnányi for most of his published compositions....
, Variations on a Nursery Tune, op.25Variations on a Nursery Tune (Dohnányi)The Variations on a Nursery Tune, Op. 25, is a piece for piano and orchestra by Ernő Dohnányi. It is subtitled For the enjoyment of humorous people and for the annoyance of others....
(1914) - Erwin SchulhoffErwin SchulhoffErwin Schulhoff was a Czech composer and pianist.-Life:Born in Prague of Jewish-German origin, Schulhoff was one of the brightest figures in a generation of European musicians whose successful careers were prematurely terminated by the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany...
, Ten Variations on 'Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman' and Fugue - John CoriglianoJohn CoriglianoJohn Corigliano is an American composer of classical music and a teacher of music. He is a distinguished professor of music at Lehman College in the City University of New York.-Biography:...
, The Mannheim Rocket - Franz LisztFranz LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, Album Leaf: "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman" (1833) (S.163b) - Theodor von SchachtTheodor von SchachtTheodor von Schacht was a German composer.After his studies in Stuttgart and Wetzlar, von Schacht arrived in Regensburg as a knight...
, 3rd movement (Allegretto con variazioni) of his clarinet concertoClarinet concertoA clarinet concerto is a piece for clarinet and orchestra . Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly the earliest known concerto for solo clarinet; its score appears to be titled "Concerto per Clareto" and may date from 1733. It may, however, be intended for...
in B flat major - Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck, Variations and finale for organ on "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman", op. 90 (pub. 1828)
- Jean-Baptiste Cardon (1760–1803), Variations for harp on "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman"
First appearances of the melody and the original French text version
The original French rhyme Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman, was far from a children's rhyme. Apparently it originated in the first half of the 18th century. As there was no published version of the text before 1774, several slightly differing versions of what could have been the "original" version exist:- Ah! vous dirai-je Maman?, as published in the early 20th century in a collection of French songs by Jean Gilleguin.
- Comparing two versions of "La Confidence" with the nursery rhyme version
In these versions a girl confides a secret to her mother: that she has been seduced by "Silvandre". Only in one version cited above did the girl apparently make a narrow escape ("Je m'échappai par bonheur"), in the other versions the girl appears to have been "beaten" by L'Amour ("Love").
As for the history of the melody and the non-nursery rhyme version(s) of the French text:
- 1761: first publication of the music (without lyrics) of Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman in "Les Amusements d'une Heure et Demy" by Mr. Bouin (Paris), p. 1.
- Around 1765, the words and music appear in a manuscriptManuscriptA manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
entitled "Recueil de Chansons" under the title "Le Faux Pas", p. 43. - 1774: earliest known printed publication of the lyrics together with the music in volume two of "Recueil de Romances" by M.D.L. (De Lusse) published in Brussels, under the title "La Confidence – Naive" (p. 75).
- Around 1780 (Paris): the words and music appear in sheet music under the title "Les Amours de Silvandre".
- 1785: First publication of Mozart's Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman variations.
As for the composition date of Mozart's Variations, for a time the variations were thought to have been composed in 1778, while Mozart stayed in Paris from April to September in that year, the assumption being that the melody of a French song could only have been picked up by Mozart while residing in France. For this presumed composition date, in the chronological catalogue of Mozart's compositions
Köchel-Verzeichnis
The Köchel-Verzeichnis is a complete, chronological catalogue of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart which was originally created by Ludwig von Köchel. It is abbreviated K or KV. For example, Mozart's Requiem in D minor was, according to Köchel's counting, the 626th piece Mozart composed....
the composition was renumbered from K. 265 to K. 300e. Later analysis of Mozart's manuscript of the composition by Wolfgang Plath rather indicated 1781-1782 as the probable composition date.
French "nursery rhyme" version
Origin unknown.| French lyrics | English translation |
|---|---|
Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman, Ce qui cause mon tourment. Papa veut que je raisonne, Comme une grande personne. Moi, je dis que les bonbons Valent mieux que la raison. |
Ah! I shall tell you, mum, That which causes my torment. Papa wants me to reason Like an adult. I say that sweets Are better than reason. |
The French "nursery rhyme" version also appears with slight variations:
| French lyrics | English translation |
|---|---|
| A variation | |
Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman, Ce qui cause mon tourment. Papa veut que je demande De la soupe et de la viande... Moi, je dis que les bonbons Valent mieux que les mignons. |
Ah! I would tell you, Mother, What causes my torment. Father wants me to ask For soup and for meat I say that candy Is better than (filets) mignons. |
| Another variation | |
Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman, Ce qui cause mon tourment Papa veut que je retienne Des verbes la longue antienne... Moi, je dis que les bonbons valent mieux que les leçons. |
Ah! I shall tell you, Mother, What causes my torment. Father wants me to remember This catalogue of verbs conjugations I say that candy is better than lessons. |
| A third version | |
Quand trois poules vont aux champs, La première va devant. La deuxième suit la première, La troisième vient la dernière. Quand trois poules vont aux champs, La première va devant. |
When three hens go to the fields, The first one comes before. The second one follows the first one, The third one comes after. When three hens go to the fields, The first one comes before. |
The lyrics from "The Star" were first published with the tune in The Singing Master: First Class Tune Book in 1838.
Other text versions
The song is a popular target for parodiesParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat" is a poem recited by the Mad Hatter in chapter seven of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It is a parody of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"....
", is a parody of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" recited by the Hatter during the mad tea-party, in Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
. It reads:
- Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
- How I wonder what you're at!
- Up above the world you fly,
- Like a tea tray in the sky.
- Twinkle, twinkle—
The Hatter is interrupted in his recitation. "The Bat" was the nickname of Professor Bartholomew Price
Bartholomew Price
Bartholomew Price was an English mathematician and educator.He was born at Coln St Denis, Gloucestershire, in 1818. He was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford, of which college he became fellow in 1844 and tutor and mathematical lecturer in 1845...
, one of the Dons at Oxford, a former teacher of Carroll's and well known to the Liddell family. It is one of the few parodies in the Alice books of which the original is still widely known.
A Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
translation appeared in Mary Mapes Dodge
Mary Mapes Dodge
Mary Mapes Dodge was an American children's writer and editor, best known for her novel Hans Brinker.-Biography:...
's When life is young (1894):
- Mica, mica, parva stella,
- Miror quaenam sis tam bella.
- Super terra in caelo,
- Alba gemma splendido.
- Mica, mica, parva stella,
- Miror quaenam sis tam bella.
The Elegants
The Elegants
The Elegants is an American doo-wop vocal group, that was started in 1958 by Vito Picone, Arthur Venosa, Frank Tardogno, Carmen Romano and James Mochella in South Beach, Staten Island, New York. Before their nursery rhyme inspired song, "Little Star", became a number one hit, the band usually...
released a single adapted from this song called Little Star
Little Star (The Elegants song)
"Little Star" is the name of a song recorded by The Elegants. Members Vito Picone and Arthur Venosa co-wrote the lyrics. The music was adapted from "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." When released as a single in 1958, it topped both the R&B Best Sellers list and the Billboard Hot 100; however, it was...
, which made #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1958.
A version using synonyms from Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's Thesaurus is a widely-used English language thesaurus, created by Dr. Peter Mark Roget in 1805 and released to the public on 29 April 1852. The original edition had 15,000 words, and each new edition has been larger...
exists. An anonymous astronomy parody, quoted in Violent Universe by Nigel Calder
Nigel Calder
Nigel Calder is a British science writer.Between 1956 and 1966, Calder wrote for the magazine New Scientist, serving as editor from 1962 until 1966...
(BBC, 1969), refers to pulsar
Pulsar
A pulsar is a highly magnetized, rotating neutron star that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation. The radiation can only be observed when the beam of emission is pointing towards the Earth. This is called the lighthouse effect and gives rise to the pulsed nature that gives pulsars their name...
s and quasar
Quasar
A quasi-stellar radio source is a very energetic and distant active galactic nucleus. Quasars are extremely luminous and were first identified as being high redshift sources of electromagnetic energy, including radio waves and visible light, that were point-like, similar to stars, rather than...
s. A different version of this parody attributed to George Gamow
George Gamow
George Gamow , born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov , was a Russian-born theoretical physicist and cosmologist. He discovered alpha decay via quantum tunneling and worked on radioactive decay of the atomic nucleus, star formation, stellar nucleosynthesis, Big Bang nucleosynthesis, cosmic microwave...
and Nigel Calder
Nigel Calder
Nigel Calder is a British science writer.Between 1956 and 1966, Calder wrote for the magazine New Scientist, serving as editor from 1962 until 1966...
was published in Galaxies in the Universe: An Introduction by Linda Sparke and John Gallagher
John Gallagher
John Gallagher may refer to:*John Gallagher , vocalist/guitarist for the American death metal band Dying Fetus*John Gallagher Jr., actor/musician*John Gallagher III, astronomer*John Gallagher , MLB player...
(Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 2000 - ISBN 0-521-59740-4).
The Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
placed a full page ad in the March 19th 2006 New York Times containing a version of the rhyme that was "resung by science" as part of their "Girls Go Tech" campaign.
Vashti Bunyan
Vashti Bunyan
Vashti Bunyan is an English singer-songwriter. In 1970, Bunyan released her first album, Just Another Diamond Day. The album sold very few copies, and Bunyan, discouraged, abandoned her musical career...
, an English singer-songwriter, composed "Lily Pond" based on this tune. It can be found on her 1970 album Just Another Diamond Day
Just Another Diamond Day
Just Another Diamond Day is the debut album of English singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan.In the mid to late 1960s, Bunyan was under contract to Andrew Oldham, which saw her release two singles. However, Bunyan found the experience frustrating, and decided to head for the Scottish islands in search of...
. American singer Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell (musician)
Elizabeth Mitchell, a Smithsonian Folkways Recording artist, has been recording and performing music for children since 1998. Elizabeth was the first new children's music artist signed to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in the 21st century...
covers the song on her 2006 album You Are My Little Bird
You Are My Little Bird
You Are My Little Bird is an album by Elizabeth Mitchell, released in 2006 by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The album is a collection of children's music played in a folk music style...
.
External links
- Sheet music on Wikifonia
- Lullabies of Europe/Languages from the Cradle A European Union, government funded, education project to collect lullabies (in their native language) from across Europe - includes samples in 7 languages.
- The original melody
- BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
Woman's HourWoman's HourWoman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
, article (with audio) - The lyrics, the tune and an mp3 recording of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, also a score and a French Translation
- A new upbeat version to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy
- A website with lyrics for popular children's songs includes this song with video.
- Videos and lyrics of nursery rhymes including Twinkle Twinkle Little Star