12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je maman', K.265/300e
Variations · in C major · K. 265
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756–1791
C major
Key
Variations
Form
K. 265
Catalogue
Score
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Difficulty
Our estimate Intermediate
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Themes & character
The Twinkle Twinkle tune·Mozart did not write the melody·Twelve variations·Composed around 1781
At a glance
- Catalogue
- K. 265
- Key
- C major
- Form
- Variations
About the piece
Twelve variations on a French popular song, Ah vous dirai-je, maman, the melody known in English as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Baa Baa Black Sheep and the alphabet song, all of which use the same tune.
Mozart is frequently credited with composing that melody. He did not: it was already a well known French air, and he simply took it as a theme, as composers routinely did. The variations move from simple decoration through a minor-key transformation to a brilliant closing Allegro.
The composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1756–1791
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a Classical composer and musician. He completed more than 800 works in his life—including outstanding examples of most of the genres of his time: symphonies, concertos, chamber music, opera, and choral music—and is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music.
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