Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman" facts for kids
Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman" (pronounced "Ah voo dee-ray zhuh, Mah-mahn") is a famous piece of music for the piano. It was written by the well-known composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This piece is special because it takes a simple French folk song and changes it in twelve different ways.
You might already know the tune of "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman"! It's the same melody used for many popular children's songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", and the "Alphabet Song". Mozart's variations show how a composer can be creative with a single melody.
About Mozart's Variations
Mozart wrote these twelve variations around 1781 or 1782. They were first published in Vienna, Austria, in 1785. Each variation changes the original song in a new and interesting way. Some variations might be fast, some slow, and some might sound completely different from the original tune, even though they use the same basic notes.
Only two of the twelve variations have special instructions about how fast they should be played:
- Variation XI (the eleventh one) is marked Adagio. This means it should be played slowly.
- Variation XII (the twelfth one) is marked Allegro. This means it should be played quickly and cheerfully.
When Was It Written?
For a long time, people thought Mozart wrote this piece in 1778. At that time, he was living in Paris, France. It made sense to think he would learn a French folk song while living there. Because of this idea, the piece was given a different number in the Köchel catalogue, which is a list of all Mozart's works.
However, after looking closely at Mozart's original notes, experts now believe he wrote the variations a few years later, around 1781 or 1782. This shows how music history can sometimes be a puzzle, and new discoveries can change what we thought we knew!
See also
In Spanish: Doce variaciones sobre «Ah vous dirai-je, Maman» para niños
