- Written in the early 1780s, Mozart’s 12 Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je maman” is a set of piano variations on the French folk song.1 That same folk song has been recycled for several children’s songs, including:
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
- Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
- Alphabet Song
- 12 Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je maman” was written at a time in Mozart’s life when he was establishing himself as a prominent piano teacher in Vienna. These variations are still used for pedagogical purposes today.
- The use of a French folk song would have been appealing because, for aristocratic women (Mozart’s main clientele), simple melodies of French romances and vaudevilles were extremely fashionable at the time.2
Sources
- “12 Variations on ‘Ah, vous dirai-je maman’, K.265/300e (Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus),” IMSLP, accessed October 15, 2025, https://imslp.org/wiki/12_Variations_on_’Ah%2C_vous_dirai-je_maman’%2C_K.265%2F300e_(Mozart%2C_Wolfgang_Amadeus).
- Ulrich Konrad, “Preface: 12 Variations on ‘Ah, vous dirai-je Maman’ K. 265,” G. Henle Verlag, accessed October 15, 2025, https://www.henle.de/en/12-Variations-on-Ah-vous-dirai-je-Maman-K.-265/HN-165.
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