"The ABC Song" is the best-known song used to recite the

English alphabet Modern English is written with a Latin-script alphabet consisting of 26 Letter (alphabet), letters, with each having both uppercase and lowercase forms. The word ''alphabet'' is a Compound (linguistics), compound of ''alpha'' and ''beta'', t ...

alphabetical order Alphabetical order is a system whereby character strings are placed in order based on the position of the characters in the conventional ordering of an alphabet. It is one of the methods of collation. In mathematics, a lexicographical order is ...

. It is commonly used to teach the alphabet to children in English-speaking countries. "The ABC Song" was first copyrighted in 1835 by

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

music publisher Charles Bradlee. The melody is from a 1761 French music book and is also used in other

nursery rhyme A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and other European countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. Fr ...

s like "

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 ...

", while the author of the lyrics is unknown. Songs set to the same melody are also used to teach the alphabets of other languages.

History

The melody of "The ABC Song" was first published in the French book of music ''Les Amusements d'une Heure et Demy'' (') (1761) without lyrics. It was adapted in

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 ...

's Twelve Variations and used in many

s around the world, including "

Ah! vous dirai-je, maman "" (, English: Oh! Shall I tell you, Mama) is a popular children's song 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, Lit ...

", "

" and later "

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 ...

", before being used in this song. The author of the lyrics is unknown. "The ABC Song" was first copyrighted in 1835 by

music publisher Charles Bradlee under the title "The A.B.C., a German air with variations for the flute with an easy accompaniment for the piano forte." The melody was attributed to 18th-century composer Louis Le Maire. "The ABC Song" is commonly used in preschools across English-speaking countries. Due to the speed at which '''L, M, N, O, P''' is spoken, it is a common misconception among children still learning the alphabet to believe that it is in fact its own letter called "elemenopee". Some have proposed teaching slower versions of the song to avoid this issue, but attempts to do so have been criticized for lacking the end rhymes and the L, M, N, O, P''" part being an essential part of the song. The television series ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' has covered the song many times, collaborating with popular artists such as

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

and Usher.

Composition and variations

Lyrics: ''(each line represents two measures, or eight beats)'' :'' A, B, C, D, E, F, G...'' () :'' H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P...'' (; "L, M, N, O" spoken twice as quickly as rest of rhyme) :'' Q, R, S.../ T, U, V...'' (; pause between S and T, though in some variants, "and" is inserted) :'' W... X.../ Y and(/ &) Z.'' (; pause between X and Y, and W and X last for two beats) :''Now I know my ABCs.'' :''Next time, won't you sing with me?'' \relative c' \addlyrics Lyrics for the alternate Zed version: ''(each line represents two measures or eight beats)'' :'' A, B, C, D, E, F, G...'' () :'' H, I, J, K, L, M, N...'' () :'' O, P, Q, R, S, T, U...'' () :'' V, W... X, Y and(/ &) Z.'' (; W lasts for two beats) :''Now I know my ABCs.'' :''Next time, won't you sing with me?'' \relative c' \addlyrics

Pronunciation of "Z"

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...

, the dialect in mind by the composer, the letter name for Z is pronounced /ziː/ (''Zee''), but in most other anglophone countries, the letter name is pronounced /zɛd/ (''Zed''). In such dialects, the absent ''Zee''-rhyme is generally not missed, although while singing the song, some children may accommodate for ''Zee'' which they would otherwise not use on a regular basis. Variants of the song exist to accommodate ''Zed''. One such variation is shown below: \addlyrics :''a-b-c-d-e-f-g'' :''h-i-j-k-l-m-n'' :''o-p-q-r-s-t-u'' :''v-w-x-y-z(ed)'' This version does not have a closing line, and the tune is modified accordingly. The W is not lengthened in this version.

Backwards alphabet

Several versions exist covering the alphabet backward, i.e., Z to A. One version is shown below. :''z-y-x and(/&) w'' :''v-u-t, s-r-q'' :''p-o-n-m-l-k-j'' :''i-h-g-f-e-d-c-b-a'' :''Now you know your ZYXs'' :''I bet that's not what you expected!'' The e-d-c-b-a part is as fast as the l-m-n-o-p part in the normal alphabet song.

Versions for other languages

The same melody used for "The ABC Song" has also been used for the Spanish, German, French, and

Arabic alphabet The Arabic alphabet, or the Arabic abjad, is the Arabic script as specifically codified for writing the Arabic language. It is a unicase, unicameral script written from right-to-left in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters, of which most ...

s. A French-language version of the song is also taught in Canada, with generally no alterations to the melody except in the final line that requires adjustment to accommodate the two-syllable pronunciation of the French ''y''.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abc Song Songs about language Children's songs Early childhood education

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

Traditional children's songs American children's songs American nursery rhymes