"" (, English: Oh! Shall I tell you, Mama) is a popular

children's song A children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that children invent and share among themselves or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home or education. Although children's songs have been recorded and studie ...

in France. Since its composition in the 18th century, the melody has been applied to numerous lyrics in multiple languages – the English-language song "

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is an English lullaby. The lyrics are from an early-19th-century English poem written by Jane Taylor, "The Star". The poem, which is in couplet form, was first published in 1806 in '' Rhymes for the Nursery'', a c ...

" is one such example. It was adapted in

Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman" Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman", K. 265/300e, is a piano composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composed when he was around 25 years old (1781 or 1782). This piece consists of twelve variations on the French folk song "Ah! v ...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Georg Joseph Vogler Georg Joseph Vogler, also known as Abbé Vogler (15 June 1749 – 6 May 1814), was a German composer, organist, teacher and theorist. In a long and colorful career extending over many more nations and decades than was usual at the time, Vogler e ...

also composed a set of variations using the same theme.

History

According to

Henri-Irénée Marrou Henri-Irénée Marrou (; 12 November 1904 – 11 April 1977) was a French historian. A Christian humanist in outlook, his work was primarily in the spheres of Late Antiquity and the history of education. He is best known for his work ''History o ...

, the origin of the melody is an anonymous pastoral song dating from 1740, with children's lyrics added relatively recently. The melody was first published in 1761. In 1774, the earliest known printed publication of the lyrics together with the music was in volume two of by M.D.L. (Charles de Lusse) published in Brussels (then in the

Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...

), under the title "".

Nursery rhyme

The French lyrics of the nursery rhyme exist in several variations, of which the following one is one of the most common versions.

"La Confidence naïve"

The lyrics of the nursery rhyme are a parody of the original lyrics, an anonymous love poem, "" ("The naive Confidence").

Appearances of the melody

Many songs in various languages have been based on the "" melody. In English, "

", the "

Alphabet Song "The ABC Song" is the best-known song used to recite the English alphabet in alphabetical order. It is commonly used to teach the alphabet to children in English-speaking countries. "The ABC Song" was first copyrighted in 1835 by Boston music ...

" and "

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" is an English nursery rhyme, the earliest printed version of which dates from around 1744. The words have barely changed in two and a half centuries. It is sung to a variant of the 18th-century French melody "''Ah! vous di ...

" all use this melody. The German

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

"" with words by

Hoffmann von Fallersleben August Heinrich Hoffmann (, calling himself von Fallersleben, after his hometown; 2 April 179819 January 1874) was a German poet. He is best known for writing "", whose third stanza is now the national anthem of Germany, and a number of popular ...

, also uses the melody, as does the Hungarian Christmas carol "", the Dutch "", the Spanish "", the Greek "Φεγγαράκι μου λαμπρό", the Turkish "" and the Swedish "". Several classical compositions have been inspired by this tune: *

(K. 265 / K. 300e) (1781 or 1782) *

Michel Corrette Michael Corrette (10 April 1707 – 21 January 1795) was a French composer, organist and author of musical method books. Life Corrette’s father, Gaspard Corrette, was an organist and composer. Little is known of his early life. In 1726, ...

(Variations on) "Ah! Vous dirais-je, maman" from ''La Belle

Vielle The is a European bowed stringed instrument used in the medieval period, similar to a modern violin but with a somewhat longer and deeper body, three to five gut strings, and a leaf-shaped pegbox with frontal tuning pegs, sometimes with a fig ...

use'' (1783) *

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (21 June 1732 – 26 January 1795) was a German composer and harpsichordist, the fifth son of Johann Sebastian Bach, sometimes referred to as the "Bückeburg Bach". Born in Leipzig in the Electorate of Saxony, he w ...

, Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je maman" in G major (Wf XII: 2) (BR A 45) (Composed around 1785/90; 1st publ. ca. 1880) *

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, Symphony No. 94 (Surprise Symphony), second movement (andante) (1792) * (1760–1803), Variations for harp on "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman" *

Ferdinando Carulli Ferdinando Maria Meinrado Francesco Pascale Rosario Carulli (9 February 1770 – 17 February 1841) was an Italian composer for classical guitar and the author of the influential ''Méthode complète pour guitare ou lyre'', op. 27 (1810), which co ...

, (1770–1841) Three Solos with Variations for Guitar, Op. 60, No. 3, c. 1812 * Theodor von Schacht (1748–1823), 3rd movement (Allegretto con variazioni) of his

clarinet concerto A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet; that is, a musical composition for solo clarinet together with a large ensemble (such as an orchestra or concert band). Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly th ...

in B flat major *

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

, Album Leaf: "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman" (1833) ( S.163b) *

Christian Heinrich Rinck Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck (18 February 1770 – 7 August 1846) was a German composer and organist of the late classical and early romantic eras. Life and career Rinck was born in Elgersburg (in present-day Thuringia), and died in Darms ...

, Variations and finale for organ on "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman", op. 90 (pub. 1828) *

Adolphe Adam Adolphe Charles Adam (; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets ''Giselle'' (1841) and ''Le corsaire'' (1856), his operas ''Le post ...

, Bravura Variations from the opera ''Le toréador'' (1849) *

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

, ''

The Carnival of the Animals ''The Carnival of the Animals'' () is a humorous musical suite of 14 movements, including " The Swan", by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. About 25 minutes in duration, it was written for private performance by two pianos and chambe ...

'' (1886), 12th movement (''Fossiles'') quotes the tune *

Ernst von Dohnányi Ernst von Dohnányi (Hungarian: ''Dohnányi Ernő'', ; 27 July 1877 – 9 February 1960) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and conducting, conductor. He used the German form of his name on most published compositions. Biography Dohnányi was bo ...

, ''Variations on a Nursery Tune'', Op. 25 (1914) *

Erwin Schulhoff Erwin Schulhoff (; 8 June 189418 August 1942) was an Austro-Czech composer and pianist. He was one of the figures in the generation of European musicians whose successful careers were prematurely terminated by the rise of the Nazi regime in Germ ...

, Ten Variations on "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman" and Fugue, Op. 16 (1914) *

Harl McDonald Harl McDonald (July 27, 1899 – March 30, 1955) was an American composer, conductor, pianist and teacher. McDonald was born in Boulder, Colorado, and studied at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Redlands, and the Leipzig Co ...

, ''Children's Symphony'', 2nd theme of 1st movement ("Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" variant) (1948) *

Xavier Montsalvatge Xavier Montsalvatge i Bassols (; 11 March 1912 – 7 May 2002) was a Spanish composer and music critic. He was one of the most influential figures in Catalan music during the latter half of the 20th century. Biography Life Montsalvatge was bor ...

, 3rd movement (Allegretto) of ''Sonatine pour Yvette'' (1962) *

Vashti Bunyan Jennifer Vashti Bunyan (born 2 March 1945) is an English singer-songwriter. She began her career in the mid-1960s and released a debut album, '' Just Another Diamond Day'', in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discouraged, abando ...

, "Lily Pond" on the 1970 album '' Just Another Diamond Day'' * José Luis Turina, ''Variations & Theme (on the Theme and variations "Ah, vous dirai-je, maman!" by Wofgang Amadeus Mozart'', for violin and piano (1990), arranged for two pianos in 2008 *

Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator with a career in film and television scoring that spanned nearly 50 years and over 200 productions, between 1954 and 2003. He was consid ...

, '' I.Q. (film)'' (1994)The compositions for this film are mainly variations on the theme. *

John Corigliano John Paul Corigliano (born February 16, 1938) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. With over 100 compositions, he has won accolades including a Pulitzer Prize, five Grammy Awards, Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, and a ...

, '' The Mannheim Rocket'' (2000)

References

{{Authority control, state=collapsed French folk songs Traditional children's songs French nursery rhymes French children's songs 18th-century songs 1760s quotations Quotations from music