Twinkle Little Star

In this episode, Twinkle Little Star . . .

Did you recognize the melody in the introduction? The audio was one of twelve variations for piano of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, composed by Mozart.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western classical music. Born on January 27th, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria, he was a child prodigy who began composing at five and performed before royalty by age six. Mozart's musical genius was apparent from a young age; he composed over 600 works in his short life, which ended at just 35. His compositions include operas, symphonies, chamber music, and piano sonatas, and he is known for his mastery of various musical forms.

Why Mozart, you ask?

I refer to a recent discussion with an eight-year-old we introduced you to in a previous podcast, Sierra. You see, Sierra is a rather clever young lady. A Lego enthusiast plays chess and sends the best thank you letters (snail mail), AND we discovered she is learning to play the violin. So during our outing to the San Diego Safari Park, my first question to her was, "How do you like playing the violin?"

"It's fun!" She said.

I just had to ask," How do you know where the notes are? There are no frets like a guitar or Ukulele?"

Calmly she explained, "There are only four strings – tuned to G-D-A-E." She explained, "There are just a few notes per string, and you can tell by the sound where there are."

Previously, her father sent me a video of Sierra playing the melody "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (on her violin); keep in mind she just started learning to play.

When I asked her why this tune, she quickly said, "Didn't you know Mozart wrote this piece?"

I didn't know that. Now I was curious!

With a quick Google search, I discovered the following article from Encyclopedia Britannica.

The famous opening bars of Eine kleine Nachtmusik, probably the most familiar melody associated with Mozart, are known to English speakers as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." The tune was believed to be one of Mozart's earliest compositions, written as a child for his elder sister. Alas, the story isn't true.

What is true is that Mozart composed a set of variations of the tune for piano. Those variations were probably written in the early 1780s when Mozart was a young man, and its believed they were intended as piano exercises for his music students. The complete work was published in 1785 and was described as variations on "Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman," a French folk song that was popular at the time. A rough translation (Oh! Shall I tell you, Mommy).

The question remains, who composed the melody? No one knows. The tune of "Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman" was first published (without words) in Les Amusements d'une Heure et Demy (1761), a collection of music to be played at garden parties. The collection is attributed to a Frenchman named Boüin, but there is no evidence that he wrote the piece. Although some scholars have suggested that the tune might be as old as 1740, the identity of its composer is still a mystery.

Mozart's contribution to classical music cannot be overstated. His talent was extraordinary, and his music has had a lasting impact on the music world. He is rightly regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time, and his works continue to be celebrated and enjoyed today.

And thanks to the twinkle of this young rising star, we re-discovered the beauty, simplicity, and joy that playing music brings - no matter what your talent level.

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening; see you in the next episode.

Cunningham, John M. "Did Mozart Write "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"?". Encyclopedia Britannica, October 29th, 2021.

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